LiveGreen: New Year’s resolution? Take the LiveGreen pledge

In 2011, I took the UNMC LiveGreen pledge to:

• Shut down my computer at the end of every workday (except Mondays & Wednesdays per the recommendation of the IT Department);
  
• Turn off the lights when natural light exists and when leaving an unoccupied room;
  
• Turn off my computer monitor when not in use;
  
• Print double-sided when using the printer or copier; and
  
• Encourage colleagues to take this pledge.

Do I always remember to do these things? No, but I try. And here’s why you should, too:

• Shut down your computer for the day. — This means you’ll have to boot up in the morning, which allows extra time for the coffee to kick in before you respond to the 972 e-mails you somehow received overnight. Not that caffeine keeps you pleasant or anything.
  
• Turn off the lights when leaving an unoccupied room. — Now, this one can be tricky. You want to make sure the room is unoccupied first. Otherwise, you’ll have some very unhappy people in the restroom. Not that I would know anything about that.
  
• Turn off computer monitors when you go to lunch or down the hall for a meeting. — This ensures that your boss won’t see your Facebook post about the countdown to your vacation or the article you’re reading about the latest celebrity to get kicked off “Dancing with the Stars.” Not that you would ever do such things.
  
• Print double sided when using the printer or copier. — This creates a chance that people may forget there’s a backside to your agenda, potentially resulting in much shorter meetings. Not that people don’t enjoy meeting with you.
  
• Encourage colleagues to take the pledge. — This means when they see you coming, they will duck into a (surprisingly dark) restroom to avoid you. At least this way you don’t have to hear about how their child will probably be the next American Idol … and President. Not that you don’t want to hear all about it.

So do me a favor, take the pledge today.