 Paper or plastic? You expect this question when you buy groceries. Did you know you have a similar choice when it comes to buying software? As a member of our global community, TechSoup is also concerned about the effects of greenhouse gas emissions. And like other organizations, TechSoup continues to look for ways to reduce its own carbon footprint. In this short video, you'll learn a simple way we all can reduce our carbon footprint when it comes to requesting product donations. We'll show you the effects of traditional methods for receiving product donations and talk about the benefits for a non-traditional method. You'll be surprised to see just how much impact we all can make by choosing a very simple option for receiving our product donations. We hear about the effects of global warming every day on the news, and we are all challenged to take steps as individuals and as organizations to help reduce our carbon footprint, which is described as the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, event, product, or person. Typically, we think of carbon emissions related to our actual business operation or personal consumption, such as the electricity we use to power our offices or emissions produced when we drive a car to different appointments for work. But what about carbon emissions related to the software we use? We typically receive software through traditional means. We receive a product package. The package contains a disk and an installation guide. Sometimes the package also contains an extensive user guide printed on paper. Manufacturing these materials make up 63% of the total carbon footprint identified for each software program consumed. In addition, emissions related to distribution of these packages from the manufacturer to the retail outlet adds an additional 24%, and it does not end here. End-of-life activities which include disposal and treatment of these packages adds another 13% to the total carbon footprint for one software package alone. What do these numbers mean? Simply put, each software package received contributes to the greenhouse gases released into our atmosphere annually. So how can we reduce our carbon footprint and reduce greenhouse gas emissions? The answer is simple. When requesting a product donation, choose the option to download your software instead of receiving a physical software package. This non-traditional method for receiving software eliminates greenhouse gases and resources used to manufacture and transport physical packaging. This option carries an overall smaller carbon footprint and as technology continues to improve, carbon emissions related to digital distribution is also expected to decrease. Microsoft commissioned a study of the effects of software download through its volume license service center and estimated that electronic delivery will reduce emissions equivalent to 9,437 barrels of oil or the equivalent of powering 563 homes for one year. Imagine how much impact we all can make if we all choose to receive our software through electronic delivery. In addition to making a positive impact, electronic downloads will also help you and your organization receive your software donation faster. While it will still take three to four days to process your request with electronic download, you don't have to wait for your request to be shipped to you. Here's some additional tips to keep in mind. Verify that your operating system or OS is compatible with the software you are requesting. Verify that your computer also has sufficient random access memory or RAM required to run your software. Check your computer for sufficient hard disk or storage space for the software. Before downloading, check with your organization for any other considerations such as the quietest time on your network to download large files. You may want to avoid attempting a download when your organization's bandwidth usage is at its highest. Finally, consider using a download manager. A download manager will help you to optimize the download process. Download managers divide large files which can help to accelerate the process for you. For more information, visit the link provided on your screen. Information about operating system requirements, RAM, and disk storage space requirements are provided with every product you find in our donation catalog. When in doubt, always check with your organization's information technology or IT team first. So the next time you're ready to request a software donation, check and see if your donation is available through an electronic download. Not only will you receive your software faster, you will also help to reduce carbon related emissions and reduce the carbon footprint for your organization. Together, we can get rid of both paper and plastic.