My modem busted three days ago. Sadness. I’ve been offline, and had plenty of time to think, let me tell you. Seriously though, I missed being online, it felt odd to go three days sans email and blogs.
Anyhow, I’ve got a nice new modem, and to celebrate my return to the lovely online world of blogs and more, I figured we’d look at some green computer tips.
- Like anything else, only buy what you need. You can be excessive about computers, just like a house or car. I’m online all the time for work, so I do have a little bit bigger monitor, special tech add-ons, and a better than average processer. All of which create energy drains that someone who uses a computer infrequently shouldn’t have. Go for smaller systems if you can.
- Turn that sucker off. Leaving your computer on all night is no good, and a waste of energy.
- Recycle your computer items. Tossing them in the trash is terribly sinful – trust me, this stuff does not break down in your local landfill.
- Buy used or recycled computer equipment like discs, paper, printers, and anything else you can find that’s not virgin new. You can even find refurbished or slightly used computers – bonus – you save $.
- Research! Buy a computer with a good track record. You want your computer to last and last.
- Don’t forget to recycle all that packaging from the computer and all related equipment.
- In case you forget to turn off your computer, make sure you have all the power saving options set correctly. Such as, you want your computer to automatically turn off, or go to dark, when not used in a few minutes. These settings are usually under your control panel and then power options.
- If it would work out for you, get a laptop computer, rather than a desktop. Laptops generally use less energy; up to 50% less in some cases.
You also might like: Avoid Recklessly Using the Printer
I’ve got a great + super simple tip. The next time you’re purchasing a gift card– go for the electronic (and paperless) option, an eGift card. Each year, 75 millions lbs of PVC is dumped into landfills from plastic gift card waste (Plenty Magazine). That’s an astronomical amount of waste for something that can easily and conveniently be sent virtually. PVC is notoriously difficult to recycle and cannot be tossed into the recycling bin along side your other household items. You must send those pesky plastic cards to a PVC recycling plant, the only one I know of is EarthWorks. For a directory of retailers that offer an eGift card, try http://www.giftzip.com …it is the most extensive one I have found to date. Hope that helped.
Green printing has become a beneficial as well as a safer alternative when it comes to the growing environmental concerns. It is not very expensive and the recycled paper that is used in printing is also very good quality and durable as well.
I could say, “Buy a Mac,” but I won’t. ; )
Jennifer, Thanks for the rational and concise suggestions. Regarding your number one, “only buy what you need”, please consider the CherryPal C100 desktop. Soon to be available, it promises to be inexpensive, green, easy to use, fast and community based. Using only 2 Watts, the size of a paperback book, and costing less than $300. Please visit cherrypal.blogspot.com for a discount off the list price (which will be posted as soon as the units are shipping.) Thanks again for the green tips!
Cindy