by Karelle Scharff

I’ve been an environmentalist all of my adult life. For someone as strongly connected to technology as I am it might surprise many of my casual associates the lengths to which I will go to ensure that my technological choices are as environmentally-friendly as I can make them.

The recent oil spill catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico has strengthened my resolve to live my life, and do my business, in a way that reduces my impact and lessens my dependence on oil and oil-based products and on toxic materials. As I help my clients make their decisions about technology in their lives I try to help them incorporate the same logic that I use.

Regarding technology, there are a number of places where we can reduce our footprint. The first comes in the purchasing stage, and the first question that I ask myself is, “Do I really need this device? Is it actually going to improve my life? Or is it just filling an emotional hole?”

If I make it past those questions with my desire to purchase intact, the next question might be, “Which manufacturer/vendor has the greenest reputation?” Unfortunately answers to this question may not be not easily forthcoming or easily understood, partly because electronics companies don’t supply transparent information on which to judge their “greenness” and partly because there are so many aspects of that question, like how much of the energy in the manufacturing process is renewable, has the company eliminated PVC plastic from their products, has the company eliminated toxic materials from their products? Two web sites provide information that may help. The first is a Greenpeace site: www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/toxics/electronics/how-the-companies-line-up/, and the other is a Newsweek site, an environmental ranking of America’s 500 largest corporations, http://greenrankings.newsweek.com/top500. The EnergyStar seal on a product is another good indication that it may be an environmentally sound purchasing decision. Additionally, even among EnergyStar rated products, one style of product might use less electricity than another. For instance a laptop computer uses less electricity—about 80% less —than a desktop computer and monitor, all other factors being equal.

More information can be found here: www.energysavers.gov/your_home/appliances/index.cfm/mytopic=10040
It also may make sense to buy the best product you can afford up front, as it is likely to last longer both in physical durability and also in usefulness.

Once you have your electronics product in hand you can create new habits that will help you to save electricity (and money) and reduce your energy impact. The easiest thing you can do is to turn off electronics when they’re not in use. If you’re only walking away from your TV or your computer for 15 minutes turning them off is not practical. But when you go to bed for the night or you’re leaving the house for the day or even just going out to walk the dog for an hour, turn them off. Completely off. According to the Department of Energy, “In the average home, 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics and appliances is consumed while the products are turned off. This can be avoided by unplugging the appliance or using a power strip and using the switch on the power strip to cut all power to the appliance.” The little red light that stays lit when you turn off the appliance means it is still sucking juice. Turning it off from a power strip or unplugging it actually completely stops it from using power.
Finally, even the best and most expensive products eventually either wear out, break or just no longer meet our needs, and we must dispose of them. Many manufacturers, particularly of cell phones and computers, have recycling programs so that when you buy a computer (or phone) from that company you can recycle your old computer with that company.

You might also look for local nonprofit organizations that can use the device that you’re giving up. Goodwill and Salvation Army both will accept used office equipment. Services like iloveschools.com, the National Cristina Foundation (www.cristina.org), GreatNonprofits.org can point you to organizations that can use your gear. Freecycle (freecycle.org) is another good resource for keeping electronics, even broken devices, out of landfills.

Finally it’s far better to recycle than to throw away. Boulder’s EcoCycle recycles electronics through cHarm (Center for Hard to Recycle Materials).

Other organizations to consider are E-cycling Central, www.ecyclingcentral.com; Earth911, www.earth911.org and Basel Action Network (www.ban.org) e-stewards program.

Really there are lots of things that we as individuals can do to reduce our impact on our planet and lessen our need for toxic materials, including oil. Most just require thinking a little and don’t require giving up our lifestyle. My guess is that the little extra effort we put into our consumer decisions now will pay off for our children down the road.

Karelle Scharff, information technologist and the owner of Best MacSolutions is an Apple Certified Help Desk Specialist and a member of Apple Consultants Network, (www.bestmacsolutions.com), based in Ward. She provides training, service and support to small businesses, home-based business and individuals. Questions about classes or Macs? Call her at (303) 459-3363.