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Greening electronics
All across the industrial sector, manufacturers are realizing that consumers are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious and are trying to keep up with green initiatives, to maintain their competitiveness in the market. I am sure some of them are doing for the sake of doing the right thing, and they deserve kudos for that.
Things are no different in the technology world. The technology industry definitely has its share in producing carbon dioxide emission, and recently, started doing its part in cleaning things up.
According to a recent Toronto Globe and Mail article,
"Even though the massive collection of computer servers that drive the Internet is not as visible as airplanes, the tech industry produces about 725 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents a year, representing about 2 per cent of the world's total emissions, according to consulting firm McKinsey & Co.As consumers and businesses generate more photos, videos and files to be stored online, data centres sprawl to house all the information, helping increase those carbon emissions by 6 per cent annually, and putting the industry on track to generate 3 per cent of world output by 2020, McKinsey calculates.
If most consumers have not yet grasped the implications, some of the world's biggest tech companies have, and they are moving smartly to head off a backlash before it happens. Some are even trying to score a marketing advantage with greenness."
So, Dell is trying to become the "greenest on the Earth" by planting trees, offering free recycling and powering their headquarters with green energy. Apple also recycles, as do other computer manufacturers.
How good are they really? Well, some are better then the others. Check out the Greenpeace ranking to get the latest results.
The Greenpeace scale isn't accurate and as well thought out or tested as most of the EWG stuff, so I wouldn't put too much stock in it. Also, most of the tech industry is driven by marketing in order to put a positive "spin" on everything, but many parts for things like wireless cards and such often come from less than reputable sources. This article only skims the surface of a very difficult problem in tech.
There is a very good article on this at the following address:
http://www.ibuyitgreen.com/green-articles/computers/energy-conservation-through-use-of-eco-friendly-technology-part-1-laptops
It covers the general subject of eco-minded computing as well as resources for computer recycling programs, epeat certification and more.
I think one of the biggest problems is that everyone feels the need to get a new computer every 2 years. Three years at the latest.
I also don't know anyone who has just one machine. We all seem to have atleast 2 and sometimes more. We also seem to be unable to add to old machines. We can upgrade vid cards, memory, but if we want the next generation of of computing stuff it usually needs a whole new machine. We need a better power supply or we need a new motherboard to handle that new processor.