For most people, the phrase “eco-living” conjures up thoughts of recycling, energy-saving light bulbs, and solar panels. In fact when you think about it, every facet of life these days has an eco-living alternative. Instead of flying long distance for your vacations, you can take the train somewhere closer to home. There are hybrid cars that are a green alternative to conventional cars. And you can even get a ball point pen that is made from a recycled cup.
Computing is no exception – there are many things that you can do to reduce your computing carbon footprint. Our computers have a negative effect on the environment in different ways, at different stages of its lifetime. During manufacture, computers require a certain amount of energy in order to come into existence. In other words the factory required electricity to run its machines – and a proportion of this can be attributed to each unit that is made. Then it had to be shipped to the retail outlet – requiring even more energy in the form of diesel to power the ship.
To get the computer into existence and into your home required a precise amount of energy that is the sum total of hundreds or thousands of sources. The process of tracing each and every bit of energy that went into the process could go on forever, depending upon how accurate you want to be. For example, the chap who put the screws in the back of my computer may have driven to work, or he might have cycled. He might have had a cold or hot dinner. And that’s not taking into account all the other workers who collectively created this machine.
Once the computer reaches the customer it starts using even more energy in the form of electricity. The electricity has to be produced in a power station and this usually creates carbon emissions. In recent years, power saving monitors and PCs have hit mainstream shops. For example did you know that a low power TFT monitor uses less power switched on than an equivalent conventional CRT monitor when on standby? That just shows the extent to which power saving has advanced.
When the computer comes to the end of its useful life – it is send it must be disposed of. Depending on whether the device is sent to a recycling centre, an incinerator, or landfill, it will release carbon emissions.
This Life Cycle Analysis may sound highly complex, and it is, but it needs to be that way to give a clear picture of environmental impact.
To be a greener computer consumer here is what I recommend:-
1. Use an low power TFT monitor and energy saving PC.
2. Instead of buying a new computer, try to boost your old one. This can be done with optimization or component upgrades.
3. Sell your old hardware on eBay, or better still give it away on freecycle.org
4. Never just dump your computer – contact your local authority to find your nearest electronics disposal facility.
5. Shutdown or hibernate your PC at every opportunity to save electricity.
Zach Hope is the author of Speed-Up-Windows-XP.com, a site that can teach anybody to
significantly speed up Windows to invigorate old computers. You can eliminate
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