Flickr Photo: Tim.DeeringKermit the frog crooned that "It's Not Easy Being Green," but we're seeing more and more examples of how it IS easy to be green. (Seriously, can I get a round of applause for that pun? I wrote that while sitting at an airport gate at 7am!)

When email went mainstream in the mid-nineties, there was enthusiastic yammering about the coming of the PAPERLESS office. Of course, we now know that the digital age has actually increased our paper consumption. But trees are only one small part of the strain that technology and IT departments put on the environment. In fact, the IT department may be the most resource consumptive department at your organization.

Lots of for- and nonprofits alike are turning to their IT departments to fuel the greening of their organizations, however, and they are saving money in the process. CIO Magazine just profiled the Washington Mutual IT department and their efforts. Though WaMu is certainly a larger enterprise than most, there are a few tips we can all learn from:

1. Use the energy saving settings now available on most PCs and Macs to power down or put to sleep all machines that aren't in use after a specific amount of time (say 15 minutes). Just because the screen saver is on doesn't mean the machine isn't sucking up power.
2. Get your office printing duplex. This may be tough if you have older, or primarily inkjet printers. But most newer and especially laser printers can print on both sides of the paper. Set each machine's printing preferences to default to duplex.
3. Buy energy efficient equipment. Energy Star rates equipment of all kinds, including printers and computers, so check out their listings and shop around for the most energy efficient devices you can. Alternatively, you can check out these EPEAT rated products.

How are you helping your office go IT green? Share your tips with us!