Green IT for Dummies®

Chapter 6. Go Green in 12 Months: Putting Together a Plan

In This Chapter

• Getting organized for green action

• Planning how to measure your progress

• Choosing your first green pathways

• Taking a longer view

Getting your green journey underway isn't difficult and doesn't even have to cost a thing before you start seeing great benefits. In this chapter, we help you get started by showing you how to get organized for green action and choose a starting point (or points) for the trip. When you begin a new venture, there's always tension between planning and action. Taking action too soon risks bogging you down in minutiae and missing the big picture. But an overly ambitious planning process risks bureaucratic paralysis.

In this chapter, we want to ease the tension and help you strike a balance between planning and action with some practical advice and guidance.

Tip

Begin sound planning for a long-term commitment while getting the easier green tasks started.

Note

Because you're going green, make sure that you distribute your planning documents electronically, whenever possible.

Recognizing Your Mandate

The time to start is now. Begin by writing today's date in the margin to the right of this paragraph. (If you're browsing in the bookstore, please pay the cashier first.) You've just marked time zero in your green quest.

And since you're ready to embrace the challenge of bringing green IT to your organization, you need to evaluate where you stand in its hierarchy and what affinity for green activities already ...