Amid a flurry of green initiatives from bio-fuels to solar power to wind power and more, everything we manufacture and use comes under scrutiny. That being said, can software be green? There are more ways than one.

New software is being developed to monitor and evaluate the efficiency of renewable energy systems as these new systems are being developed. As with any newly emerging technology, tracking of results is critical for rapid development and long-term management. Unique software is being developed to manage smart grid electrical systems that coordinate the generation and efficient use of alternative and renewable energy sources. This is only one way to create green software.

Other ways for software to be green include the methods used to distribute and manage software. Most software today is distributed on CD-ROM at retail outlets around the globe. To make this method of distribution possible, CD-ROMs are created, slick packaging is produced and the packaged product is shipped to distributors, then to retail outlets. Software publishers and independent authors also publish printed instruction books or manuals that are likewise sold in retail outlets and book stores.

The greener choice for software distribution is the increasingly popular method of downloading programs from an internet site. The program can be burned to a CD-ROM on a personal computer and stored for future re-installation. In this way, no packaging or shipping is required. This distribution method alone, if widely used, would greatly decrease solid waste and CO2 emissions related to software distribution.

In addition, the thousands of software instruction books and manuals available could be sold through internet sites and either burned to CD-ROM or printed on your own printer. Obviously, the most environmentally efficient method of use would be from a CD-ROM, thereby saving paper as well as eliminating the pollution caused by shipping books.

We should also consider a green method of disposing of the software items we are no longer using. Any software packaging should be recycled. Outdated software manuals should also be recycled. Old CD-ROMs can be shredded or re-used (in some cases as an art form).

When purchasing and downloading software programs from the internet, there is a certain amount of care required. First, be sure you can trust the source of the software. A good-quality virus scan program will help with this. Perhaps most of all, we need to break the old habits of burning fossil fuels to drive to the store, purchasing packaging-heavy software programs and purchasing software manuals on paper. By purchasing software on-line and downloading directly to your computer, CO2 emissions and fuel use are greatly reduced.