Consumer

Can Geeks Go Green?

By: Joshua Cole

As stories about rising seas, floodwaters and brutal storms become an everyday part of life, this question arises: Could this all be caused, in some small measure, by a failure to put your computer into sleep mode more often? It’s time to start thinking about PCs and how they relate to the security of the planet.

The media is full of reports that both our environment and weather are changing in part because of the trapping of greenhouse gases such as carbon. The resulting groundswell of public opinion has evolved into a full-scale “green” obsession. But whether or not we’ve contributed to environmental decline by creating more carbon than the world can handle, perhaps it’s time to consider steps to help keep our planet secure. Is there more to it than recycling, bringing reusable bags to the grocery store and driving hybrids?

Can your computer be part of the solution?
Apart from your car and your bed, you likely spend more time with your computer than any other product. But have no fear. You can love your PC and know that you’re taking the reigns on carbon emissions and global warming. You might even save yourself a little green in the process.

PC manufacturers are supporting this notion by moving toward more environmental responsibility, cutting hazardous plastics and lead in composition, and adding better tools to manage power usage.

More than ever, you are empowered to change the way your PC affects the environment. What you purchase, how you use it, and in the end, where you bury it, all have an impact. So consider buying green, using green and disposing or reusing green.

Buying Green
Some environmental changes don’t require your participation. There’s a move toward RoHS compatible parts (which means that the parts can be broken down and recycled), required in the EU. Manufacturers find it cheaper to create parts in compliance with these stricter EU regulations than to manufacture a second part compliant only with U.S. standards.

Some manufacturers are going further, creating computers that aren’t only better for the environment, but look remarkable, like they belong on the haute couture runways of eco-fashion. Take the Fujitsu Woodshell™ Bioplastic Computer. The Woodshell computer is covered in “forest-thinned” cedar and composed, in part, of bio-plastic made from corn (although you won’t want to gnaw on it). It’s semi-biodegradable, relies less on crude oil for energy and is at least as effective a coffee shop conversation piece as you would expect a corn-based computer to be.

On the less extravagant front, if you want to push up your sleeves and build a PC with your own two hands, myriad enviro-options are available to you. You can purchase a smart PSU, which only supplies the amount of energy that your computer needs. You can also search product descriptions for levels of bioplastics and lead, to seek more of the former and less of the latter. Many of the latest products are not only green, but leaner and faster, like the Intel Core 2 Duo™ E6700 processor, which uses 40 percent less energy.

Using Green
Energy usage is the penultimate component of going green with your PC. Surely someone in your life must nag you to turn off the lights when you leave a room. Allow that voice to carry over to your PC, which should be put in sleep mode, turned off, or unplugged when not in use. An optimal way to go green is to simply unplug your computer when not using it for an extended period. A sleeping computer still uses energy. A computer that is completely off is, well, off.

You can also have your computer optimized to adjust your power settings, changing the way your computer works based on how you use it -- so that extra energy isn’t wasted running programs that you barely access. This can be a little more complicated, but once you familiarize yourself with your power-saver settings and learn that they can decrease your annual power bill, too, you’ll never stop tweaking them to be sure your computer’s only working when you’re actively working it. New commercial services will optimize your computer for you, helping not only carbon but your wallet. You can save up to $75 a year in energy usage.

Disposing or Reusing Green
PC manufacturers will do all they can to persuade your technophile instincts otherwise, but one of the most basic green questions you can ask is whether you really need a new laptop every two years. Can you hold onto the old one for an extra year, revamping it so that it’s still smooth and sweet but doesn’t add a new computer to the electronic graveyard? This is another one of those tips that can help your wallet and the planet at the same time. But good luck resisting.

If it’s definitely time to buy something new, the next step to consider is computer disposal and liquidation. Computers contain hazardous materials, so you can’t just drop it in your neighbor’s trashcan on garbage day. Here are some better options:

• Check the EPA Web site to find a local disposal or recycling program.
  
• Call your local recycling center and see if they’ll take your computer for you -- sometimes they will for free or for a small fee.
  
• Ask your retailers if they have a program where they’ll take your old computer if you buy a new one from their store.
  
• Donate it to a charity of your choice, with computers going toward programs that help kids at home or abroad learn about technology.

With any of these options, don’t forget to completely wipe any sensitive data off the machine before handoff.

The shift towards green computing is a no-lose situation. You and your wallet benefit, the environment benefits, and with recycling, you might very well be helping others benefit. Most of all, you will be secure in the knowledge that your computer is part of the solution, not the problem.