photo credit: Intel CES 2008

The term Green Computing involves study and practice of using computing resources efficiently. The broad goals in any Green Computing initiative are

· maximization of energy efficiency
· emphasize on recyclables and biodegradability
· reduce hazardous materials

There can be many approaches which can be employed for achieving these goals. And we might have come face to face with many of them in our day to day experiences. Any approach or initiative which leads to better energy efficiency and fulfills any of the objectives which are associated with Green Computing, is worth emulating.
Approaches:

· Better coding and algorithms: Better coding and use of algorithms which puts least load on server in terms of processing etc, can results in lots savings in energy. For better understanding, if coding has been done in a way which involves optimum usages of caching, validations, cookies etc putting lesser strain on server and in addition algorithms are smartly written using fewer lines of code to perform the same logic, then server is being used efficiently.

· Virtual: System administration could combine several logical computer systems on one physical hardware system which results in lesser strain on computer systems. INTEL and AMD both have built up virtuals to their x86 chips.

· Terminal services: In terminal services, all computing is done at server level and connecting devices are thin clients, utilizing only 1/8Th of the total power which otherwise would have been required in normal desktops.

· Power management: This approach involves, setting preset time in computers and their components(hard drives, system RAMs) after which they are turned off. Windows Vista has this feature where Power management features can be activated from central administration levels. Central Power management was an issue with earlier versions of Windows, but Vista has none of such problems.

Green computing is the need of the hour. We will have to resort to every possible means to optimize our operations.

Virtual Web Symphony A blog by a management and software consultant, SEO and SEM expert, E-learning evangelist and all weather Guru.

photo credit: Kevin Krejci

It looks like investing for green now has a double meaning.

A couple of years ago, if you would have asked someone about “green investing” they probably would have told you that you were just trying to make some cash. Today, “green investing” not only means investing to make money, but to invest your money in an environmentally friendly way.

So, how can you get in on this type of investing? Aside from investing in mutual funds that specialize in these sorts of companies, it seems like there’s really one of two ways for you to invest your hard earned money “greenly”:

1. Invest in companies whose sole purpose is to be environmentally friendly – i.e. companies that focus on recycling, research and development of renewable/alternative fuels, etc.
2. Invest in companies who have put significant resources into making sure they do business in the most environmentally friendly way possible – i.e. making their offices more energy efficient, encourage their employees to telecommute, etc.

Now that you know where to start, how do you go about finding these sorts of companies? Listed below (in no particular order) are some simple things I have done in the past in order to identify companies that are doing things a bit greener than their counterparts.

* Keep up to date with current events. Sites like Treehugger.com and Hugg.com are great places to find stories on environmentally friendly companies.
* Keep your eye open for environmentally friendly products when you’re out shopping. In most cases, companies that are willing to put out environmentally friendly products tend to be environmentally friendly companies!
* Remember that industries such as oil, logging, home building, etc. probably aren’t the best places to start your search.

Keep in mind, just because a company does things in an environmentally friendly way doesn’t necessarily make them a good investment. Please make sure that you do a good job of researching each company (meaning you have to put in the due diligence) before you decide to invest in them.

There’s no point in investing in a green company if it’s not going to give you a good return on your green!

Please visit Saving Without A Budget for more money saving tips like this. Saving money is easy, I’ll show you how.

photo credit: h.koppdelaney

Creating a “green” business or transforming an established business into an eco-friendly environment, may seem like a very overwhelming task. Yet, in today’s era of escalating energy costs and climate change, energy efficiency is the most important aspect of greening your business. You can reap immediate savings by lowering your overall energy use and doing so will automatically reduce your business’s carbon emission footprint. You can also save money in the areas of waste reduction, equipment use, transportation, and building design.

Operating a green business is not only good for the environment, but good for your business’s bottom line. Conserving resources and cutting down on waste saves money. The good news is that regardless of the type of business you run, there are simple things you can do, to run an environmentally friendly business.

* Save Energy with Existing Equipment. Make it a company policy to turn off all lights, equipment and machinery when it is not being used, especially nights and weekends.

- Much equipment is idle and unused for up to 90 percent of its life.

- Turning off the computers at the end of the day can save an additional 50 percent.

* Save energy by installing new or replacing existing equipment.

- Install low-cost energy monitors that can provide an accurate display of the cost and energy use of individual equipment. Research shows that this step alone can lead to energy savings of up to 40 percent.

- Lighting can often account for up to 40 percent of energy costs for many businesses. Installing motion-sensor or automatic dimmers helps to ensure, that you are efficiently shutting down lights in areas when no one is present.

- A very cost-effective upgrade is to replace all of your incandescent lighting with new compact fluorescent bulbs. Your older 1.5 inch diameter fluorescent tube lighting should also be replaced with newer 1 inch tubes and solid-state electronic ballasts.

- Install displacement toilet dams in toilet reservoirs. Placing one or two plastic containers filled with stones [not bricks] in the toilet’s reservoir will displace about 4 liters of water per flush – a huge reduction of water use over the course of a year.

* Reduce unnecessary waste. Any waste that your company generates is an unnecessary cost. Waste is simply inefficient. Implement a recycling program and have a meeting on how to eliminate the items that are not recyclable. Setting up recycling in your workplace is something that is simple and invites your employees to become a part of the movement, giving them a sense of purpose.

- Encourage communications by email and read email messages on screen to determine whether it’s necessary to print them. If it’s not, then don’t. If you need to keep a copy for legal reasons, or for various other reasons, there are online storage sites that may be utilized for this reason.

- Purchase recyclable products for your office, there are now many different vendors that supply not only recycled paper, but sell “green” cleaners, standard or not so standard, office supplies. These vendors will typically provide a recycling program of their own. A word of advice, if you are needing new office furniture, before investing money in purchasing it new, find out if your existing furniture can be refurbished.

