How can a tiny change still matter?

It can be tough to wrap your head around why it matters to make tiny and seemingly pointless changes in our lives in the name of the global good. How can a small change on your part actually matter in the big picture? The short answer is of course, volume. However, here is a really odd and effective example of a tiny change that actually becomes tangible because of it’s volume.

If Google changed the background color of their site to black it would save $75,000/year in energy use reduction. How bizarre is that? They get enough hits per day to make the power usage difference between black and white pixels actually pay off. Mark over at ecoIron did the math to figure this out if you want a better description.

So when you wonder why it matters if you turn your thermostat down 2 degrees or use a more efficient light bulb, just remember it’s all in the volume. And if Google suddenly changes to a black background you’ll know why.

- shawn

[source: ecoiron]