Getting Ready for Earth Day: Getting Greener Electronics
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 04.18.07
As Earth Day draws ever nearer, we'll focus on ways to save the planet some trouble with some of the things that we all use just about every day: personal electronics. Computers, batteries, radios and the like can really add up when it comes to energy use and e-waste; here are some ways to keep connected while keeping your gadgets' footprint small.
1) Check out our top five tips for reducing computer energy use; if you're shopping for a new one, take a peek at Asus' bamboo notebook (the greenest laptop yet?) and watch for RoHS and EPEAT certifications, and when your through with your 'puter, be sure to recycle it.
2) When it comes to batteries, rechargeables are the way to go for alkaline; read this guide to learn more about caring for other rechargeables (like the one in your cell phone).
3) Crank power can replace many common plug-in chargers; we picked a handful that include wind-up cell phone chargers, remotes, flashlights and radios. XM is reportedly working on a wind-up satellite radio, and some even combine functionality, like this cell phone/flashlight combo.
4) For greener listening, speakers like these hemp cone jobs, Panasonic's bamboo speakers, Pioneer's reclaimed whiskey-barrel speakers and these crazy gourd speakers are just a few of the options available for the discerning green music fan.
Check out our guide to How to Green Your Electronics for more tips on green gadgetry, and stay tuned for more ideas for a greener life in preparation for Earth Day.
The NEC PowerMate eco computer in the first picture for this article has been discontinued for quite some time. I wish NEC had continued development of this system, maybe exploring other low-power processors such as the Transmeta Efficeon or something from VIA.
If NEC were to develop a new system along these lines, my suggestion would be to make it more modular so there could be more choice in display size.
I appreciae your mention of EPEAT as a credible way to identify greener PCs. I just wanted to mention that RoHS compliance is a criterion of EPEAT. And, while a US consumer has no easy way to check for a computer or monitor's RoHS compliance (actually, this is a difficult thing to define given that the EU has not defined a common method of identifying conformance to RoHS so you sort of have to take the manufacturers word for it), consumers can easily verify a product's EPEAT status by simply visiting the EPEAT product registry at www.epeat.net.
Jeff Omelchuck
Executive Director, EPEAT
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