4. Document-technology systems and print management

Research finds that the average employee wastes $85 worth of printer paper and ink each year through unnecessary printing. Those numbers can build up fast if your organization prints more than the average number of contracts, legal briefs, marketing materials, manuals, spreadsheets, and the like. Add to that the cost of powering and maintaining various document-printing machines, including copiers, printers, and faxes.

A green-tech investment in print-management software from companies such as Equitrac can help you reduce paper waste and ink waste -- and save you a substantial sum of money in the process. Equitrac's wares let admins set up policies that prevent users from, say, printing Web pages in costlier color ink, or defaults certain types of documents to two-sided printing instead of one. It also ensures that a machine doesn't print a document until a user is actually at said machine to collect it. The result: You save money on paper and ink -- plus preserve some trees and other natural resources.

Meanwhile, Xerox points to both the cost and environmental benefits of multifunction devices over single-function models. The idea is, if you unplug several old, power-draining copiers, printers, and faxes and trade them in for fewer MFDs, you reap cash and carbon savings.

5. Refurbished machines

Even during tough economic periods, you may need to replace or add new hardware, such as PCs, servers, routers, or storage devices. Satisfying as that new hardware smell may be, refurbished systems can be a great alternative. Unless your organization really and truly needs a top-of-the-line desktop or server, it's entirely possible that a machine from, say, a year or two ago will suit your requirements splendidly.

Of course, you're rightly worried about buying a lemon, same as you'd be if you went down to Crazy Cowboy Bob's Used Car Corral to buy a new sedan. But there are reputable vendors out there -- including third-party sellers as well as the original manufacturers of the products. As you shop, just make sure the machines are pretested and come with acceptable warranties.

As for the ROI on this green-tech investment -- well, you'll save a tidy sum of dough buying used. Environmentally speaking, you spare Mother Nature the waste that goes into building and transporting new machines.

These are only a few of the green-technology projects that, at the right organization, could deliver an impressive ROI, both in terms of cash savings and environmental benefits. If your company is among those facing tough choices due to the frosty economic climate, don't be too quick to dismiss any proposal with the word "green" attached.