• by Rob Kendt , May 29, 2007

Al Gore may not have invented the Internet, but the global-warming activist likely would approve of Snap.com’s CO2 Saver. Available as a free download from co2saver.org, the lightweight application (for Windows XP and Vista) allows desk jockeys to do their part in saving electricity, and hence carbon dioxide emissions, when away from the screen. CO2 Saver sits on a computer’s desktop and quietly adjusts the Windows Power Management settings to reduce energy consumption when the screen is idle.

That’s not all. The CO2 Saver toolbar also calculates the amount of energy it’s saving, converts that number to prevented emissions from power plants, and displays the difference. Users can adjust the level of power management and watch their savings rise.

“With the CO2 toolbar, we’ve made it easy for users to reduce and track their PCs’ energy consumption,” says Tom McGovern, CEO of Perfect Market Technologies, which operates Snap.com.

For organizations who want to custom-brand and distribute the toolbar to their members, Snap.com has also released a CO2 Saver Partner Edition. Perfect Market’s partner on the project is Earth 911, a environmental Web site which also runs the 1-800-CLEANUP hotline.