Over the years Microsoft has earned high marks for being “green.” In 2008 the company was named one of the best workplaces for recycling by the King County (Washington) Solid Waste Division. With 50,000 employees, Microsoft knows it can make a significant dent in the waste stream.

Case in point: Next to my desk are two bins, one for garbage and one for recycling. In the kitchen down the hall are more bins, including one for composting, which was added last year to collect new compostable cups, plates, bowls and even silverware and leftover food scraps. At Microsoft, recycling is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to sustainability; you can read more about it and other company initiatives here.

Get your ‘green’ on

At MSN, we’re committed to bringing you timely news about the environment, as well as practical advice and tips on how you can make a difference, big or small, in your own life. Stories with an environmental focus are easy to find on MSN: Just look for the Green logo.

Because being “green” isn’t just about recycling tips and disposing of household hazardous waste, you’ll see “green” stories everywhere on MSN, from the Travel channel to Greetings. (Send someone an Earth Day e-card -- they’re paper-free and free of charge!) For a little fun, see how “green” your kitchen is with this quiz from our Food & Entertaining channel, Delish.

There’s a great sports piece on the most environmentally friendly sports stadiums and FOX Sports’ slideshow of 10 athletes making a difference off the field. And who’s the “greenest” of them all in Hollywood? Check out Wonderwall’s gallery of the most sustainable celebrities.

MSN Autos is a wealth of information about driving “green”: You can read about the 10 cars that get 40+ mpg or join in a message board about “green” cars. Here’s an article to bookmark for sure – Consumer Reports tips on how to get better fuel economy from your car.

Today’s tech toys are known to be energy hogs, so MSN Tech & Gadgets recently posted a helpful article that outlines popular gadgets’ energy consumption, including HDTVs, LCD monitors, laptops and desktops.

And finally, one of the coolest new things on MSN is MSN Green on Twitter. If you’re curious about microblogging, join us over there and see what our Green editors are tweeting about.

By Heidi A. Schuessler, User Education Producer for MSN.com

There was a time when I thought I'd never read the newspaper online, let alone watch TV on my computer. How things have changed! Now I get all my news on the Web, and I watch more television on my computer than I do on an actual TV.

MSN makes it easy because video is everywhere on our network. Every day the homepage features Video Highlights, which showcase the latest viral videos making the rounds on the Web. (You know, things like "Hula Hoop Baby" and "Extreme Lawn Mower Racing.")

These originate from MSN Video, which is MSN's massive collection of videos on every subject you could imagine. (Click here for a sneak peek at the new MSN Video.) Want to rewatch your favorite Super Bowl ads? Or see highlights from this year's Oscars ceremony? It's all there — as are daily clips from the worlds of entertainment, sports and celebrities, and episodes of NBC news shows like "Morning Joe," "Meet the Press" and "The Rachel Maddow Show."

And then there's this funky place called "Soapbox," where anyone can post their own videos, like this one of someone's dog going crazy trying to drink water from a hose. Look for the link to an entire menu of user-generated videos in the Soapbox menu on the MSN Video menu, here:

Videos around the MSN network

MSN's many channels are committed to giving you a wide range of video options, so you'll find things like video test-drives on MSN Autos (check out the 2009 Ferrari California) and cooking spots on Delish that will teach you everything from how to melt chocolate to how to cook a turkey. Want more? Here are some great places to bookmark:

• MSN Health: Our Health channel has an extensive series of exercise videos; check out the menu at the bottom of the Fitness section.
• MSN Money: See investing videos by financial expert Jim Jubak.
• MSN Movies: Watch trailers of upcoming films and flicks already in theaters.
• MSN TV: This is the place that got me hooked — especially on all the full episodes of current TV shows available on Hulu.
• MSN Music: Watch music videos from featured artists by genre, and check in with the Top 100 videos to see who's hot and who's not.
• MSN Tech & Gadgets: Hosts Paul Hochman and Marianela report on a wide range of tech topics, such as the latest in fitness technology, in the GearDaddy series of videos. Another special video-based feature on Tech & Gadgets showcases two familiar faces: the Keno Brothers from "Antiques Roadshow." Their series called Collect This! shares expert tips on how to collect everything from vintage video games to cell phones.

You could spend hours watching videos on MSN, but start by picking a couple of topics that interest you and have fun. Soon you'll be hooked.