Keenpath

Keenpath Accepted as Green Directory Member

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to the RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

We have been accepted as a Green Directory Montana Member! Check out the Keenpath membership listing by clicking here, or by clicking the certified business badge to the right.

Applicants are required to earn a minimum of 3 environmentally focused badges and a total of 5 badges to have a chance at inclusion in the Green Directory. We currently have 10, and are happy to be included, however are always striving for new ways to increase our sustainability.

I am grateful to the Green Directory Montana for creating the directory, and actively “educating businesses and consumers on becoming more sustainable on a daily basis.”

To gain a better appreciation for what they are accomplishing, the following is their mission statement:

The Green Directory Montana`s mission is to bring together businesses and consumers who are environmentally and socially responsible. Changing the future landscape of our community by offering benefits to businesses who institute sustainable practices, we believe will give our children a better future, instead of leaving more problems. We believe businesses that consider a triple bottom line* will thrive and that consumers will increasingly demand more sustainable ways of doing business.

We are passionate about educating businesses and consumers on becoming more sustainable on a daily basis. We believe that our values can be woven into our workplaces and into our purchasing decisions.

*A company with a triple bottom line considers the economic, social and environmental impacts of their business decisions.

Establishing a Green IT Baseline

As a part of any initiative, to put together a comprehensive action plan, and to implement the same, the necessary information needs to be discovered and calculated.  Far beyond a trend, the greening of business, is an important step towards cost saving, while at the same time fulfilling a responsibility to the environment.

Technology industry analyst Doug Washburn provides three insightful points why its important to establish a green IT baseline:

• Guide your greening efforts with solid data. Avoid guessing about what to green first by referencing concrete statistics on energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and cost per IT asset.
• Create realistic goals. Measuring IT’s energy consumption will help you estimate the possible environmental and economic benefits of going green, ensuring your green-related goals are realistic.
• Quantify the benefits over time. Once you have implemented green upgrades to your IT assets, compare your new energy consumption to your baseline, highlighting both environmental and economic savings.

Additional things to consider: Discuss with business leaders about current energy budgets and compare with your green IT baseline. Propose a solution, and expose organization’s business leaders to the benefit of and importance of green IT initiative, with current and planned utilization. Inspire those around you by forming a green team, green initiative, along with marketing and whomever will join in sounding the voice.

The Green IT Baseline Calculator

In February 2009, Forrester Research introduced an online green IT baseline calculator, designed to help IT professionals and decision makers calculate their green technology baseline.

(If you experience any difficulty viewing the embedded calculator click here)

Recycle Your Old TV

With the upcoming February 17, 2009 deadline, when most television stations will begin broadcasting only a digital signal, there is a huge potential environmental impact to consider. If you are not planning on extending the life of your television set with a converter box to receive the new digital air signal, and plan on purchasing, or already have purchased a new TV, consider recycling the old set instead of throwing it away.

The United States EPA created a special page for the Digital Television Transition, including information on how to extend the life of your TV, resources on where to recycle your old TV, and information on what to look for in a new television to ensure you can find the most energy efficient model available.

Do the right thing and don’t just throw out your old TV, take the time to research how you can re-use, recycle or give away. Get into the spirit of eCycling and check out the array of resources available.

Update: 2/4/09 – The House voted today to delay the Digital TV Transition; more details from The Washington Post