Some of the options — such as battery power — are not totally green. But, batteries are essential if you want to store or generate power from alternative sources. So, start with batteries, and then learn more about how to use that laptop with the least amount of power as possible.

1. Use a Power Inverter: While using a car battery is an option for powering your laptop, there are tips and tricks for using this option available anywhere you find “car batteries + laptops” on the Internet. If you feel comfortable with this idea, the link above will help you choose a power inverter for your experiment, and this “how-to” article at Handyman makes the idea about powering a laptop with your car a bit more understandable. Of course, you need to own a car for this project.
2. Inverter with Batteries: This is another battery-powered option that can be used by someone who owns a laptop, but who doesn’t own a car. While the link will take you to an article about battery banks for inverter systems, it’s a good start to understanding how this option can be mobile or permanent. If you want to learn how to create battery banks for off-the-grid power, this article also will get you up to speed on battery options, dangers, and uses. You can find battery-based inverters online: just search for them!
3. Deep Cycle Battery Power: This type of battery is useful when you need a power source with a slow drain over a long period of time without recharging. Although these batteries are heavy, they aren’t very expensive. What can add up are the peripherals, such as a charger. This option is portable, as are the previous two options, but you can make them stable as well. The link will take you to “Zen and the art of choosing a deep cycle battery” by Northern Arizona Wind & Sun. They explain the costs, storage options, and the difference between flooded and sealed deep cycle batteries.
4. USB Peripherals: Consider USB peripherals that are powered solely from your USB port for any peripherals. Some portable external disk drives or wireless USB-powered modem, for instance, can draw all their power from your laptop so you can carry on using them if the power goes out. Using that external drive will drain your battery faster, however. If you’re going after a new laptop, make sure it has plenty of USB drives for your peripherals, as a powered hub isn’t much help during a blackout. The link for this option opens a list of ideas and options for USB powered laptop ideas.
5. Permanent Solar Power: This sun-powered power option for your laptop involved photovoltaic solar panels, an inverter and batteries for a long time without any moving parts and with little maintenance. The downside to this option is that the cost for this option rarely is cost-effective, even to power an entire home for several decades. Additionally, solar power only works when the sun is shining — hence the batteries to store that power for cloudy days. The link for this option takes you to the How Stuff Works article on solar power.
6. Mobile Solar Power: This is a more feasible option for laptop owners, as a laptop needs more solar power than a cellphone, but less solar power than an entire house. You can purchase backpacks, laptop bags and bags that include voltaic panels that can generate 14.7 watts. This is powerful enough to fully charge a typical laptop from a day of direct sunlight. Plus, some bags come with a custom battery pack that can store any surplus power for those hazy days as well as adapters. The link for this option takes you to a review of a top-notch solar-powered laptop bag at engadget.
7. Mini Wind Power: If you have a good supply of wind in your area, a wind turbine might help you with your laptop activities. Instead of gearing up with a huge turbine to power the entire house, try a mini-turbine that ranges from 100 to 600 watts of power. Used mostly on sailboats and yachts, a detailed plan and a city planner may be all you need to certify use for small projects. The downside is that wind turbines have moving parts, which means more things that require maintenance. The link for this option will help you stay tuned to this project at Off Grid Living (read the comments to learn more).
8. Microhydro Electricity: The immediate downside to this option is that you’ll need water and (often) water rights to run your laptop from a liquid power source. But, it can be the most cost-effective of any option because it produces so much more consistent energy and fewer batteries are needed to store the energy. And, if your water source runs shallow during summer, you can switch to that solar-powered backpack for backup!
9. Get a Greener Computer: If your current laptop is dying on you, you might consider changing that energy-consuming computer entirely to a greener model. One example we found was the “Aleutia E2,” a small PC that consumes only 8W of power (jut a little more than an energy-saving light bulb). It’s small, rugged (no moving parts), runs Ubuntu and OpenOffice on Linux and it even runs from a solar panel. While this machine might not be what you need for gaming or graphic design, it can work just fine for documents.
10. Utilize Trade-Offs: Although this last option doesn’t generate power, it does conserve the power that you use. One dollar’s worth of energy conservation can save up to five dollars in energy generation equipment costs. So, if you need to run your laptop off the grid, you can cut the power elsewhere to conserve energy. For instance, if you lower your thermostat by two degrees during the winter, you can save 4% on your energy bill and prevent 500 pounds of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. Unplug when possible by using a power strip and use the power strip to cut off all power to the attached appliances (this works especially well for peripherals such as printers, scanners, etc.). Use the link for this option to learn more.

Since that time, EPEAT and Greenpeace have set real-life standards for electronics firms. Notebooks are rated along with the companies that produce them. EPEAT, run by the nonprofit Green Electronics Council, takes into consideration low-toxic materials as well as the energy conservation and ease of recycling of computers, printers and monitors. Greenpeace monitors companies by how they treat chemical and e-waste materials. Both ratings were used in the list of notebooks chosen below. The notebooks are listed in EPEATS gold awards list, the highest ranking for current notebook products. But, their listings often are modified by the Greenpeace standards, which are linked individually to the Greenpeace reports in the descriptions below.

In sum, most of the notebooks below are about equal in their eco-friendly status, but the first and last notebooks on this list win, hands down, for the current market. The last notebook on the list was not rated by EPEAT or Greenpeace, however, as that product’s target market is not the same as the others. But, its inclusion shows that all notebooks can be made eco-friendly. Sometimes a little consumer pressure helps.

Toshiba Portege R500 – PPR50U

Currently, the Toshiba Porege R500-PPR50U series rates the highest in EPEAT gold, with its reduction or elimination of environmentally-sensitive materials, design for end of life, product longevity and life cycle extension and corporate performance. Toshiba now has five notebooks that qualify for Gold EPEAT status — all of the Portégé R400 and Portégé R500 configurations as well as the Tecra M9.