Going green not only helps a business to do their part in minimizing their eco-foot print. The savings, especially at times like these, help everyone. If that’s not enough, there has never been a better time than now to tap into a laundry list of tax credits, rebates and other financial incentives designed to encourage individuals and businesses to go the greener mile. At the federal level in the U.S., individuals can reap the rewards of no less than eight different financial incentives. Besides these federal incentives, nearly every U.S. state has additional state or local incentives available.

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photo credit: CD_Photo

Have you ever wanted to start your own home based business, and go green in the process? Each day we hear how much we contribute to green house gases and global warming. The daily commute to work, with the carbon dioxide emissions from our automobiles, is just one of the contributing factors.

The consumption of energy involved in running a traditional brick and mortar business can be drastically reduced by starting a home based business.

Here are a few green benefits by working from home.

Measuring Your Carbon Footprint

Energy costs are reduced by 30% with a home based business according to the experts. Install energy efficient LED light bulbs. Use as many recycled products for your home office as possible.

The most attractive home business is where most, if not all of your work is done online. If you were to start an online business such as online marketing, you can go green by reducing the consumption of paper.

Online marketing allows you to operate the business through the use of a website. This eliminates the cost of paper for invoices, newsletters, and marketing messages. All your communications are now through email, and a marketing tool called an auto responder. An auto responder permits you to deliver frequent and timely messages to your customers or prospects.

Cost Reductions By Going Green

Have you ever considered the cost of clothing when you work outside the home? A home business will allow you to work in your pajamas if you so choose.

Since you no longer have that daily commute, and you are going green, think of the cash savings on gasoline. Not only can you leave your car parked most of the time, but if you do travel, consider it a business deduction.

By working at home, your meal cost is reduced. You may decide to go out for lunch, but many find it easier, and cheaper, to eat at home.

Going Green And Earning Green

Convinced that working at home helps save the planet, how will you decide which business best suites your needs? By now you understand some of the benefits of an online marketing business. Marketing online can reach millions with your product or service.

You can expect a learning curve with online marketing, but as you begin to utilize the various techniques and methods of marketing, your financial returns can be very rewarding.

Most home businesses require an up front investment. The key in selecting the right business depends on your research. Choose a business you will enjoy, and treat it as a business, not a hobby.

Look for a company offering a good training program for their products. Training is vital in learning how to market online. Along with training from the company, seek the help of a mentor, or coach. It is no fun to try something new on your own. Have someone with experience in the aspect of marketing show you the ropes.

In conclusion, our concern for the environment continues to grow. Do your part in helping to save energy. Starting a home-based business with the idea of going green will make a lasting contribution to our society.

Author: Jerry Gibbs is an internet marketer with a strong desire to coach and train others toward their individual success.

If you want to make money online, visit Jerry’s Perfect Wealth Formula website.

photo credit: laurenatclemson

Increasingly, a business’ success is determined not only by the products it creates and the efficiency of its productive apparatus, but by the symbols it can attach itself to and the community in which it is a part. Principal in this new wave of business marketing is the emergence of ‘Green Politics’ and the environmental revolution. The ‘Green Revolution’ started in the 1960s alongside the sexual revolution and the emergence of

the Civil Rights Movement with the publication of Rachel Caron’s Silent Spring, a book which would eventually become required reading for any environmentalist. Since then, the ‘Green Revolution’ has splintered and has turned into several unique and often competing factions. There are of course, still the extremists who tie themselves to redwood trees to prevent the destruction of a forest, but in recent years, a moderate line of environmentalist thought has come to prominence among Hollywood stars and media elites and has seeped into the playbook of modern entrepreneurs. To say it simply: Green sells. The sooner that a business is able to get in on this revolution the quicker they will see returns on profits and growth in general. Additionally, ‘Going Green’ has the added benefit of being metaphorical glue among workers and is an excellent way to improve employee morale.

Only a few years ago the publication “Entertainment Weekly” began its annual ‘Green Issue’, featuring the likes of Leonardo Di Caprio and other famous Hollywood movie stars telling their stories of environmental consciousness and sharing their own personal tricks and tips to conserve energy and improve the environment. One need not cite such marketing staples as brand awareness, sexuality, and action to point out that what sells in Hollywood sells in the business world at large as well, and perhaps for this reason alone it is worth taking note of the steam that the Green Revolution has been building. The secret to going Green as a company is to know how to correctly sell your morality. It is not cynical to say that a business is in the business of making money, and that from this standpoint, any amount of environmental ethics is meaningless if it is not recognized and appreciated by the consuming public. This is to say, a building with energy efficient air-conditioning and a firm that cuts down on the amount of paper that it consumes will not see returns in their profits if they cannot properly inform the public of their environmentally conscious ways. One should seek to combine both the cold, profitability of a greening business with the imminently marketable fact that a energy efficient venture, known to the public, is a ‘good’ business.

Furthermore, an energy efficient company boosts employee morale and contributes to a sense of oneness with the community. More than their parents, this generation of workers is concerned with so-called ‘extra-economical’ issues such as environmental morality and human rights issues. Take full advantage of the opportunity to unify your employees and provide a spark of life into the work place by taking the time to fully inform your employees about the reasons and methods that your company will undertake to become more environmentally sustainable.

While there are certainly a wealth of reasons to ‘Go-Green’ for profitability’s sake, the true and underlying impetus for a sustainable venture is found in the spiritual uplift that it will have on the community and in the world at large. By itself, a business may not be able to change the face of environmental destruction, but it can certainly make a start.

Mr. Oliver is a marketing agent of Servidyne. The commercial energy audit company provides comprehensive energy efficiency solutions throughout the nation. For more information on their Commercial Energy Audits please visit their website.