HP Makes Green SMB Push

The vendor announced several green initiatives at a recent conference in San Francisco, some of which are aimed at SMBs.In connection with its recent "Unlocking Your Energy" event in San Francisco, HP announced several green initiatives, especially this site with green tips and tools.

Of interest to SMBs is the Green Procurement Guide, which turns out to be more than an HP ad, as it covers various compliance programs and the meanings of various eco-acronyms. There is also a carbon footprint calculator for HP printers, computers, monitors, and point-of-sale systems. (Actually, it estimates the power consumption of given HP systems, and then expresses that consumption in terms of CO2 emissions.)

The Green Action Plan for Office Printing covers how to go green and save money, mostly by getting organized and tracking usage data. Among other things, it suggests that you get rid of desktop printers that you don't need, get rid of printers that are more than five years old, unplug printers over the weekend, print on both sides of the paper, and make sure everyone understands your recycling program.

There are also several tools for up-market IT managers, such as power monitoring software and a data center cooling guide. There's also material pushing for the adoption of thin clients over PCs, and videoconferencing over travel. The green impact of both is surely obvious (and that fact that not everyone is in a position to use these alternatives should also be obvious) but you can't blame them for being thorough.