With that said, Greenpeace records that Toshiba as a company does not do as well on e-waste, as it reports a recycling rate of 12% for a group of 5 types of products that includes TVs, PCs and 3 types of home appliances (based upon current sales). Toshiba improves its score in the Greenpeace report on energy, gaining points for supporting global cuts in GHG emissions and greater cuts for industrialized countries as well as scoring points for disclosing greenhouse gas emissions from its own operations and committing to an absolute reduction in GHG emissions. They rank at seventh place in the September 2008 report.

DELL Latitude D630

This model is the first laptop on the worldwide market to win the highest gold rating from EPEAT — the EPEAT Gold. However, it currently runs second to the Toshiba Portege R500 – PPR50U noted above. The main green reduction and/or elimination of environmentally sensitive materials, followed up by its design for end of life, end of life management and product longevity. The Dell notebook meets EnergyStar requirements of 80 percent efficiency and ships in packaging made from partly-recycled cardboard. Judging by its CNET Editors’ Choice award, the Dell D630 performs well too. The DELL Latitude D630 ATG and the DELL Latitude D631 also hit the EPEAT top ten in the gold awards, all noted before June 2008.

However, in September 2008, Greenpeace noted that DELL had dropped from 5th to 8th place in their rankings, as they have “middling scores on chemicals, e-waste and energy issues.” Yet, DELL has reached configurations in 42% of their laptops that meet or exceed Energy Star requirements since July 2007. Dell also scores points for disclosing its GHG emissions from global operations, with extra kudos for getting the emissions third-party verified.

Sony’s TZ series

In March 2008, Greenpeace singled out the Sony TZ series of 11.1″ subnotebooks for praise, because this notebook is, literally, garbage free with its pre-installed applications. These notebooks also do not contain beryllium, a gray metal found in beryl and bertrandite ores that can cause intestinal lesions. By September 2008, however, Greenpeace dropped Sony as a company to fifth place in its rankings. According to Greenpeace, Sony does well on chemicals, e-waste and on disclosing externally-verified greenhouse gas emissions for over 200 sites, reporting on its use of renewable energy (1.02% as a proportion of total electricity use) in 2006 and committing to absolute cuts in GHG emissions.

But, they can improve on energy, so Sony now is reporting on energy efficiency as a whole. Sony also takes many EPEAT gold awards, starting at rank fourteen and continuing non-stop for almost fifty spots.The models range from the Sony VGNSR190EBQ to the Sony VGNSR129E/B. The strongest points at EPEAT involve the reduction or elimination of environmentally sensitive materials.

HP Compaq 2710p Notebook PC

This notebook has been getting buzz this year as one of the top green notebooks of 2008. While it won a gold EPEAT award, the HP Compaq 2510p Notebook PC actually scored higher. Both have great battery life, high scores on reduction and/or elimination of environmentally sensitive materials, design for end of life, product longevity and corporate performance.

HP, as a company, smarts from the dent made by Greenpeace’s evaluation. None of HP’s products are entirely free of e-waste, although they promise to accomplish this goal by 2009. Plus, HP lost a point for favoring business customers over individual consumers when it provides information on how to dispose of products. Lots of promises made by HP for upcoming years, so hopefully they’ll improve from their standing at ninth place at Greenpeace.

Apple MacBook Air

While the Apple MacBook Air falls near the bottom of EPEAT’s gold list, it’s there — and Mac fanatics can rejoice that this company is making an effort to green up their notebooks. They score at the top on reduction and/or elimination of environmentally sensitive materials, design for end of life, product longevity and life cycle extension, corporate performance and end of life management. However, they scored at the lowest end of energy conservation and materials selection.

Greenpeace confirms Apple’s deficits, and dropped this company as a whole to thirteenth position in September 2008. Greenpeace would like to see Apple improve its chemicals policy and its reporting on chemicals management.

Apple scores poorly on most e-waste criteria, except for reporting a recycling rate in 2006 of 9.5% as a percentage of sales 7 years ago. It does only slightly better on energy criteria, failing to score on all criteria except energy efficiency of products, where it scores top marks (doubled) for all desktops computers, portable PCs and displays complying with Energy Star 4.0. With that said, in October, Apple revealed a new MacBook family that they say are the “Recently unveiling a new MacBook family at its Cupertino headquarters, Apple calls the new laptops the “industry’s greenest notebooks,” according to EnvironmentalLeader.com. Apple also reports growth in takeback programs, with recycling volume growing to 57 percent in 2007. Here’s to scoring higher in the next Greenpeace report.

Lenovo ThinkPad X300

This notebook ranks at thirteen in the EPEAT gold awards, but it stands below only three companies: Toshiba, DELL and HP. And, it stands above Sony’s many notebooks, with more Lenovo notebooks following the Sony listings. The Lenovo ThinkPad X300, however, is the company’s first notebook to make the EPEAT gold standard with its mercury-free LEDs, low-voltage processor and an improved ‘battery stretch.’ Packaging materials for the X300 are 90 percent recyclable and the use of toxic materials such as cadmium, lead, and arsenic have been reduced. It rates low for its end of life management and its materials selection.

Greenpeace makes a strong stand against Lenovo as a company, placing it below Apple in fourteenth position. It is Lenovo’s management of e-waste (as mentioned above) that strikes hard against this company. Lenovo has yet to put on the market products free of brominated flame retardants and PVC vinyl plastic and needs to commit to the phase out of beryllium (including alloys and compounds), antimony and its compounds and all phthalates.

ASUSTeK N10J

Although the small ASUS EEE PC has been garnering all the attention lately, it’s the ASUSTeK N10J that wins the EPEAT gold award, along with several other ASUSTek notebooks. But, either way, users can feel justified that they notebooks from ASUS — no matter how small — will be greener than many notebooks on the current market. ASUS notebooks are the first TCO’99-certified notebooks worldwide. The requirements for this honor include radiation emission control, energy (battery consumption), ecology (environment friendly) and ergonomics.

