Coaching Biz Tips: Weekly Roundup

Although I didn't intentionally set out to have a theme for the roundup this week, somehow most of the items seem to be 'green' - i.e., eco-friendly. What a happy accident!

197,808 lbs of CO2 saved so far! The coolest little widget I've come across lately is the CO2 Saver, a tiny little free program that automatically manages your computer's power usage when it's idle. It adjusts your Windows power settings so that your computer, monitor and hard drive consume less electricity when you're not actively using them, calculates how much power is saved, and converts it into pounds of CO₂ emissions prevented by having the toolbar installed. You can see right on the toolbar the amount of CO₂ saved by yourself and all toolbar users together. (197,805 lbs = total CO2 emissions saved by all CO2 Saver users worldwide)
Eco-friendly facts from Conscious Choice magazine (July 2007):
- Did you know that your television leaks about 40 watts per hour even when its turned off?
- Your home cooling costs increase 7% for every degree you lower the thermostat in the summer.
- An airplane burns about 100 gallons of fuel per passenger on cross-country flights.
- It's not all bad news, though: The percentage of travel dedicated to eco-tourism is currently 20% and growing by 10-25 percent per year. For ideas on sustainable-tourism and eco-friendly packages, heck out Sustainable Travel International's Eco-Directory.
Enlightened Credit: I knew it was only a matter of time! Visa has jumped on the socially-conscious bandwagon with their Enlightenment Card. They've set up a network of "over 1000 socially-conscious reward partners" so card holders can donate their points to their favorite charity, redeem them for organic and fair-trade products or apply them to personal transformation workshops, retreats or classes. They've even got 8 enlightened card designs to choose from.