Both energy and water are precious resources that we need to conserve and respect. As individuals, we can do many small things to help - and these small things do add up to be significant.

During the current drought, many urban dwellers have learned to conserve water and the water usage in our capital cities has been drastically reduced as a result. This proves how much our small efforts add up.

The Save Time Online save resources page has a number of information sites that can help us learn about how to conserve these resources.

In the meantime, here are some simple online tips to help:

• when moving away from your computer for a short time, turn off your screen
• turn your computer off overnight and for any other extended time between uses
• link your printer and other equipment to your computer so that turning one off turns off the others - saves you from doing them all manually and ensures none are forgotten to waste power
• tidy your email folders, favourites list, etc so that your computer and software can run efficiently
• use natural light where possible and turn off electric lights
• make sure there is space around your computer so it stays cool
• in many cases, it is more efficient to listen to music through the computer you are using than to run a separate stereo
• buy many items from one online store instead of one items from many stores whenever possible - it reduces transportation costs
• turn off your computer occasionally and go for a walk in the park - saves power and money, and will be refreshing for you
• keep your computer clean - that includes dusting the back of it regularly so that it can run efficiently
• read emails and articles online as much as possible instead of printing copies - if you do print, re-use paper and/or print double sided

Filed under: Going green