Use technology and save the planet!

As I was checking onto a flight a couple of days ago I realized that at that moment I was doing my part to save the planet. No I wasn't planting a tree, but I was in a small way contributing to saving one. I was checking in via my Delta app. i.e. No paper was used.

Then I started thinking. If everyone that had a smart phone used it to check in instead of printing off a paper ticket...that would have a huge impact on the environment. Literally. Especially if the over 530 billion mobile cellular users worldwide (according to ICT Facts and Figures 2010 report) did NOT print their tickets. That is a lot of trees saved.

This little epiphany also led me to take stock of all the other ways I was, or could be, saving the planet. For example, I take notes on my phone or tablet, instead of using paper. I no longer print my photographs. everything is digital. And each year I help tens of thousands of people worldwide attend virtual classrooms, or take self-paced courses online, instead of flying to a brick-and-morter location to attend a workshop. Online learning is substantially decreasing our carbon footprint. To get a better of idea of the carbon footprint you are leaving check out The Nature Conservancy or Sustainable Travel International.

So, how is technology helping you save the planet?