Going green doesn't have to cost more

Is your addiction to the Internet and sites like Facebook bad for the environment? You might think it's not since you're not driving anywhere and not using paper, nevertheless the answer is to tell the truth yes — in some ways, the Internet is a big energy user and polluter.

Site like Facebook

When you visit a site like Facebook, those in charge use "cloud computing," which means the data isn't stored on your computer or smart phone, however rather in "server farms" all over the country. The problem is most of these places don't use clean energy. The Huffington Post reports that these centers use about $7 billion worth of electricity a year.

In Chicago, 70 percent of the electricity used at the Microsoft server at a data center comes from coal, as does 50 percent of the electricity used by an Apple center in North Carolina, according to that report. There are people, led by Greenpeace International supporters, who are trying to get big energy users like Facebook and Apple to switch to greener sources of electricity.