As climate changes become more threatening, a lot of IT companies started paying more attention to green computing. Giants like Intel, AMD, Via, and Sony produce eco-friendly equipment and promote various green programs.

Each of us can help protect the environment in a very simple way. Moreover, green computing will save you money and lengthen the lifespan of your computer.

Enable Power-saving Options

There are rumours that it’s better to leave your computer running all day than to shut it down and switch it back on when you need it. It’s a myth. Turning your PC off and on doesn’t affect it. But having it running all the time means wasting energy and money. If you either can’t or don’t feel like shutting down your computer, consider enabling power-saving options. And if you have a printer, turn it on only when you are ready to print, because printers consume energy even when they are idling.

Windows XP and Vista have options to automatically put your computer into power-saving modes. The first thing that comes to mind is the screensaver. In the past screensavers were a must, because they prevented phosphor burn-ins on CRT monitors. Modern flat LCD screens don’t have that problem. You don’t really need the screensaver and anyway you certainly don’t need it for longer than five minutes. It is best to enable Standby and Hibernation instead:

1. Right-click your desktop background and click Properties
2. Go to the Screen Saver tab
3. Click Power near the Energy Star logo. The Power Options Properties dialog box will appear. Alternatively you can go to the Control Panel (XP) or the Settings tab (Vista) – Power Options
4. Go to Hibernate tab and make sure hibernation is enabled
5. 
6. Then go to the Power Schemes tab. There you can choose the time intervals for putting your computer into the Standby and Hibernate modes
7. 

That’s it! Helping protect the environment is easy. Besides, enabling these modes will reduce your monthly electricity bill.