Topic of the Month
                          Simple Ways to Go Green at Meetings

• Use recycled paper.
• Find out if the convention center and hotels provide recycling receptacles for paper, plastic, and metal.
• Use signage that can be reused in a future event or donated to another facility.
• Communicate via e-mail rather than traditional mail or memos.
• Use an online registration system.
• Make two-sided copies.
• Instead of printing information or handouts, make them available online
• Choose a hotel within walking distance of the convention center.
• Set up collection bins for badges and badge holders; paper badges can be recycled, and the badge holders and ribbons could be reused.
• Provide water in pitchers or large bottled water stations instead of individual bottles.
• Donate consumable items to a local food bank.
• Eliminate the use of disposable items, especially Styrofoam.
• Turn off lights and air conditioning while not in hotel room.

For more information about going green at meetings, visit:  www.epa.gov/oppt/greenmeetings/ 

                          
Start by Educating Your Organization

So if going green is a personal choice, then where can you start in order to make a change that affects your entire organization? Education is a good go point – familiarize yourself with what going green really means, and figure out where your department – and your company’s I.T. environment – can make the most improvements. But it can be overwhelming, considering all the information that’s out there on the web.

Research green data centers, one of the “hot” trends for I.T. Two bio-friendly hosting solutions we found come courtesy of Rackspace, Ltd., and Terremark Worldwide Inc. – and there are dozens of others out there.

Rackspace, for example, recently built a 65,000-square-foot data center that runs on electricity generated by a renewable energy power plant, which burns biomass materials like wood chips. Want to know more? Search “going green” on Computerworld.com.

Also from Computerworld.com: Benchmark your overall data center energy efficiency. IBM can help – their Global Technology Services department can give you the professional help you need to measure your energy consumption against other businesses.

Finally, check out everything the Environmental Protection Agency has to say. There’s a plethora of results on their web site, www.epa.gov, and a report requested by congress and finished in late 2007 on server and data center energy efficiency has resulted in resources ranging from PDF downloads to podcasts. That report shed light on the huge opportunity we have to make our data centers more environmentally friendly – data centers in the U.S. alone could save a combined $4 billion in annual electricity costs. But here’s the best part – the EPA study found that through existing technologies – ones we already have today – we could reduce annual server energy by 25 percent. Not to mention what we can do as technology improves. (Information is also online at www.energystar.gov.)

Consider the best place to put your electronic waste. Even small gadgets add up – we’ve seen stats that say as much as 1.5 million tons of computers, scanners, printers and other electronics were dumped in 2005 alone. Many of them contain toxic materials like lead and flame retardants, and generally, they shouldn’t be put in your regular trash. Visit EPA .gov to figure out the best place for your e-waste, including recycling options.

Waste Management, an Oracle customer, is also getting into the act by opening electronic recycling centers that will take your junk at minimal charge, or free if it’s a Sony brand. Call 877.439.2795 for more info and to find a center near you.

Also an Oracle customer, Staples will recycle laptops, printers, and the like from its stores for a minimal $10 each. Other, smaller objects, like computer mice, are free.

Check your recycler first: The Basel Action Network 
Can give you a list of the recyclers who have made a commitment not to dump your waste material overseas, and are monitored by a third party. For full article about Going Green, see our feature story from our Summer issue of Q&A magazine.