SunCorp

Tired of just reading about all the environmental damage that a modern lifestyle causes and wish you could do something about it? Here are a few simple things that even ordinary people could do to get their act together. All you need is a little smart use of technology that’s already available.

 

Information technology (IT) and the environment have not exactly been comfortable bedfellows. While the IT sector claims to be doing more than its bit for keeping the planet green (the colour was very much the theme at CEBIT 2008), environmentalists claim that all the talk about eco-friendly computers and cellphones is nothing but public relations hogwash. Whatever be the truth of that debate, the fact nevertheless remains that using a dollop of IT prudently can indeed take a load off the planet. And no, we are not asking you to enrol in online campaigns or to start writing militant ecofriendly blogs. Just a few simple steps and before you know it, you could be doing more than your bit for the environment, with minimum disruption of your everyday life.

Saying ‘no’ to snail mail!
Email is considered the ‘killer app’ of the internet. And well, using it thoroughly can not only speed up communication considerably, but also take a load off the environment. For one, you will not be using any paper at all—no envelope, no writing paper. For another, just think of all the fuel that will be saved as your letters won’t have to be transported from place to place via road, railway and aircraft. Top all that off with the fact that a lot of dangerous effluents won’t be released in the atmosphere thanks to your reliance on Messrs. Yahoo!, Google, MSN, Rediff, Indiatimes and other email providers, rather than the good old local postal service.

IM and bulletin boards, not memos
Many people consider instant messaging (IM) a major distraction in work but if used effectively, it can actually facilitate communication in the workplace. An instant messenger like Google Talk or Yahoo!Messenger can help get your message across a lot quicker without your having to engage a telephone line or sending a formal sounding memo. In fact, you can use the IM for communicating virtually anything and even for swapping files (digital ones, of course) in real time. Similarly, an online bulletin board is much more effective than a noticeboard on which bits of papers dangle perilously from pins. Just think of the amount of paper you would save, not to mention the pins (hey, every little bit counts). There are even virtual Post-It sticky notes, for God’s sake!

No disks please, we are digital!
Whether it is games, songs, software, video clips or even films, they can all be downloaded from different sites (perfectly legitimate ones too) from the internet. All you need is decent bandwidth, a credit card and some hard disk space. Not only will this save you the fuss of storing all those CDs and DVDs, but it will also have a huge impact on the environment as discarded disks are not exactly eco-friendly. And then there are the massive savings in terms of packaging—stuff that you often throw away anyway and which is seldom recycled. Yep, buying an iPod can actually benefit the environment.

Bytes rather than books
Almost everything that is in a book can
be found on the internet, whether in free or paid format. All you need to do is search a bit and if need be, loosen those purse strings from time to time. Yes, reading on a computer screen is seldom as comfortable as curling up with your favourite bestseller, but you might consider than investing in an ebook reader (like the famous Amazon Kindle) could help in saving dozens of forests, not to mention all the energy that goes into the publication process. And of course, browsing for books on the internet can be just as much fun as doing so in a bookstore.
Give your vehicle a break
If you are one of those who cannot resist hopping into your car (or whatever wheeler you possess) every time you have to do something, then just pause and see if it can be done online. A number of activities, ranging from banking to booking movie tickets to railways and airline reservations to paying bills of just about every sort can now be done online, from the comfort of your PC (and in some cases, even your cellphone). And of course, that means you will not only be saving time and wear and tear on your vehicle, but also help in keeping the hydrocarbon fuel deposits of the earth ticking over nicely.

Lock that printer
Yes, printouts are sometimes essential but there is plenty of research around to show that most people take printouts just because they can and not because they need to. If we had a dollar for every person who asks an email to be printed out so that he/she can read it, we would have been millionaires. The supremest irony is that almost everything that needs paper can be done digitally. Taking printouts just uses up energy, wastes paper, and of course, also results in empty toners and inkjet cartridges that are notoriously hard to dispose of. So do consider locking up your printer and chucking away the keys, and try to manage by reading off the screen (incidentally, have you noticed how big and clear monitors are becoming?). You will be amazed at how easily you can manage without it. And the planet will be grateful too!

Work from home, sweet home
For some people, bringing work home ranks high in the list of domestic sacrileges. Well, the fact is that it actually ain’t too bad if you do most of your work from home. Just consider the fact that you will be saving lots of fuel that you would normally have spent while travelling to and from office. Your working from home will also result in one less vehicle on the roads, and reduce the chance of gas-sapping jams and snarl-ups. And of course, your office will have to invest in one lesser PC, desk and chair, which in itself will do the environment a good turn.
    And this is just the tip of the iceberg. There’s lots more you can do. But even if you manage this much, it will make a huge dent in pollution levels. A word of caution: all this is a lot easier said than done. It will need a fair bit of co-operation from your family and colleagues to get your tech-ecological act together. That said, the effort would be well worth it. After all, to borrow a famous brand’s line, this is our planet!