Are Netbooks Green? 6 Pros and Cons

3 Reasons Netbooks Are Not Greener Than Notebooks

1. Netbooks could be considered disposable devices Because netbooks are so inexpensive compared to notebooks - priced at anywhere from $200 to $600 on average depending on the model - they run the risk of being considered a disposable device along the lines of cell phones or digital cameras. When devices like these break, too many people rush to replace, rather than repair them.

The same can be said of notebooks, but when we lay down closer to $2,000 for a notebook, we're more apt to take care of it and repair it rather than just buy a new one when we experience a problem. We've seen a slow shift back to a repair culture of late when it comes to electronics, but that doesn't mean netbooks are immune from getting replaced before their time is really up.

Photo via Ed Yourdon via Flickr CC
2. Netbooks are still considered secondary devices
Netbooks are wonderful travel companions. But most people aren't using them as a replacement for their home computer or notebook. That means they're an additional electronic device in a household, adding to the number of gadgets in a home and not necessarily taking away from the power consumption of notebooks and desktops in households. They're likely not being run at the same time and so not adding to a home or business's energy use, but they are adding to the big stock pile of electronics out in the market, and therefore the e-waste headed into landfills or e-waste dumps if not properly recycled at the end of their life.

Because they're so new, we don't have numbers yet on their rate of being recycled, but with estimates of 25-30 million units being sold in 2009, and 40-45 million units being sold in 2010, the impact won't be small.

Photo via Annie Mole via Flickr CC
3. Netbooks are not made more greenly than notebooks
Netbooks have a jump on meeting EPEAT and Energy Star standards over notebooks, thanks to their inherent lower energy consumption, and less need for materials, including packaging materials. They're already getting green seals of approval and can be found on EPEAT with ranks of gold and silver. However, they aren't necessarily made more greenly than notebooks.

Manufacturers don't have any more push to make them without toxic materials, make them any more recyclable, or even make them any more upgradable than notebooks. For instance, we recently pointed out that ASUS made a netbook with a non-removable battery. Even something as simple as a battery that can't be easily removed and replaced by the consumer shows un-green design trends.

There's a definite opportunity here for manufacturers to roll out super energy efficient, upgradable, repairable and recyclable netbooks, but we aren't really seeing them flood the market, unfortunately.

Conclusions: Are Netbooks Greener Or Not?

Well, that really comes down to you. No, the manufacturers are not making what we'd consider a green gadget when it comes to netbooks, but they're certainly greener.

If you use it in a greener way - as in don't have both the netbook and your other computer running simultaneously, charge with renewable energy when you can, repair and upgrade it yourself whenever possible, recycle it properly when it kicks the bucket, so on and so forth, then yes, netbooks are definitely greener than notebooks. If they're used simply as an extra toy for a year or two before getting something newer, then....not so much.

They certainly do have a great leg up over laptops, though, right off the bat.

More on Netbooks and Greener Gadgets
Test Your Green Gadget IQ
A Netbook Faceoff - Acer Aspire One vs HP Mini 1000
4 Greenest Notebooks from Laptop Magazine

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