Unfortunately, owners of the EEE PC 900 faced a battery life problem, which led to great variations in reviews about the product. Other than the fact that the computer is smaller, ASUS uses the same technology for these computers as for their larger systems, which severely limits its usefulness as a green notebook. Greenpeace does not include ASUS on their report for September 2008.

OLPC XO

Perhaps the greenest laptop on the market isn’t designed for adult individual users or for corporation applications. The OLPC XO was designed collaboratively by experts from academia and industry with the real world in mind. They considered everything from extreme environmental conditions to technological issues such as local language support. Its LiFePO4 or NiMH batteries contain no toxic heavy metals, plus it features enhanced battery management for an extended recharge-cycle lifetime. It will also tolerate alternate power-charging sources, such as car batteries. XO is fully compliant with the European Union’s RoHS Directive, so it contains no hazardous materials.

According to the OLPC Web site, “Experience shows that laptop components most likely to fail are the hard drive and internal connectors. Therefore, XO has no hard drive to crash and only two internal cables. For added robustness, the machine’s plastic walls are 2mm thick, as opposed to the standard 1.3mm. Its wireless antennas, which far outperform the typical laptop, double as external covers for the USB ports, which are protected internally as well. The display is also cushioned by internal “bumpers.” The estimated product lifetime is at least five years.”

Ironically, the OLPC XO has not been rated by EPEAT or by Greenpeace; but, then again, this computer was designed for children who are located in the poorest parts of the world.

What can you do to make a positive impact on the environment as you use your desktop or laptop computer? Dell implemented an aggressive global energy-efficiency campaign and increased purchases of green power, verified emission reductions and renewable energy certificates. You may not need to spend the amount of money that Dell did in their quest, but you can follow their example through the following twelve tips:

1. Calculate Your Carbon Footprint: First, you need to learn about the impact you have on the environment. You can use the Carbon Footprint Calculator or the Nature Conservancy Calculator among many other online tools to determine your individual or household’s carbon usage. Once you know your impact, you can work to offset your impact in many areas, including your computer use.
2. Buy Carbon Neutral: If you need to buy or replace a computer, support carbon-neutral companies. While the manufacturing process can’t be perfectly carbon neutral, the company can purchase carbon offset credits to cover the environmental costs of manufacturing and transportation. Dell isn’t the only company that has put forth efforts to go green. PC World, according to this news story, also is jumping on the carbon-neutral bandwagon.
3. Buy Energy Star Computers and Peripherals: If you can’t get your hands on a carbon-neutral computer, at least buy one that has the Energy Star approval. The federal government currently gives its ENERGY STAR label to office equipment such as computers, printers and other office equipment that are 85-percent energy efficient. These machines waste no more than fifteen percent of their power through heat.
4. Combine Resources: If you need a fax, printer, scanner and copier, you can purchase an all-in-one printer that can handle all those jobs for less energy and money. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACE) states that multifunction devices that have earned the ENERGY STAR certification can reduce energy costs by almost 40 percent relative to non-compliant equipment, for an estimated $260 savings in electricity costs over its lifetime. You also can use EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) to determine the environmentally-friendly computer products you need to use.
5. Power Manage Your Computer: Different computer monitors use vastly different amounts of electricity, but many new computers have power management settings that help users save money and lower environmental impacts. According to the Canadian ENERGY STAR site, the most important of these features is the power management capability that places the computer and monitor in sleep mode when not in use. While in this mode, computers consume up to 90 percent less electricity than when fully operational. This is a mandatory feature for computers to meet ENERGY STAR technical specifications.
6. Purchase Green Supplies: While larger stores like Office Depot often carry “green” office supplies, you can try new places like The Green Office as well. Becoming carbon neutral is a learning experience, and often smaller stores can provide great ideas for carbon offset programs.
7. Less is More: When you use less paper, ink and other office supplies, you help to lower your carbon footprint. The Daily Green offers a ton of ideas about how to reduce paper usage. The California Integrated Waste Management Board offers just as many ideas on how to reduce office waste in general. If it’s absolutely necessary to print a lot of materials, look into ink cartridge recycling programs such as the one offered by Print Country.
8. Get a Professional Energy Audit and Track Energy Use: The Australian government has issued a document that helps small- and medium-size businesses reduce greenhouse gas emissions. You can use their advice to convince your boss to conduct an audit, or you can learn more about how to apply a professional or DIY audit to your home for your home office. Audits can help you quickly determine how and where to save money and the environment. Another tip — try ENERGY STAR for small business to learn how to reduce costs and waste.
9. Lower the Thermostat: This is a very simple tip, and anyone can do it…computers don’t like hot environments anyway, and you can always layer your clothes to keep warm. If you lower the temperature on your thermostat by just two degrees, you can save up to four percent on your energy bill and prevent approximately 500 pounds of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. Live Earth offers many other simple tips for you to cut emissions around the house so you can offset your computer use.
10. Offset Your Impact Elsewhere: There are many ways to offset your impact on the environment, including that trip to purchase your computer, the electricity you’ll use to run the computer and all the peripherals and further purchases for supplies. You can follow the lead of a Swiss Web site that plans to plant trees in the Amazon forest; you can search for renewable energy to learn if you can tap into this resource; and, you can offset your computer use by making less trips in your car, by buying local, and by implementing many of the other tips offered by MarketWatch.
11. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Repair: Computers offer a unique opportunity for computer users to reduce the number of computers used, to offer old computers for schools and libraries to reuse, to learn more about eWaste recycling (see below), and to repair problems rather than to run out and purchase yet another computer. Planet Green offers some other ideas along this line of thinking.
12. eWaste Watch: eWaste, or the tossing of electrical or technical equipment into the local landfill, has become a local problem that ends up in China. Thanks to this dilemma, more Web sites are available to teach you how to eliminate your eWaste. Try Computer Take Back, eRecycle, Basel Action Network or eWaste.com among many other sites. You also can find local eWaste companies through a search at the National Recycling Coalition.

