Energy
Saving Tips
Sleep
is Good!
By
Nancy E. Apple
While you can’t sleep at your desk, your computer can! Setting
computers to Power Save Mode saves money, electricity and reduces
carbon dioxide emissions. A coalition of students and staff has
launched a campaign to get 2,800 computer monitors into Power Save
Mode as part of Mount Holyoke College’s participation in
the nationwide Million Monitor Drive. In Power Save Mode monitors
turn off (Go to sleep!) within 15 minutes or less of idle time.
Have you noticed your monitor screen going black if you have not
used the computer in 15 minutes? If so, then you have the Power
Saver Mode enabled on your computer. A simple move of the mouse
will wake up the computer in a couple of seconds. From now on when
you get a new computer from LITS, Power Saver Mode will be automatically
enabled. 
If your monitor does not go to sleep when not in use, there are
two ways to enable the Power Saver Mode. Simple instructions are
on the student Environmental Action Coalition’s (EAC) Million
Monitor Drive website. Alternately
you can manually set your PC by going to Settings/Control Panel/Display/Screen
Saver/Monitor Power.
Putting 2,800 monitors in Power Save Mode will save the College
$49,000 and 574,000 kWh, enough to light 460 "average" homes
for a year. The reduction of emissions from the power plants that
produce the College’s electricity will be 411 tons of carbon
dioxide (a greenhouse gas), which is equivalent to removing 71
cars from the road, or planting 112 acres of trees.
LITS has pledged to place 1,500 College-owned monitors in Power
Save Mode through the replacement schedule by 2007. The EAC has
an active campaign to get 75% of all student-owned monitors and
CPUs/hard drives, a total of 1,300 computers, into Power Save mode
by November 22, 2005. EAC’s campaign is part of an intercollegiate
competition with Amherst and Smith Colleges, with each student
environmental group working towards the 75% goal.
Please don’t wait, give your computer a rest now by enabling
the Power Save Mode. For more information, contact Nancy Apple
(neapple, ext. 2529).
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