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Earth DayEarth Day ToolkitResources for greener technology practicesNo matter what your cause, we all depend on clean air, soil, and water. And as nonprofits, our responsibility is perhaps greater than others to lead the way in environmentally sound practices. Find out how you can make good choices through your everyday technology practices and purchases in this toolkit. Earth Day may be April 22, but it's the decisions we make in our day-to-day lives that determine our commitment to our planet. Click on any of the following drop links to get to the topics listed below: Eco-Friendly Office Practices Responsible computer Use Your eco-impact Be Inspired Latest Bookmarks from Digg Discuss Add to this Wiki: By presenting this toolkit in wiki format, we invite you to contribute to it. Feel free to post links to articles, organizations, and tools other nonprofits can use to make this world a better place. (To log in or sign in, please go to the column to the left, under "In Wikis.") Eco-Friendly Office PracticesDo you use 100-percent recycled paper in your office copiers? Recycle printer cartridges? Oftentimes, it's your day-to-day activities that count the most. Use these articles and tools to help minimize your everyday impact. Greening Your Office Any nonprofit can make its work environment a shade greener ― and save money, too ― by implementing some simple environmentally friendly practices. These tips and resources will help you get started. A Nonprofit's Guide to Green Printing If you use traditional printing techniques for your marketing materials, you may be doing less to reach out to constituents and more to damage the environment. Luckily, there are eco-friendly ways to make your print projects and your organization look good. Make Better Lifestyle Decisions Discover ways you can make greener choices through your eating, living, and spending habits through the Institute for Lifecycle Assessment, an organization that provides consumers with education and tools to make sustainable lifestyle decisions. (Of particular interest are the site's Lifestyle Impact Assessment tables, which provide a detailed eco-breakdown of often routine activities and products.) Protect the Environment at Work Ways to reduce energy use, use office supplies responsibly, use water more efficiently, and green your commute from the Environmental Protection Agency. Responsible Computer UseComputer waste is responsible for thousands of tons of landfill each year, much of it toxic. Find out how TechSoup is helping to lead the way for many of those computers to be refurbished and reused by organizations that need them ― and how you can do your part to stem the e-waste tide. Greening Your Hardware TechSoup offers a variety of resources and tips for nonprofits who would like to donate or receive used computers. Head to our Recycled Hardware page to learn more, or click on one of the links below. Find — or Donate — Used Computers on TechSoup TechSoup offers searchable directories for organizations seeking to find, donate, or refurbish previously owned equipment: • Search our database of places to donate used hardware, by ZIP code. • Search our database of places to get used hardware, by ZIP code. • Find responsible refurbishers by searching our database of MAR-authorized refurbishers, by ZIP code. Ten Tips for Donating a Computer As more companies, organizations, and individuals find reasons to upgrade their computers, the problem of how to safely discard used equipment continues to grow. We'll show you how to part with your old computer responsibly. Six Tips for Accepting (and Refusing!) Donated Equipment Nonprofits are often inundated with donations of free computers. Yet second-hand PCs can be time consuming ― and expensive ― to repair or recycle when they don't work or aren't of use to you. In this article, we'll show you how to look that gift hardware in the mouth. Do the PC Thing: Managing Computer Donations from the Public This downloadable guide shows nonprofits how ― and when ― to gracefully decline hardware donations and directs donors to qualified refurbishers and recyclers. Also included are resources for clearing data from hard drives and tips to extend the life of a computer. Learn More about E-Waste and Its Impact Learn how organizations like TechSoup are working to create more environmentally friendly refurbishing policies, and calculate for yourself the benefits of using refurbished equipment. The Recycled Computer Initiative TechSoup's pioneering Recycled Computer Initiative gives nonprofits nationwide a chance to get high-quality refurbished computer systems at a discount. The first nationwide refurbishing program geared strictly to nonprofits, RCI also provides an environmentally friendly alternative to used equipment disposal. Learn more about the program here. Electronics Environmental Benefits Calculator (Beta) This downloadable calculator was developed to help organizations in estimating the environmental benefits of greening their purchase, use, and disposal of electronics. Use it to evaluate the environmental impact of your nonprofit's purchases, including desktop processors, monitors, and notebook computers. Working to End the Global E-Waste Epidemic Just because you recycle your old computer equipment doesn't guarantee it won't end up in a landfill overseas. Find out how organizations are working to end the electronic waste epidemic and what you can do to help. Refurbishing for a Better Tomorrow Hundreds of millions of computers are discarded in the United States each year – yet only a very small percent are donated to the schools, families, and nonprofits that need them. New programs, organizations, and initiatives around the country are working to change this. Greening Your Software Ask TechSoup: Can I Donate Old Software? Got some old software you'd like to give away? We'll show you the steps you should take before handing off programs and applications to other nonprofits. Recycle Your Software and Accessories Nonprofit GreenDisk provides a way for you to safely dispose of all of your "technotrash," including CDs, cables, laptops, and more. (Click here for a full list of what they take.) Learn about the Life Cycle of a CD or DVD In this EPA poster, kids and adults can learn more about how CDs and DVDs are manufactured and how they can be recycled. Resources for Refurbishers Blancco Disk-Erasure Tools Blancco's donation program on TechSoup Stock makes disk-erasure and reporting tools available at a discount to organizations that directly serve youth training, computer refurbishing, and related nonprofit activities. Darik's Boot and Nuke Darik's Boot and Nuke is an open-source program that wipes out old hard drives, and can be run from any media the BIOS would support (floppy, CD-ROM, USB drives, etc). Calculate Your ImpactOnline calculators — such as the Electronics Environmental Benefits Calculator (Beta), listed above — can help you gauge how your behaviors affect the environment. Below are a a few of our favorites; you can find others listed at Ecological Footprint Calculators, where you can also gauge the costs of electricity pollution, air-travel pollution, and air pollution. • Calculate Your Travel Emissions: Nonprofits interested in going carbon neutral or offsetting carbons emissions might want to discover how much greenhouse gases you generate as a result of your daily transportation activity with this calculater from Travel Matters. • Paper Calculator: See why your paper choices matter with this calculator from Environmental Defense. • Climate Footprint Calculator: A comprehensive calculator that looks at all your activities, in comparison to US and global averages. Not for the faint of heart! Be InspiredLearn about nonprofits that are doing good work for the environment, especially in the area of technology. Please add in others you know of that are doing good work. Basel Action Network (BAN): BAN works to prevent the export of toxic wastes — including e-waste — to the world's poorer countries. Its Web site offers videos, news, and other information about BAN's work. Worldwatch Institute: The Worldwatch Institute's work revolves around the transition to an environmentally sustainable and socially just society — and how to achieve it. Find research on renewable energy, consumption, climate change, and more. Check out their latest stories:
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