Finally, (as a bonus 13th tip), it helps if you become active in your carbon-neutral quest. Climate Savers Smart Computing site can help you with that endeavor. Learn, act, share and become savvy with this site’s tools. After all, it’s about time that someone shared that carbon-neutral spotlight with Dell. Might as well be you.

The danger of going “green” is that the public is becoming more aware of what constitutes a green product or service. They have many ways to investigate your business on the Internet; so, with skepticism running high on green claims, you can seriously damage your brand and your sales if someone discovers your green claim to be false or contradicted by your other products, services or practices. When you present a business as green when it’s not, you’ll be known for greenwashing.

But, as a start-up, you have a chance to begin green from the get-go. The following list of 50 ways to make your startup eco-friendly can help you on your way. The items are categorized and in no particular order. We do not value one idea or Web site over another with this methodology.

First Steps

Building a green business is unlike building any other business, as green businesses need to enhance all green practices. One slip-up could destroy your marketing goals, as accusations of ‘greenwashing’ can put a dent in your progress. The following list is designed to help you start green and stay green:

1. Comply with Environmental Regulations: As a green business, it would help your bottom line if you practice what you preach. No matter your product or service, your company should comply with all current environmental regulations that apply to your business. You’ll be protecting the environment, but you’ll also avoid fines and legal action when you follow these regulations.
2. Build Green: If you’re lucky enough to open a business in a new or remodeled building, then take part in the process. You can learn more about green building through the USGBC, or the U.S. Green Building Council. This non-profit can help you with goals such as energy-efficient heating and air conditioning systems, appliances, equipment and lighting.
3. Lead with LEED: Along the lines of building green, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) offers information on how businesses can follow LEED. LEED certification is the recognized standard for measuring building sustainability and the best way for you to demonstrate that your building project is truly “green.”
4. Investigate Green Building Elements: If you want to build or revamp your office environment, learn about advances in green and renewable building materials and local guidelines for creating green structures in different regions of the U.S., then stick with this blog to stay on top of new developments in this area.
5. Buy Green: If you’re going to be green, everything needs to be green, including your business cards. You can use this link to browse the National Green Pages to help become part of the green supply chain. And, you can list your business here as well – all part of your green marketing plan.
6. Practice Energy Efficiency: Although debates abound about which energy to use, the best use of energy is through efficiency. Prudent and conservative use of energy is one of the easiest ways a business owner can take to cut costs, increase profitability and create shareholder value. With potential high returns and minimal risk, energy efficiency can play a part in any business. This link takes you to Post Carbon Cities and their posts on energy use. Although the focus is on cities, businesses can learn how to cope within this environment through their information.
7. Conserve Water [PDF]: You, as a business owner, can help conserve this precious resource and cut your costs at the same time. This link takes you to a 10-step plan implemented by the Long Beach Water Department (LBWD), designed specifically for businesses. No matter where your business is located, you can follow their simple advice.
8. Prevent Pollution: This goal is all about reducing or eliminating waste at the source by modifying “production processes, promoting the use of non-toxic or less-toxic substances, implementing conservation techniques, and re-using materials rather than putting them into the waste stream.” Whatever type or volume of waste that you plan to generate, you generate bills. This guide helps businesses reduce or eliminate your company waste.
9. Investigate eWaste Issues: Four states have passed electronic waste recycling laws, and at least 23 more states are considering similar legislation. Regardless of your state’s policies, you can take responsibility to find a diligent recycler who can ensure that your electronics are recycled appropriately.
10. Investigate Every Resource: Web sites such as the Small Business Environmental Home Page can offer tons of advice about small business assistance, compliance, pollution prevention, funding help and more. Resources such as this one, SustainableBusiness and more can help you modify and enhance your green business plans.

Energy- and Money-Saving Computer Ideas

Since this article is focused on Web hosting, design and tech businesses, a list of energy-saving ideas is very appropriate.

11. Hibernate Your Computer(s) It seems logical that when you shut down, or put your computer to sleep or send it into hibernation, you conserve more energy than when that computer is running at full tilt. But, hibernation is the best option, as the computer uses less power during this phase. Every modern operating system has power settings, so open the power settings of your computer and set them for optimal energy use.
12. Use Firefox and Aardvark to Save Ink and Paper: Use the Aardvark extension with your Firefox browser to eliminate unwanted elements in a page before you print. You’ll save tons of ink, and the extension is free.
13. Go GreenPrint: This free software helps to eliminate that ubiquitous wasted page before you print. Not only can you save trees and paper; you can create PDFs with one click and track pages and money saved.
14. Try LocalCooling for Windows: If you run Windows OS, you might want to check this tool out. It’s a free download that helps you monitor your system and optimize energy savings. When you consider that the CO2 emissions from 15 computers are equivalent, in energy terms, to the gas consumption of one car, you might be interested in this tool.
15. Use Laptops When Possible: Laptops consume about 45 watts, compared to a desktop computer’s 120 watts. While many designers can’t get by without a desktop environment, use laptops for business. This makes sense since laptops also are portable, and you can take your business part of your work on the road with you when needed.
16. Pull the Plug: Granted, Web host providers can’t pull the plug on their servers. But, if you’re a tech person, designer or marketing don or diva, you can pull the plug on computers, peripherals, lights and other devices when you leave the office. If you use power strips, you can turn off a number of electrical tools at the same time. Remember – even cell phone chargers suck juice when they’re plugged in an not in use. This link also has a number of other good energy-saving ideas.
17. Go Digital: If you’re building a startup, then you need to read this recent article from ReadWriteWeb. All the goodies are listed here, from the best laptop to the “Unnecessaries but Oh So Cool.” This is the first in a five-part series, so be prepared to have a wishlist. Going digital means that you can control paperwork, control your electrical bill (turn it all off!), and be in charge of your marketing with the latest and therefore greenest gadgets possible.
18. Go Paperless: Digitize your files and create an e-signature for important documents. Send proposals, contracts and invoice via email as PDF attachments. Clients then can e-sign the documents and send them back. Digital documents eliminate the need for file cabinets and paperwork, and backups create the secure legal needs.
19. Bank Online: You can bank online with just about any local bank, but what if you want to go global? PayPal merchant accounts have become mainstream, and they’re easy for you and for your clients to use. Plus, you eliminate paperwork as you can invoice clients through this service, maintain a record of each transaction, and accept credit cards without a hassle.
20. Stay Informed About Green Computing: GreenerComputing is the place to go to stay on top of news about green computing. This is a fast-paced and every-changing field; so, if you’re in this industry, use this information so you’re not caught with a greenwashing label.
21. Stay on Top of Green Tech News: CNet offers a wide-ranging set of news stories about the changing field of tech in general. This, along with GreenerComputing and other resources helps techies stay informed.

