We're just a few days away from Energy Camp, which we're holding on the day before Interop in Las Vegas. We've got close to 100 people signed up and we're anticipating quite a few walk-ins. So, we're on target in terms of the event's size and intimacy. But even if you don't plan to be there, I've established a way for you to participate virtually by sharing your own energy saving tips and tricks (or just green tips in general). I'm calling it Ways To Save The Earth and it was inspired by some school kids in Massachusetts. Regardless of whether it's big or small, if you've dreamed up a green idea that you think can make a difference ...

... then share it with the world by contributing it to the Energy Camp Wiki. It's really very simple (and a perfect use case for wikis). Just go to the Ways To Save page and follow the directions.

I got the idea from a story I heard on NPR (I can't find it or I'd link to it). It was about some kids in Massachusetts who lobbied the state Legislature to officially change the margin width for state documents so that less paper is consumed when documents are printed. Apparently, the paper industry is one of the biggest consumers of oil and fresh water (both are consumed in the process of making paper).

The kids came prepared. They showed the math. And that's what Ways To Save is very much about. It's about big ideas. But it's also about the small one that, once you do the math, you discover how a small idea can make a huge difference once a few million people embrace it.

I just established the "program" yesterday and we've already got some tips and tricks loaded up. But what I need is your help. Whether it's a brainstorm of your own or you know of another tip that's out there on the Web, the goal is to start aggregating all of this information on the Energy Camp wiki.

Your ideas (those of us who care about the Earth all have them) aren't doing the world a lot of good so long as they're locked away in your head. So please share them and, perhaps together, we can do our part to make a difference.

Write to me at dberlind@techweb.com if you have questions and I'll try to answer them as quickly as possible.