10 Practical Ways to Green Your Home Tech

Going Green is the buzzword that everyone has been talking about this year, and rightfully so. Our global climate and environment have undergone huge amounts of stress over the last century. Major corporations are making efforts to change how they make products and even run the companies. But we as individuals can also make changes, implement and embrace these new methods, especially with your home technology. Here are 10 practical things you can do to green your home technology:

1. Reduce.

Probably the most basic way to go green is by reducing the amount of time you leave electric items turned on. Most homes today have more than one computer, television and entertainment center. Ask yourself if you really need a second TV in the bedroom or three different computer systems for your home when you live alone. If you do, make sure you turn them off when not in use. Even better, unplug them.

2. Embrace new technology.

Companies are always looking for new selling points for their products; luckily green is one of the best selling points companies are pushing now. Items like the My Book World Edition external hard drive from hard drive manufacturer Western Digital utilizes their new GreenPower Technology, which allows the hard drives to consume less energy and run cooler, thus reducing the amount of cooling required from a typical computer case or external enclosure. Look around, your favorite tech manufacturer most likely has some sort of green program.

3. Power down.

Windows and Mac based computers both have settings in their control panels to help reduce the amount of energy that is consumed. Why wait 20 minutes from the last time you used your computer for the monitor to automatically shut off, though? When you're done, push the power button on the monitor. If you're like me, you often forget how many things you have turned on, so a device like the Smart Strip Power Strip is ideal. Plug in all your devices and it will turn them off for you when you power down the device plugged in as control. So, plug your computer, monitor, printer, scanner, desk lamp with the main tower set as control and turn the computer off when you are done using it, the Smart Strip will turn off everything else for you.

4. Ditch the CRT.

If you are still using a CRT computer monitor, or CRT television, look into upgrading to a flat panel LCD unit soon, and don't forget to recycle the CRT or donate it to a church or school in need. CRT monitors draw far more current than their LCD counterparts and are helping push landfills past their capacity because they aren't being recycling properly. Utilizing a LCD monitor is often easier on the eyes too!

5. Clean.

Spend some time cleaning out the power supply and fans of your computer every few months. Dust, lint, animal hair and all kinds of nasty bits get sucked inside and greatly reduce the efficiency of the cooling system. As the fans are forced to work harder because of the reduced airflow, more strain is put on them and more power is consumed.

6. Make the switch.

While the PC vs. Mac commercials are entertaining, they don't highlight one major benefit that the new MacBook computers offer, which is that they happen to also be very green. Apple has made it a point to not only produce a very efficient, powerful and aesthetically appealing computer, they are more environmentally friendly now than ever. Featuring PVC and mercury free construction of the laptop, it also comes shipped with 41% smaller packaging and the laptop itself is recyclable due to its all aluminum and glass enclosure.

7. Harness the sun.

I enjoy owning a laptop and the freedom it provides me to take it anywhere. I don't like the fact that I'm always in search of a power outlet away from home, or that it's plugged into a wall outlet all day when I'm not using it to ensure it is fully charged when I do need to take it out. Eclipse Solar Gear offers a full line of messenger bags that will not only charge your laptop, but your cell phone or other small devices too. Just think of how great it would be to leave your laptop in a bag, sitting near a window to charge all day, or knowing that it's charging while on the passenger seat of your car on the way to a meeting. Getting off the grid couldn't be any easier and it doesn't hurt that most of these bags are pretty stylish too!

8. Re-use.

Before making the choice to drop an item off at a recycling center, check to see if you can re-purpose it for another use. An older laptop computer might not have the "umph" that you need to accomplish the tasks at hand, but chances are pretty good that it could run a home media system just fine. This great article from Laptop Magazine has both video and text based tutorials on how to give an old laptop a second life.

9. Automate.

Sometimes the most efficient way to do something is to not do it, letting technology handle it for you. This forum post over at Treehugger.com has a great tutorial on how to automate lights in your home to only come on when someone is in the room, and shut off when there is no movement. No more wasted energy to be consumed when you accidentally leave your closet light on or walk out of a room to get a phone call only to not return for several more hours.

10. Efficient alternatives.

Sometimes getting off the grid isn't always possible. For example, you need to run a network cable from one side of your home to the other because the Wi-Fi signal isn't strong enough. Rather than punching holes in walls and ceilings to try and fish a cat5 cable in across a whole house, use a product like D-Link's DHP-303 PowerLine, which utilizes your existing electrical cabling to transfer network packets at up to 200Mbps, fast enough to stream HD media. These handy little devices make use of dlinkgreen technology to consume as little power as possible yet still fulfill your home entertainment needs.

Going green not only helps the environment, it often saves some money too. These tips are simple enough that anyone can apply them and many will cost you nothing but time (like cleaning out your hairball of a computer). Being informed, reading labels and continuing to look at new technology as it comes out will ensure that we live as clean and green of a lifestyle as possible, while still enjoying and using all the modern technology we've become accustomed to.

If you want to learn more, Western Digital is hosting a LinkedIn discussion on green technology in the workplace, home office, and data center next week (Wednesday June 17th, from 10am to Noon PST) that should be full of great tips and advice.

Please take a moment and share your tips with us in the comments section.