Shape Your Green Marketing Environment

As a startup, you may be wary about spending money marketing to the wrong crowd. And, that’s a legitimate worry, especially in today’s financial environment. But, you can follow the list below, become involved in green communities, and build a network of peer support and customers before you know it. All it takes is some time and effort on your part, so you can make these activities part of your daily routine.

22. Eliminate Greenwash: Companies that decide to go green also need to face issues about transparency in the market. Tilde Herrera provides insight into companies that have faced charges of greenwashing, and offers some tips on how to be truly green.
23. Participate in Green Events: This link leads to a calendar of green business events listed at GreenBiz.com. Many other events are happening nationwide, and many are local. When you participate in these events you can create a network of like-minded individuals.
24. Create Green Events [PDF]: When you create green events, these activities become a vital part of your marketing efforts. It builds top-of-mind awareness about you and your brand both globally and locally. Whether it’s hosting an a local gathering for Earth Day or creating your own event, this linked document can help you maintain your “green-ness” throughout the affair.
25. Become a Green Resource: When you provide resource information to your customers, it legitimizes your goals as a green company. It builds trust and confidence in your products and/or services. Use your Web site or other means (always green) to provide information, articles, guides and tools to help your customers become more comfortable with your company. This link creates a bridge to the LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) market.
26. Create Peer Community: Sometimes it’s good to reach into marketing that works and shape it to fit the ‘greenosphere.’ Guerrilla Marketing techniques, such as Peer-to-Peer (P2P) communities are part of the guerrilla tactics. Share advertising, co-opting services and share information to help each other gain a market share. You can learn many of those techniques when you join this site for free.
27. Participate in Green Communities: This link is to the ‘greenexchange,’ a community designed specifically for green businesses. But, you also can join communities that fit your particular niche and reach out for marketing potential.
28. Create Interaction on Your Web Site: KickApps is just one tool you can use to build audience participation with your Web site. You can build community, use photo and video sharing, create widgets and more with this tool. Use their custom venue or just utilize the widgets on your own site to create an interactive experience with your peers and/or clients.
29. Create Your Own Green Community: Use this ‘White Label Social Networking Platform” comparison chart to help you decide a social networking platform to use to build your own community. This TechCrunch project can help save time and frustration as you determine which applications would work best for your efforts.
30. Go Tribal: Social and business networking sites have changed the face of marketing forever. While these tools don’t cost anything financially to participate, they do eat up your time as you engage people to build community and identity (online and offline). No one can show you better how to do this than Seth Godin, a progressive marketing pro.
31. Share Your Knowledge: Become involved with a wiki such as Green Wikia, where you can add information, change entries and communicate with other like-minded individuals on green topics.

Voluntary Green Standards

As you build your business, you’ll want to continue to carry your green standards forward. At this point, you can repeat the mantra, “reduce, reuse, recycle and repair,” as you maintain your green office environment. Below are some ideas on how to maintain your progress, which is reflected in your public image and overall efficiency and productivity:

32. Participate in Global Recycling Efforts: Usually a tech business, hosting provider or Web business can count on waste consisting of electronics, paper, glass, plastic and used commercial goods. If you want to know how to dispose of or recycle these items, try this directory to find resources near you.
33. Prevent Waste: When you build a business plan, you might not think about how to reduce waste from the get-go. We’re talking telephone books, junk snail mail and packages. The National Waste Prevention Coalition can help you streamline your goals so you can spend more time on business and less on waste management.
34. Use Local eCycling: As the current tragic situation about eWaste unfolds, more and more eCycling centers may open. Use this link to stay on top of eCycling centers near you so you can recycle those computers, iPods, monitors and other electronic tools.
35. Recycle: This list of recycling resources can help you plan your business recycling, no matter where you’re located. You might try a little recycling business on the side to help with marketing, local goodwill and status as a knowledgeable green business owner.
36. Reduce Carbon Emissions: When you fly, drive, use electricity or gas, you cause CO2 emissions. EcoBusiness Links provides a list of companies that can help you offset your CO2 emissions.
37. Practice CD and DVD Recycling: Few high-tech businesses can say they lack a pile of unwanted CDs and/or DVDs. Why not develop a sideline where you can help the entire community recycle their discs? Freerecycling offers a way for businesses to provide full service for CD and DVD recycling that attracts customers who are environmentally responsible and want a secure place to dispose of their discs.
38. Slow or Stop Junk Mail: Imagine the look on the mailman’s face when you – as a green business owner – receive mountains of junk mail. That would go against the green grain just a tad. Learn how to make junk mail go away for free through Ecopreneurist.
39. Redirect Your Snail Mail’s Purpose: Mail represents only 2.4% of American’s municipal waste stream (paper in general makes up 35% of the waste stream). But why contribute to that waste when you can get the snail mail you need? Direct mail helps you find out about new products, services and money-saving deals. DMAchoice.org can help you find the mail you need from credit offers to catalogs, magazine deals and other mail offers. Use their services to receive and stop direct mail deliveries.
40. Look to User-Generated Reusing: Lost your user manual for your Acer computer? Need to know how to tweak your iPod? Instead of running out to purchase a new user’s manual, try to find that user manual online. If you don’t have any luck, try this link for User-Manuals.com. For the same price as a new manual (maybe less), you can download a PDF file that helps you use your tools to their best advantage.
41. Learn How to Repair: The days of tossing that power tool in the garbage and buying a new one are, basically, over. Learn how things work and then how to fix those things through the links provided on this site.
42. Become a Freecycle Freak: Even businesses can benefit from this service, a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of “people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns.” If you were at this site a year ago, try it again. It has grown rapidly into a great give-and-take social experiment where recycling truly has become a way of life.

