Friedbeef’s Tech

Today is Blog Action Day!

On October 15th – Blog Action Day, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind.  In its inaugural year, Blog Action Day will be co-ordinating bloggers to tackle the issue of the environment.

So, in conjunction with Blog Action Day, and as part of our ongoing series dedicated to save the world right from your computer, here are 3 green ways to make a positive difference to the environment today!

Tip #1: How to save printer ink

Based on research done by the San Francisco Chronicle, printer inks have been found to be one of the most expensive liquids in the world!  Printing unnecessary items not only hurts the environment but your wallet as well.  Here are 2 quick ways to ensure efficient printing.

Method 1: Print ‘Selection’ Only

If you only need a few paragraphs of text from a page, there’s no sense in printing out the entire page is there?  What you can do is select the desired text with your mouse, then when you hit the print button…change the ‘print range’ to ’selection’ when you print.  That way only the items you highlighted are printed out.

Method 2: Remove unwanted portions of a web page

If you want a web page to still look almost like the original page except without items like graphic or ad banners etc. you can try a Firefox extension called ‘Nuke Anything : Enchanced’ (Sorry Internet Explorer users).  This will allow you to right click anything on the screen and remove it instantly prior to printing.

Tip #2: How to trade on eBay and help a good cause

The next time you buy an item look for the eBay Giving Works Ribbon!

The charity icon tells you that a listing is benefiting a certified nonprofit organization, and all listings created with eBay Giving Works benefit a worthy cause – changing the world, one listing at a time.

If you’re a seller on eBay, you may benefit from the fact people are willing to pay higher prices for your item because it helps a good cause.  To date, more than $40 million has been raised for nonprofits through items sold on eBay. 

Tip #3: How to travel in a ‘greener’ way

How do you make a trip to a bustling city and still manage to be as green as possible?  Jamble has assembled an awesome travel guide for turning your holiday, into an environmentally friendly experience.  From a list of eco-friendly hostels, to packing guides for the environmentally conscious – it’s worth checking out if you want to make your next holiday a little greener. 

What have you recently done to help the environment?  Let us know in the comments!

Related Links: If you liked this article, check out previous articles from part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4 on how to save the world from your computer.

[tags] enviroment, printer, charity, travel [/tags]