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« Want to shop green? Buy less. | Main | Speaking of gadgetry. . . »
The future of green gadgetry
Without a doubt, the best way to buy "green" is to buy less. And in most cases, that's sufficient advice (although it doesn't hurt to be an informed consumer). But when it comes to the gadgets in our lives, it's not that simple. If your cell phone is your primary means of communication, and it breaks, you probably won't feel compelled to not buy another in the name of environmentalism. And if your computer goes kaput, especially if it represents a significant part of your life or livelihood, odds are you'll be in the market for a new one.
There's a lot to take into consideration when you're in the market for a new piece of electronic equipment. You'll want to know how much power it uses, the toxic chemicals it contains, and what the company's take-back program is like -- and that's on top of investigating processors and platforms and everything else that goes into choosing, for example, a new computer.
Greenpeace to the rescue! In late 2007, they invited electronics industry leaders to submit their most environmentally friendly products to a product survey. Greenpeace's company line-up provides a good sense of who's leading the way, so if you're in the market it's a good place to start.
It seems, according to the report, that there's good news on the horizon. If some companies have been able to make great improvements, there's no reason why others can't follow. Unfortunately, Apple, Microsoft, and Nintendo declined to participate, which means that Greenpeace has limited information on three of the biggest electronics retailers.
I would question the research that Greenpeace uses to calculate the "green" score of electronics products. There is also no way for a company to be completely environmentally friendly, considering that many users do not recycle their computers and cell phones, which end up in landfills or in West Africa.
Meep, you're right about the amount of electronic trash we produce. Notice that the highest score Greenpeace gives any of the companies they rank is less than an eight out of ten -- still high, maybe, but there's clearly room for improvement. I can't recall off the top of my head if the scores are comparative or based on independent criteria.