Join Industry Stewardship and Incentive Programs

Sometimes it may feel as though owning a green business is an uphill struggle. New standards, new laws, market perception and expensive “green” supply chains might get you down. But, never fear: incentives are here! Take advantage of some of these offers, all designed to prod and poke green businesses into becoming greener. Companies that combine thorough research with creative thinking about how plans align with relevant government policies usually are the most successful in obtaining incentives.

43. Be Rewarded for Energy Efficiency: Use DSIRE, a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives, to search for incentives by renewable energy or by energy efficiency.
44. Seek Incentives: You can find incentives for your business and home through GreenMadeSimple, a site dedicated to finding and offering nationwide green incentives such as tax credits for advanced vehicles. You also can find energy-saving news at this site.
45. Create a Public Policy Search: This site is very useful, especially if you’re building or remodeling an office building to meet LEED standards. But, you also can find policies regarding tax abatements, grants and more by date, incentive, performance standards and more.
46. Recognize that Preparation and Creativity are Key: This article at AllBusiness provides an excellent foundation for business owners who seek incentives and tax breaks. While not totally focused on green incentives, you might learn how and when to implement government programs from their advice.
47. Join the GENI: According to many sources, linking renewable products and services between all nations could mollify conflicts, grow economies and increase the quality of life and health for all. GENI, Global Network Institute, provides an avenue for this interaction. You can help by volunteering, making a contribution or by becoming an evangelist for this organization. While participation might not help your bottom line, it may not hurt it, either. GENI provides a venue where you can meet many like-minded individuals.
48. Seek Green Power Incentives: The EPA spells it out, with a list of organizations that offer incentives specifically for greening small and large businesses, inventors and industry. Look to the right for a list of partnership documents, tools and calculators and resources for on-site projects.
49. Be a Leader: According to this article, businesses — especially tech businesses — seek more incentives to go green. If you’re planning a start-up and you can’t find the right incentives, you might think about going green anyway. Lead the pack, do what’s right and you might find a broader market share through less competition.
50. Seek Niche Market Incentives: This list, provided by the Green Network, can stir your creative juices, as it provides information about every green issue imaginable. From carbon footprints to young people, you can learn more about how to green your business and how to expand your greening possibilities. Demand often dictates supply, so your willingness to be a vital part of business greening is key to creating new incentives for the future.

The following sites all are concerned with technology, with an emphasis on computer-related issues and business models. From questions about your computer’s carbon footprint to eWaste and from marketing to new legislation, the following 50 sites have answers to many questions about how to go green. We mean seriously green, not green washing.

The sites below are listed in alphabetical order, and we do not favor one site over another. Each site has its own flavor and philosophy, so we hope you’ll find something in this mix that will catch your attention and that will help you play your part in going green.

