Is your computer equipment exhausting more energy than necessary? I've been interested in this discussion for a while—and concerned about my own computer settings—so I did a bit of research. While my findings weren't astounding, I did take away a few, small techniques to make your business or home office equipment a wee-bit more eco-friendly.

Don't Drain - Did you know your computer (and all its associated equipment) continues to use a small amount of power even when it's powered off? This is known as "phantom loading," and on average, accounts for 75% of the electricity used to power home appliances. To avoid this continual drain, connect your computer, the printer, speakers, or whatever else you've got to a power strip. Set the switch to OFF when you're not using the machinery.

Go Portable - If you're thinking about upgrading your computer system, consider buying a laptop instead of a desktop. They use much less energy than the permanent solutions.

Say Goodnight - Set your computer to "sleep" or "standby" when at all possible. In this mode, computers typically use between 0 - 6 watts of energy. If you haven't configured your computer to "hibernate" yet, here's how to do it:

* In Windows XP go to Start > Control Panel > Power Options
* On a Mac go to System Preferences > Energy Saver

And if you're one of those people who swear by screen savers... turn 'em off! They're not saving ANY energy!

Ditch the CRT - The type of monitor and power settings your computer employs is important to pay attention to. LCD monitors make a big difference in terms of energy conservation, so for those of you working on those big ole' CRTs—don't do it unless you have to—and be sure to power those monitors off when not in use.

More Tips - Here's a few extra (and repeat) tidbits for better computer (and internet) use: (You'll want to veer towards the right column on this table—the "Less Energy" side of things.)

For those of you who haven't thought about reducing your carbon footprint via alternative computer usage practices, I hope this post might be a starting point for a newfound awareness. C'mon Boerne folk—do the right thing, a little at a time. You can start with your computer...