IBM is no slouch when it comes to going green. Now they’re helping others to do the same. The company has started up a Green Sigma consulting practice that coaches businesses on how to reduce their energy and water usage to save tons of money, improve their image to customers, and of course help out the environment.

The system uses networked sensors and data analysis software that watches how much is used at a company’s facility as well as its supply chain partners, monitors the numbers, and suggests ways to cut back.

The system is in pilot project mode right now, but we can be pretty sure that if it is relatively successful, companies will be able to utilize it soon. And it has been relatively successful so far. IBM made some big conservation moves of its own and at two of its facilities and at two customers’ facilities to save $310 million. One solution of instituting a work-at-home program saved 8 million gallons of gas. IBM improved energy efficiency at its Dublin, Ireland operation by 20%.

Companies are under serious strain to save money in our crummy economy, and show increasingly aware consumers that they’re green at heart so that people will keep buying their product or service. Reducing consumption is really the easiest way to kill two birds with one stone.

Having a company like IBM launch a really serious platform with which to do this on a large scale is encouraging, since it hopefully means we’ll see some actual conservation happening soon.

Via cnet; photo via IBM

Figuring that many kids are glued to the computer already, it makes sense that rather than dragging them kicking and screaming into nature where they can actually interact with the world around them, we plunk them down in front of a video game that shows how their actions impact their environment. Fair trade for city dwellers and those with parents who don’t like bugs, I suppose.

The Eco Ego game lets users make choices on what the protagonist does during a daily routine, and then shows if and how those actions positively or negatively affect the environment. For instance, when going to market, kids have to choose if the protagonist rides a bike or drives a car, and if they use a plastic bag or reusable tote. The choices melt the ice and kill the plants, or allow things to flourish. Kids can then get an idea about what actions are no-nos or yes-yeses. Not nearly as complicated as Climate Challenge, but along the same what-if lines.

In actuality, it has been shown to the point of common knowledge that kids who spend time in the great outdoors tend to have stronger environmental concerns and live with more eco-awareness, let alone are just plain healthier. But, hey, a free and relatively pretty cool computer game gets the point across in the short term, teaches kids many different ways they can be green, and shows them that by sitting indoors using up fossil fuels will make going outdoors increasingly less pleasant.

This would be a very good tool to have in a classroom – kids can see immediate results of actions, and then think about consequences while teacher takes them all outside to run around and play in the trees.

Via Inhabitots