1. Behind the Green: The ICT industry is investing billions of dollars to research, develop and market advanced, energy-efficiency technologies and business process solutions, creating thousands of new, high paying jobs in a fast-growing part of the industry. To follow this industry, the Technology CEO Council launched this new blog.
2. Bizjournals Green: This news blog tracks the deals, people and innovations that are making the green industry the phenomenon of our age. They aim to help entrepreneurs, growth-company executives and the business community in general understand green trends and to identify up-and-coming companies. They also provide a forum for readers to comment and interact with one another. This blog is sponsored by parent company, American City Business Journals.
3. BusinessGreen Blog: BusinessGreen is a multimedia publication for firms intent on improving their environmental credentials. Published in the UK by Incisive Media, the writers cover technology, legislation, supply chain, carbon trading and more. The site also provides in-depth analysis on various topics, weaving all subjects together for a full picture on global progress toward a greener environment.
4. CleanTech Group: The Cleantech Group, formerly the Cleantech Venture Network, pioneered clean technology as an investment category in 2002. Therefore, this company played an instrumental role in the development of the “cleantech” category. Gain insight into their research, new products and more through coverage by industry and by company.
5. Cleantech Blog: Neal Dikeman is the founder of this blog and a partner at Jane Capital Partners, a San Francisco-based merchant bank focused on cleantech, energy & environmental technologies. Readers can find commentary on news and technology relating to clean tech, greentech, energy, climate change and the environment.
6. CleanTechnica: This blog provides an up-to-date perspective on the latest trends in clean tech in “a language that doesn’t require an engineering degree.” Learn more about renewable energy sources, less toxic electronics and more efficient information technology.
7. CNET Green Tech: This CNET channel provides readers with information on innovative energy and environmental technologies. Green-tech guru Martin LaMonica and other CNET writers serve up fresh clean-tech news and commentary on a regular basis to help you stay informed.
8. Earth & Economy: This link will take you directly to the ‘earth & economy’ science and tech channel. But, don’t hesitate to wander around a bit, as this site offers links to many green resources that are interrelated. Learn more about green products, business, education, energy, living and travel — all topics that can relate to the geek who focuses on tech for a living.
9. Earth2Tech: The writers for this blog “scour university labs for the next cleantech leaders, and keep a close eye on tech giants’ green campaigns.” Part of the San Francisco-based GigaOM Network, Earth2Tech enjoys editing by Katie Fehrenbacher, former writer for Red Herring, Engadget, the Yomiuri Shimbun and ReadyMade Magazine. Look for information covering startups and entrepreneurs that are creating innovations to fight climate change.
10. EcoGeek: Hank Green, founder, manager and editor for this blog spends much of his time working on how to save the planet as he adds up to ten new blog entries to this site per day. He appears regularly on Planet Green’s nightly news show “G Word,” and has written on the subject for a variety of print and online magazines. His work has appeared in publications ranging from Mental Floss Magazine to The New York Times and he’s been interviewed on NPR’s All Things Considered and Air America’s The Young Turks.
11. ecolect: ecolect’s mission is to help designers, architects and builders discover eco-material alternatives and to create tools to help implement new environmental standards. Readers can contribute user reviews and images and contribute to case studies on how to design and build technology and architecture that will change the world.
12. Ecology and Policy: This blog provides topical information for researchers, policy advisers and the public who are interested in the interaction between ecology and public policy. The Ecology & Policy Blog is run by the Science Policy Team at the British Ecological Society. Although there is a topic on media, this group is open to even more online development on policies or scientific developments that interest readers.
13. EcoTech Daily: This blog is Chris Baskin’s daily wrap-up of the latest in sustainable technology and green developments. Along the way, you can discover cool and useful green gadgets designed to make your life simpler and more eco-friendly. This site is a sister site to Lighter Footstep.
14. Environmental Graffiti: This blog delivers a mix of news, analysis and innovative ideas for greening the environment. Although technology isn’t a main focus, you might admit that most of the topics they talk about have an effect on anyone’s daily life…and they do it with a great and wry sense humor. The site was launched in May 2007 by lawyer-turned-graffiti artist Chris Ingham Brooke.
15. Environmental News Network: ENN was created over thirteen years ago with the hope of bringing attention to present and future environmental issues facing the planet. They publish information that helps readers to understand environmental issues and that hopefully will inspire them to get involved. The topics they tackle include ecosystems, energy, business, science and tech, among others.
16. eWaste Insights: You cannot be involved with technology at a green level without some concern for eWaste. This blog is one step in that direction, as it covers the state of Electronic Discards in California and the U.S. Learn about eWaste basics and tap into the numerous resources available on this site.
17. Green Business: This link will take you to the technology channel in this site. But, you might browse around to learn more about how to run a sustainable business, read the news, meet visionaries in green tech, learn about trends and in the process learn more about going organic.
18. Green Tech Beat: The San Jose Mercury News is using reporter Natt Naumam’s beat — cleantech and energy — as part of a national journalism experiment. Readers can participate, write blogs and post green photos and videos through this site and BeatBlogging..
19. Green Technology Forum: This ‘forum’ is a research and advising firm that focuses on nanotechnology and biotechnology for growing green businesses. They help businesspeople understand the benefits and challenges of these revolutionary technologies, and they help them to develop strategies, products and services that benefit their customers, the environment, and their bottom line. The range is global.
20. Green Technology World: Sponsored by TMCNet, this site strives to help environmentally-conscientious business leaders choose environmentally-friendly solutions. The advantage of checking in on this blog is that you also have access to the rest of the TMC network, including white papers.
21. Green Options Business and Technology: This link will take you to the business and technology channel within this site. Technology here ranges from green building to automobiles, energy and geek tech. You can stick around and browse through this site’s blogs on news and family and lifestyle as well.
22. GoodCleanTech: If you want to know which desktop PCs, laptops, monitors, printers, scanners and other gadgets and necessities are greener than others, go no further than to this blog. They began to examine desktop PCs and laptops, and created a new suite of benchmark tests and a new seal of approval — “PC Mag GreenTech Approved” — in the process. Now, this team has gone on to examine other technical tools as they devise new testing methodologies.
23. Greenbang: Greenbang is interested in answers to pressing environmental problems. They provide daily updates to more then 800,000 investors, C-level executives, entrepreneurs, and corporate intranets. Based in London, the site contains a blog and also is a news resource for anyone who wants to stay on top of innovative green technology.
24. GreenBiz.com: Greener World Media’s Web sites and newsletters, led by GreenBiz.com, are designed to provide clear, concise, accurate, and balanced information, resources, and learning opportunities to “help companies of all sizes and sectors integrate environmental responsibility into their operations in a manner that supports profitable business practices.” Readers can spend hours at this site, browsing through blogs, reading news, and learning more about the changing tech and business environment.
25. GreenTechLog: This blog focuses on green technology from all angles, including new energy. The author is a rabid recycler, and the reader can find many links here to further resources. You also can find a separate channel specifically aimed at GreenTech.
