Green Computing

Computer manufacture and use consumes a lot of energy and raw materials—many of which are toxic. Limit your computer’s negative impact by making a few small adjustments to your computing habits.

Reduce Your Power Consumption

Shut down your computer when you are not using it. If you hesitate to do so because your computer is slow to restart, speed things up by reducing the number of applications that load on start-up. Also turn off your local printer.
Don’t use a screen saver. Turn your monitor off completely instead when not in use.
Enable power management on your computer. This features enables you to choose what your computer should do during periods of inactivity. For example, putting your computer and/or display into sleep mode for brief periods of inactivity uses a lot less energy than leaving your computer on when you step away from your desk. Mac users should search Mac Help, keyword “Energy Saver” and PC users should search Windows Help, keyword “Power Management” for detailed instructions.

Replace your PC or Laptop once it has passed its warranty.
New computers use less power. Just make sure to choose one with an Energy Star seal. This Web site enables you to determine energy ratings for specific computer makes and models: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.showProduc...

Use Fewer Office Supplies

Only print documents when absolutely necessary. When you must print:
- Set the printing font to Century Gothic. It uses 30% less ink than the most popular typeface, which is Ariel.
- Make it a practice to use recycled paper and two‐sided printing options.
- Set your printer to print in black and white as the default, and for nonessential work, set the printer to print at “draft quality.”
- Avoid printing nonessential photos when printing documents from the Internet.
Dispose of Equipment Properly
Computers and monitors contain many toxic chemicals and heavy metals so they need to be properly disposed of. Computers should never be thrown into a landfill. Provided all security protocols and University policies for computer disposal have been followed, you can:
- Make arrangements with your computer manufacturer to participate in their recycling program. Both Dell (www.dell.com/recycle) and HP (http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/globalcitizenship/environment/return /index.html) have programs.
- Call the CUMC Maintenance Control Center (5-3753) for an equipment pick up.
Use Power Tools
- A company called Verdiem offers a free, fun computer widget that not only lets you more easily manage your PC’s power settings, but track the amount of energy going green with your computer is saving. To find out more, go to: http://www.verdiem.com/edison/
- GreenPrint, a free download from Printergreener, helps you reduce your printing waste and even tells you how much money and how many trees you are saving by doing so. For Mac and PC. http://www.printgreener.com/ For more information on green computing, please visit: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/environment/docs‐wycd/green_guide/index.html