Singing Praises
It makes it so much easier when we work with a web developer who knows what he's doing.
Franchise UPDATE, Inc.
Going Green for our Future
According to the Energy Savings Trust, "The last 10 years have seen nine of the ten warmest years since records began." It's time we all do our part.
January 22
10% Efficient?
It's true: 90% of incandescent lighting is wasted as heat while only 10% is used for light output!
We're lucky. Being primarily a web-based company we have very low consumables to deal with. But on the flip-side, we're energy hogs. Okay not hogs, but the computers use their share. Over the last few years we have been methodically phasing out the older gear and replacing it all with energy conscious equipment that is RoHS and Energy Star compliant. And as it turns out, this is great on our wallet, too! Our condolences to the energy company.
But we're not just talking about an energy-efficient office; we are taking additional steps to reduce our footprint on the Earth.
Some of the steps we have taken include:
- Placing our machines in Standby Mode
Sure it sounds simple, but if we're not working, why should the computers? So when we leave, they get a nap. Did you know placing them in Standby Mode consumes less than 30 watts?! Yeah, neither did we. We do have one machine that has to stay on all the time – so we changed its power supply to one that consumes less than 50% of what it had before.
- CRT's are so 1999
With LCD monitors consuming less than 50 watts, we upgraded our old CRT's to LCD's. And since a 21 CRT can use up to 140 watts, while a new 22 LCD uses a mere 43 watts, we felt it our duty to upgrade. Oh, and all the slick new screens made the office look pretty cool, too.
- Low-Energy Fluorescent Lighting
We are working with local vendors to obtain low-energy overhead light tubes. This is great because we'll need half the amount of tubes (oh, they're high-output, too) which will save even more! Over 85% in fact. It turns out, too, that the bulbs are Full-Spectrum which will keep us focused on our work – so this is good for you, too.
- Office Recycling Containers
We were surprised our office complex only had a dumpster out back. So we called our refuge company and asked to have a Recyclables bin and an Office Paper bin placed outside our office. They were more than happy to bring some by (heck, they were even free!). Since then, we're recycling everything under the sun – and most of the other tenants in our complex are using them too! You're welcome, Mother Earth.
- Reduced Printing & Post-Consumer Paper
It's not terribly often we have to print things, since we're using PDF's, emails and IM's more and more, but on the occasion we do run something off, we're using Recycled Paper as much as possible. Often times, we even re-use the backside of other scrap paper for internal review and various notes. Our printers are set on "Draft Mode, too, which uses less ink.
It's worth mentioning, too, that these ideas are not just limited to our office. Quite the opposite in fact. Most of the above steps were based on our lifestyle at home where we have, for example, converted over 60 incandescent lights to the energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs!
We hope you'll help do your part, too. Please visit energystar.gov or epa.gov to find out what you can do. Go ahead, we challenge you to make a difference!