26. greentechmedia: This site covers all topics under tech, including energy efficiency, batteries and storage, policies and more. Additionally, this site hosts three blogs: Green Light, which covers “the highs and lows of the greentech market, providing news, commentary and analysis on the companies and personalities”; CleanTech Investing and; The Syndicate, which is a compilation of various green tech investing and venture capital blogs.
27. GreenWerks: This is an interesting blog, as it belongs to a company in Chicago that focuses on green building. Yet, the blog contains a global focus on all things green and technical. The topics center on building, but range widely to energy consumption, tech, and maintenance of natural environment.
28. Grist: This site focuses on the “trends before they become trendy” in topics that range from the environment to the environment. A Seattle-based company, Grist provides news through blogs, analysis and commentary that they mark as “gloom and doom with a sense of humor.”
29. Harga-Blog: Andrew Hargadon is an Associate Professor of Technology Management at the Graduate School of Management at University of California, Davis and author of How Breakthroughs Happen: The Surprising Truth About How Companies Innovate (Harvard Business School Press 2003). In this blog, he writes about technology innovation and management with an emphasis on sustainable technology. Recent topics include innovation and entrepreneurship, smart design and a discussion of what makes a good idea.
30. IAM: A stumble upon this site will reveal a think tank, patent blogs and an IP business blog. This blog is part of IAM magazine, a publication that focuses on Intellectual Asset Management (IAM). IAM gives its readers the inside track on how companies can ensure they extract the maximum value from the patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets they own — great information for anyone who seeks to develop green technology.
31. Impact of Information Technology: Written by Andrew McAfee, a professor at Harvard Business School, this blog features technology as it pertains to business. Sustainability in technology is a feature in Professor McAfee’s blog entries as well.
32. Jetson Green: Readers have enjoyed this blog since summer of 2006. Preston Koerner started this blog as an MBA project, and he’s built it into a daily updated web magazine that’s obsessed with green building, sustainable architecture, good design, clean technology in the built environment, and eco-friendly development.
33. Joel Makower: Joel Makower has been a well-respected voice on business and the environment for more than twenty years. He is a writer, speaker and strategist on corporate environmental practices, clean technology and green marketing.
34. Marketing Green: Yes, you’re in technology, but you may also need to consider green marketing. This blog’s mission is to provide industry professionals with practical strategic marketing advice on how to build green brands and motivate mass market adoption of more sustainable products.
35. MetaEfficient: Justin Thomas, editor of MetaEfficient, created this blog in 2004 to review efficient or green products. The site has expanded and grown to cover a wider range of sustainable, efficient products and services beyond tech, to include books, furniture, toys, cleaning supplies and more.
36. New Scientist: What’s your favorite tech branch? You can find it here at New Scientist, a site that contains news, many blogs and resources for geeks the world over. The blogs are covered under “Short Sharp Science,” and innovative technology is contained in a separate channel as well.
37. Outlook for Change: Joel West writes about IT and business with a focus on creating business models. Tom Lawrence, the editor, is the Weyerhaeuser Professor of Change Management at SFU. The site’s aim is to provide a resource for change agents and aspiring change agents in organizations and communities with focuses on strategic change, collaboration, communication, the role(s) of change agents, and innovation. This is a great resource for learning new business models.
38. Pop!Tech: This site was founded and is still supported by a team of volunteers, and it works because it is so eclectic. Although the focus isn’t entirely green, the volunteers are tuned into what is important, including people (as in visionaries), conferences, ideas and innovative projects. The dialog is open, and includes commentaries, “pop!casts”, and the Pop!Tech Accelerator — a support service that facilitates interdisciplinary, world-changing projects that use new tools and embody new approaches to significant global challenges.
39. Renewable Energy World: In 1998, a group of renewable energy professionals created the most recognized and trusted source for renewable energy new and information on the Internet. While energy covers a wide gamut of topics, you can bet that technology is one of them. This is why you can explore the site by products and companies as well as through news and video.
40. Sustainable Business: Written by N.E. Landrum, this blog approaches business from the perspective of sustainability and shows how this type of business makes good sense economically and socially. “Make a profit, make an impact, make a difference. Because sustainable business is good business.” That’s the motto. Learn about items of interest to sustainable businesses, including a weekly behind-the-scenes look at a sustainable business.
41. Sustainable IT: This blog supported by InfoWorld, and Ted Samson brings information about tech, business, and greening environments to readers around the world. Samson is a senior analyst for the InfoWorld Test Center with a passion for IT and green technology.
42. Sustainable Technology: John Barrie writes this blog and Sustainable Design Update. Both blogs focus on technology, the environment, innovative projects, news and emerging discoveries — all of which lie under the heading, “sustainable.” Barrie is a principal architect with John Barrie Associates Architects in Ann Arbor, MI. and also Executive Director of the Appropriate Technology Collaborative.
43. Sustainability Law Blog: TonkonRopt, LLP attorneys blog about climate change, green building and sustainable business, forestry, practices and products. They focus on issues ranging from renewable energy, real estate and environmental law to corporate finance and governance, intellectual property and lobbying. Their information is helpful to anyone who wants to develop or sell sustainable products and services with a concentration on green building, but also a leaning toward technology.
44. Sustainablog: This blog is under the Green Options media umbrella, and it is written by professionals and topic experts David Anderson and Clayton B. Cornell among many other writers. Since July 2003, Sustainablog has provided information on environmental and economic sustainability, green and sustainable business and environmental politics. The blog regularly features environmental leaders, experts in alternative energy and green technology, and real people trying to lighten their environmental footprints.
45. TechConsumer: The TechConsumer.com team is comprised of technology startup professionals and gadget enthusiasts from around the world. Their goal is to explore the Internet for cutting edge, interesting innovations and to bring those to readers in a format that is easy to understand and comment upon. While the focus isn’t entirely green, you can expect more leaning that direction as technology becomes more efficient.
46. TechPulse 360: This blog is run by journalists Mark Boslet and Jean-Baptiste Su and headquartered at the heart of Silicon Valley. They cover business and technology innovations and the companies at the headwaters of this dynamic high-tech industry.
47. TreeHugger: Who isn’t familiar with TreeHugger? This site remains the leading media outlet dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream. Readers find green news, solutions, and product information, with a channel dedicated to science and technology.
48. TriplePundit: According to TriplePundit.com, economy, environment and society are interdependent. Founded by sustainable business expert, Nick Aster, this site brings attention to greenwashing, marketing and branding, supply chain management, transportation and “conscious entrepreneurship.” The focus is on how to blend business and technology with environmental best practices.
49. WebEcoist Tech and Gadgets: This link will take you directly to WebEcoist’s Technology and Gadgets channel, where you can browse blog entries for topics ranging from energy to other environmental issues. Readers also might want to check out their science and research and art and design categories.
50. World is Green: This blog focuses on business strategy and sustainability, with a leaning toward economics, technology and business development. Suhit, the author, is a Strategic Planning Officer with the Department for Families and Communities (DFC) in the Government of South Australia. He has a very strong interest in sustainability, economics, technology and development and has contributed to the micro-finance section in the book, WorldChanging.