Save Energy, Go Green

So we hear this everyday. We all think that we want to make our planet a little bit better, but then, do we really contribute to it? Or do we actually take care that we don't contribute to it's continuous exploitation. Some months back, an email on the Oracle Indians list sparked off a series of suggestions, which I would want to compile and put in here. These are extremely simple things that you can do, and just do your bit towards the planet .

1.Carpool/Vanpool to work. (Saves gas, time (due to carpool lane), driving effort and car maintenance costs ). Vanpools also get subsidies from most major companies

2.Use compact Fluoroscent lamps (CFLs) instead of normal ones

3.Use the Biocompostables Biodegradable Biocompostables Biodegradable Food Service and Packaging Disposables. http://worldcentric.org/bio/index.htm>

4.Stop use of bottled water completely.

5.Use a bottle and a mug in office to avoid wastage of paper cups and plastic bottles

6.Switch off your monitor when leaving office. It’ll definitely save more energy than having it go to sleep mode

7.Make sure to turn off the lights in the conference rooms once the meeting is over.

8.Sign up for e-statements and paperless bills for banks/financial institutions/payroll.

9.Sign up at donotcall.gov and donotmail.org to opt out of pre-approved offers (spam)

10.Do not throw cans or bottles into dustbins if there’s no recycle bin around your cube. Accumulate them, take a walk to your pantry and dispose them in the correct bin. Same holds for unused paper as well

11.Always Prefer to print both sided

12.Keep a rack to save cover sheets on your office line printer. The paper can then be picked up by people to be used for rough work

A similar (and really nice) list can also be found here . It's our planet. Let's do our bit.

If you have some interesting suggestions, comment/email/IM me and I'll add it to the list.