At this point, you may be ready to go out and
uproot a tree with your bare hands after hearing the incessant promotion
surrounding "green IT." It seems as though every second manufacturer
and service provider has the best solution for reducing your carbon footprint
or your energy costs or to improve some aspect of your terribly inefficient,
ice cap-melting, polar bear-stranding business.
Sure, it's great to be green, or at least say it, but where should small and
business owners go to get an understanding of what policies and practices work
best? What can Uncle Sam do to help midmarket companies, and what can the
private sector do better? What follows is a list of 10 Web sites that can help
you get started down the path to a smarter, more environmentally friendly
workplace.
The
Green Power Network (GPN)
The GPN, a site run by the U.S. Department of Energy, provides news and
information on green power markets and related activities. In addition to
providing up-to-date information on green power news, it offers a reference
library on subjects like green power marketing. A free monthly newsletter also
keeps you informed on news and events concerning green power, and the site
posts solicitations for renewable energy generation, renewable energy
certificates and green power solutions. If your company is in the business of
providing energy-efficient solutions, this may be your forum of opportunity.
NERIC (National Electronics Recycling Infrastructure
Clearinghouse)
A jointly funded project of the NCER (National Center for Electronics Recycling) and the CEA (Consumer
Electronics Association), this two-year-old site offers research and education
on electronics recycling systems. As more major electronics manufacturers focus
on adaptive reuse and recycling, this can be a great resource for discovering
which companies have programs in place. Another handy feature is a
state-by-state guide to electronics recycling laws.
TrendPoint
Sure, the term "carbon footprint" gets thrown around all the time,
but how does one actually figure out the size and shape of an office's
emissions? TrendPoint's EnviroCube and EnerSure products allow you to monitor
your office's electronic environment. The EnviroCube tracks your data room's
environmental metrics like humidity and temperature. The EnerSure product lets
you track your power metrics at the circuit level. TrendPoint also offers a
selection of white papers containing information on topics such as energy and
heat measurement and how to increase data center energy efficiency.
Computer TakeBack Campaign
Are you interested in keeping an eye on which computer manufacturers are
environmentally responsible? This national group of nonprofit organizations
promotes responsible recycling and green design in the electronics industry,
and advocates for corporate product responsibility and first-rate electronics
recycling programs. The Web site provides a guide to computer and television
manufacturers that offer takeback programs and suggests policies for creating
more opportunities for consumers and business to participate in
"responsible recycling."
IBM's Green IT Web site
An easily navigable, information-packed site offering IBM's wealth of knowledge
of green IT, including extensive reports on environmental efforts,
energy-efficient products and practices, and green innovations. Podcasts and
videos give the site a professional, multimedia flavor, and an energy-efficiency
benchmark tool set gives you the opportunity to measure how well your company
is doing in a wide range of sustainable IT infrastructure issues.
Verdiem
Power management software vendor Verdiem helps SMBs track their PC energy
consumption. After determining an energy-use baseline with the company's
Surveyor software, Verdiem analyzes the baseline to identify desktop usage patterns
and areas of waste. The company then calculates cost savings using
internationally accepted energy measurement and verification methodologies verified
by third parties. Importantly, Verdiem's CECA (Computer Energy Consumption
Analysis) provides your company with an understanding of how long it will take
to achieve a return on a green investment, before you actually invest in a
particular solution.
EnergyStar
Started in 1992 as a joint project by the Environmental Protection Agency and
the U.S. Department of Energy, EnergyStar specifications can ensure that your
business is using the most energy-efficient appliances and products. The Web
site breaks information down by product type and work environment, offering
guidelines for energy management and commercial building design. The EPA's
Target Finder tool helps business owners set aggressive but realistic energy
targets and also rate a building design's estimated energy use. The site is a
particularly good place to start for the SMB owner who's looking to reduce
energy costs through smart appliance purchases.
GreenBiz.com
This combination print, radio and TV site offers daily news and information on
sustainable business practices and green business in general. The site has an
SMB-specific section where small business owners can find out how their energy
investment can be best put to use. This Web site is the leading Greener World
Media offering, though the company also publishes GreenerBuildings.com,
ClimateBiz.com and GreenerComputing.com—all of which your small business may
find useful. A free weekly newsletter keeps you well informed of the top green
business issues.
Planet Metrics
Planet Metrics uses carbon as the basis for a suite of performance indicators
used to determine the efficiency of your business and where improvements can be
made. The company's CIM (Carbon Information Management) solutions can help you
begin to develop and implement a business strategy for sustainability. Planet
Metrics employs a SAAS (software as a service) model which allows it to deploy solutions
in under 30 days without the need for hardware investment and IT involvement.
For its next project, Planet Metrics will measure and report on the amount of
carbon and greenhouse gas emissions caused by the upcoming CES (Consumer
Electronics Show) in Las
Vegas in January.
EPA Small Business Gateway
The EPA's Web site dedicated to SMBs breaks down into six main parts, including
resources for environmental assistance, technical help and a welcome section
titled "The Bottom Line: Saving and Finding Money". A general
information link offers SMB owners excellent resources for getting started on
green IT initiatives, and the EPA's Small Business Ombudsman provides
documents, guidance and explanations of environmental regulations.
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