Macro Systems Blog

Have you ever been so mad at your crummy printer that you referred to it as a piece of excrement? Well, it turns out that printers and toilets have more in common than you may have thought.

March 18th is Global Recycling Day, which is intended to remind us of all the materials that can be reused in everyday life, in part as a way to decrease our individual carbon footprint. Having said that, it's valuable to know how much your business contributes in terms of its carbon footprint… and, once you know that figure, how you can minimize it.

Recently, green technologies had a reputation for being costly, instead of cost-saving. On the other hand, business owners are beginning to see a multitude of benefits for going green - from cost savings to growing customer appreciation for environmental conservation.

Technology is getting more powerful, but have you considered where all of that power comes from? Not many people actually take the time to understand how much energy their PC or workstation is using, but this could potentially be increasing your operating costs higher than they need to. Try taking the time to calculate your PC’s energy usage to get a feel for what your workstation is costing your business and the environment.

This holiday season, upon witnessing the aftermath of opening exchanged presents, you may look across the sea of wrapping paper strewn across your living room and say to yourself, “There’s just way too much paper in my life right now.” If one of those boxes contains a digital scanner, then you’ve got everything you need to take back your life from the throngs of paper.

The office might be moving toward digital filing more and more every day, but that doesn't change the fact that you sometimes need to print something out for your own needs. Some offices need a printer for hard copies of documents in the event that their system can't be accessed. Overall, having a printer around can be very beneficial to your company, but do you know how to choose between the many different types of printers?

How much paper and ink does your company use every week? Every month? Every year? More importantly, how much does this wind up costing your company in the long run? According to a study by 14 year-old science fair wiz Suvir Mirchandani, it was discovered that his Pittsburgh-area school district could reduce ink consumption by 24 percent and save an average of $21,000 a year by simply switching fonts. That's half of what the average American's annual salary is!

It's no surprise that technology is taking over our lives. It's everywhere; from the workplace to every inch of our homes, new technology exists where it wouldn't have twenty years ago. Bluetooth-connected kitchen appliances allow their owners to turn them on and off from a distance. Cars can connect to the Internet. Google has produced glasses that allow you to browse the Internet. There are tons of innovative, new inventions that have had a huge impact on the way small business owners manage their workplaces, but nothing can compare to the significance of being able to receive text files from anywhere in the world via email and fax.

Remember when you upgraded to a flat screen TV or monitor just a few years ago? You may have marveled at the increased picture quality and celebrated getting rid of your old and bulky equipment, but do you know what happened to the old CRT monitor after you threw it out? Unfortunately, the answer doesn't bode well for the environment.

Did you know that your computer may have the capability to be turned on and off without ever physically pushing its power button? Besides helping you feel like a wizard, your computer's Wake-on-LAN feature has many convenient applications for your business, including saving time and energy, and aiding your campaign to create a greener workplace.

You make thoughtful decisions throughout your entire workday, why should you have to end the day by making another one? Is it better to turn your computer off or leave it powered on? You can find passionate PC users on both sides of the on/off fence. Here are some practical considerations to help inform and empower your decision.

What's the difference between an iPhone and a refrigerator? You can probably list off a dozen without even trying because they are both designed for two very different purposes, that is, until Apple makes an app to cool your food. Although, there is one thing they both have in common: Energy consumption.

Today’s civilization might be the most technologically advanced in the history of the world as we know it, but this also comes with the burden of properly disposing outdated technology. Unfortunately, the world faces a significant e-waste problem that cannot be ignored. As consumers of technology, this responsibility falls on your shoulders.

Technology is a wondrous thing, allowing your business to achieve greatness and change the way you approach business. However, it has also brought about an extremely wasteful society that tosses old technology aside in favor of the latest and greatest devices. This is a habit that society has yet to break, but it’s not too late to do the right thing and commit your business to environmentally-friendly practices.