Once the Obama administration kicked it up a notch with a new WhiteHouse.gov website, I’ve noticed more and more non-federal government sites being updated as well.

The latest from SC is Green IT – an online services savings calculator. It tells you how much you can save by staying home and using the state’s websites for as much business as possible. Green ’cause it cuts down on emissions, and IT ’cause it’s a website.

eGovernment services, or government services that are provided online, can save you time and help save the environment. A new tool at http://www.SC.gov allows citizens to calculate their savings from using an online service by entering a few travel related factors to determine the amount of savings and the positive effect of those savings on the environment.

“South Carolina government is dedicated to promoting information and applications to all users and we are excited that we can help South Carolina reduce the environmental impact of our everyday activities through eGovernment services.”

Using the calculator, South Carolinians will find that renewing a license or submitting an application online at http://www.SC.gov will save time and money over driving to a state agency or government office to conduct the same transaction. Based on the travel related factors, the environmental savings are presented as barrels of oil burned, gallons of gasoline used, and the number of pounds of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. The calculator is a tool that can be used to calculate savings of using any government or non-government related online service.

I finally found the online calculator – it’s at the very bottom of the front page under the “Get Involved” heading, and it’s labeled Green IT.