The 22nd of April, just a couple of weeks from now, marks the world’s 45th celebration of Earth Day. This movement, involving over 1 billion activists and eco-conscious individuals from all different hometowns and walks of life, serves as the world’s largest and most-celebrated ecological campaign, aiming to spread awareness of how our actions (and inactions) affect the planet and to provide solutions that make the world a greener, healthier place.

This year, to honor Earth Day, Firewall Computer Services is participating in a Greener Workplace Initiative. As we make it our goal to reduce our energy usage and preserve resources, we’ve come across a number of helpful tips and tricks anyone can do to help lessen the amount of energy consumed by tech devices. Here are just a few of our favorites:

1. Don’t forget to power down. When your computer isn’t in use, there’s a good chance you have it set to enter “sleep mode” and remain on standby until you need to use it again. While this does help lower the power your computer gobbles up each moment it’s turned on, it’s best if you completely shut down your device by the end of the day. If you’re in an office setting, try setting up a centralized data center from which you can turn off all computers before you head home for the day (being sure to save all your information, of course). Don’t forget to set the copiers and printers to standby mode, as well.
2. It’s ok to unplug. Think about it: when you plug in your smartphone or music player to recharge, what do you do when it reaches 100%? Do you completely unplug your cord and wrap it up, or do you simply remove your device and leave the cord where it is? Even if your charger isn’t charging anything, it consumes a notable amount of energy every second it’s plugged in, giving it and other similar devices the “vampire” nickname. Be sure to unplug each device as you’re finished with it. As an added bonus, it’ll make your room or office look a little bit tidier.
3. Think before you use ink and paper. Did you really need to print that email, or could you easily have accessed it from the web? Would your document serve just as well if it were printed double-sided rather than just on the front of each page? Though the world is increasingly turning to electronic devices for transferring documents and information, there’s still a massive quantity of ink and paper that goes to waste each day. Leave a note in your email signature to “think before you print,” and set your printer to print double-sided by default.
4. Get smart with smart devices. Whether you run a business or stay at home, there’s a good chance that cooling costs make up a majority of your monthly energy bills. It’s obviously important to stay comfortable for your productivity and health, but at what cost? Luckily for all of us, there are a number of smart devices available that can help you monitor your air conditioning and your total energy usage. Business owners can easily keep an eye on the energy consumed by each device, including servers, computers, and so on, and homeowners can program the thermostat to kick on only when it’s needed.

Each one of these tips is a simple adjustment that can provide significant results. As an added bonus, by reducing your energy consumption and making the pledge to be more efficient, you’ll be lowering your utility bills for noticeable savings. For more technology tips or to see how we’re doing on our Green Workplace challenge, contact Firewall Computer Services today. Give us a call at (407) 647-3430.