Top 10 Computing Energy Savers

A very timely list of energy saving tips from Lifehacker.

Reducing the amount of energy your hungry computers eat up every day won't only save you money on electricity bills, it will reduce your carbon footprint. If you haven't thought about how much electricity your gadgets use up every day, now's the time. Turns out just a few changes in habits and system settings can save you money AND the environment. After the jump, have 10 ways to reduce your energy consumption and compute greener.

10. Upgrade your gear
9. Dim your screen
8. Consolidate and virtualize computers
7. Turn off peripherals
6. Kill unnecessary processes
5. Get a smart power switch
4. Enable energy saver settings
3. Unplug energy vampires
2. Spin down your hard drive
1. Shut down

Lifehacker Top 10: Top 10 Computing Energy Savers - Lifehacker

E-cycling

One of the keys to living green is to recycle everything that can be reused or re-purposed. In today's electronic age where we use and carry a multitude of gadgets, it becomes all the more essential to recycle those items when we buy a new gadget to replace an old one.

The Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) provides a list of facilities which offer recycling for old computer equipment and electronic items.

For cell phones and wireless devices, be sure to check this site for Wireless recycling, or your cell phone provider.

And if your electronics are still in working condition, why not Freecycle them by giving them to someone who will use them, thus extending the life of the item.