hmmbird design and art

I am interested in how the products and services we use can be more friendly to the environment and make our lives easier.  I think design should should be clean, useful and not harm the environment.  HmmBird Design is taking small steps in reducing waste and learning about greener practices in designing and in business.

The following is a list of resources that hmmBird Design is currently using in efforts to reduce waste and be more efficient.  Please share via the comments under the post if you know of any other resources.

Fat Cow is a web host that uses wind energy to power their servers to reduce to the use of fossil fuels.  I use FatCow for my personal site and clients’ sites who have purchased hosting through me.  Other than using alternative energy and having competitive prices, I will say they have been the friendliest and more helpful when I need tech support than the other hosts I have used in the past.

EchoSign is an internet company that makes it possible to send documents for electronic signature which eliminates the need for printing   After several hours of Internet surfing this seemed to be the best choice for a service that was Mac and PC friendly.  It’s all secure and online so there is no need for filing after, they file it for you…nice.  The free plan allows you to send 5 documents a month for signature.

Intuit Billing Manager is an online resource for electronically sending estimates and invoices that I recently started using.   I have no idea how and why it’s free because it is competitive to many online companies that charge a minimum of $15/month for the same services.  WorkingPoint also has a good online invoicing and accounting tracker with more bells and whistles than Intuit if you need more than just estimates and invoices.  The simple plan is free.

Green Any Site is an application you can add to your tool bar and just before you purchase anything online you click the “green it” button and a portion of the sale goes to an environmental cause.  Interesting concept.  Check out the link for more information on how it works.

Good Search is a Search Engine that donates money to charities of your choice when you search the internet.  You designate a charity, search and they donate.  Pretty cool!