Technology...

Over the last few years, my wife and I have traveled to more than 20 states and who knows how many cities for business meetings, classes and conferences. Each trip required time, money, and a heck of a lot of jet fuel.

But lately, a greener alternative has popped up. More events are being held online using web conferences and webcasts. Not only does this save the stress of travel, its also avoids the high fuel costs associated with driving or flying to these events. And yes, it saves us and our employers money, too.

A web conference is just like a meeting around a conference table -- only everyone is at their desks on their PCs. Ideal for spread-out workforces, web conferences offer flexibilty and easy scheduling without trying to get everyone in the same room at the same time.

Webcasts are more like a TV broadcast, but often with some form of interactivity. Ideal for classes, lectures, sales presentations and other events with few speakers but a large audience, these allow you to reach a large number of people without anyone having to travel.

Beyond travel, webcasts have other environmentally friendly benefits you might not think of right away. Live meetings typically come with reems of printed materials -- handouts, folders, etc. With an online event, all of that material is distributed digitally. By not printing these materials, companies save money and reduce waste (because let's admit, 90% of those handouts are going to end up in the trash the next day).

Speaking of waste, how many meetings that you've attended have been catered? And how much of that food is usually left over and needs to be thrown out? You can't feed people over the web, so that saves more money and avoids more garbage.

So the next time someone invites you to fly across the country for a meeting, ask them, can we do it online instead?