Green Computing: How You Can Make a Difference

What is Green Computing?

Global warming and environmental change have become big problems for governments, corporations and the average citizen who are looking for new ways to green their daily activities. Computers certainly make up a large part of many people’s lives and are traditionally extremely harmful to the environment, which begs the question: What is Green Computing?

Green Computing is the study and practice of minimizing the environmental impact of computers through efficient manufacture, use, and disposal.

E-waste problems

Electronic waste is a growing problem globally due to the rapid obsolescence of electronic products, which make up a staggering 70% of all hazardous waste. Computer waste contains many toxic materials, such as heavy metals and flame retardant plastics, that easily leach into groundwater and bioaccumulate. Furthermore, chip making uses some of the deadliest gases and chemicals known to man and requires enormous amounts of resources.

In an average year, 24 million computers in the United States become obsolete. Only about 14% (or 3.3 million) of these will be recycled or donated. The remainder, more than 20 million computers in the US, will be disposed of, incinerated, shipped as export waste, or temporarily stored for further treatment. We never stop to consider what happens when our laptop dies and we throw it away. The reality is that either it rots in a landfill or children in developing countries end up shredding its components by hand, melting toxic chunks to recover traces of valuable metals such as gold.

Waste of electricity

Building a computer consumes 1818 kWh of electricity even before it is turned on, and when in operation a typical computer consumes 120 watts. Research shows that most PCs are left idle all day and many of them stay on continuously. Every time we leave computers on, we waste electricity regardless of where that electricity comes from. Most of the world’s electricity is generated by burning fossil fuels that emit pollutants like sulfur and carbon dioxide into the air. These emissions can cause respiratory illnesses, smog, acid rain, and global climate change.

The future of green computing

A Canadian company, Userful Corporation, has come up with a solution that turns 1 computer into 10: DiscoverStation. Quickly becoming the standard for green computing around the world, DiscoverStation harnesses the unused computing power of modern PCs to create a green alternative to traditional desktop computing. Multiple users can work on a single computer simply by connecting up to 10 monitors, mice, and keyboards. This allows reducing CO2 emissions by up to 15 tons per year per system and reducing electronic waste by up to 80%. Userful recently stated that in the last year their software has saved more than 13,250 tons of CO2 emissions, the equivalent of taking 2,300 cars off the road. (More information at: http://usrther.com/green-pcs)

The European Union

The European Union is tackling the problem in two ways. Now companies are required to produce computers free of the worst toxic materials and are responsible for recovering their old products. Faced with disassembling parts and their cycle back to the manufacturing process, companies are making more careful decisions about how those parts are assembled in the first place. In 2002, NEC introduced the first computer that used lead-free solder, a fully recyclable plastic casing that did not contain toxic flame retardants. Since then, many computer companies around the world have started selling lead-free PCs and it is becoming common practice for companies to offer their customers free recycling of their old computers.

Ways to go green

Here are some suggestions to help you reduce the power of your computer:>

  • Do not use screen protectors. They waste energy, they don’t save it.
  • Buy “Energy Star” labeled computers and monitors that can be programmed to automatically “turn off” or “sleep” when not in use.
  • If you’re using more than 1 PC, Userful’s 10-to-1 advantage can save you electricity and your wallet.
  • Turn off your computer and peripherals when not in use. This will not damage the equipment.
  • Use flat panel monitors, which use about half the electricity of a cathode ray tube (CRT) display.
  • Buy inkjet printers, not laser printers. Inkjet printers use 80 to 90 percent less energy than laser printers, and print quality can be excellent.

If we all did this every day, we could make a little difference. We only have one land; let’s treat it well.

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