This is the time of year many of us start thinking and talking about losing weight. Again. Vague goals like wanting to "slim down for summer" are tough to achieve,in part because they are imprecise. (And in part because pancakes make superior butter delivery platforms.) The desire to "be more green" is another vague yearning I'm hearing a lot these days.

Everyone knows the drill: To more effectively trim flab, you have to weigh yourself, specify how much you'd like to lose, and set a target date. Then you have to exercise, forget the pancakes, and measure periodically to see how you are tracking against goal.

And to "be more green"? You've got to do basically the same thing: Assess; set goals; alter behavior; measure again. Now Xerox is making the task a bit easier with its Sustainability Calculator.

"This calculator cracks the code to help offices of any size really understand just how 'green' their offices are or could be," said John Kelly, president of Xerox Global Services North America in a statement. The calculator assesses printers, multifunction devices, and copiers, regardless of vendor.

After the initial analysis, which measures energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, and solid waste generation, Xerox steps in to help create an energy-saving office environment by consolidating devices, redistributing imaging equipment, and recommending more efficient copying techniques (double-sided/different paper stock).

Xerox claims one sector of Northrop Grumman used the calculator to save 27% in energy usage, 26% in greenhouse gas emissions, and 33% in solid waste. Northrop Grumman started with more than 2,000 printers, and hundreds of multifunction printers and standalone copiers before trimming down its equipment in this particular sector to fewer than 1,100 devices.

I'm not sure what that translates to in pants sizes, but I'm pretty sure Northrop is going to be turning heads on the beach this summer.