Computer
10 ways to Green Your Computer
It may be indispensable for your work and social life, but your computer is no friend to the planet. Not only do PCs gobble up energy, they also contain plenty of earth-unfriendly materials. Fortunately, there are ways to enhance your computer’s efficiency and diminish its toxic burden.
Adjust computer power settings to save energy
Add
This feature is only available to GreenYour members. Please sign-up.Email
Computers still drink up a lot of energy when they're in standby mode. You can reduce energy use up to 60-80 percent and save from $25 - $75 per year by enabling the power management feature.
Upgrade your computer
Add
This feature is only available to GreenYour members. Please sign-up.Email
By refurbishing an existing computer you save money and prevent the release of toxic pollutants into the environment.
Buy a laptop instead of a desktop
Add
This feature is only available to GreenYour members. Please sign-up.Email
While laptops used to be a lot more expensive than desktops, they are now comparable in price and they also use far less energy... about 50 percent less!
Donate your old computer to charity
Add
This feature is only available to GreenYour members. Please sign-up.Email
Donating your computer prevents the release of heavy metals and toxins into the environment through landfills or incinerators as well as supporting a worthy cause.
Recycle your computer
Add
This feature is only available to GreenYour members. Please sign-up.Email
The heavy metals and chemicals in computers pose serious threats to human health and ecosystems when dumped in landfills.
Choose an ENERGY STAR computer
Add
This feature is only available to GreenYour members. Please sign-up.Email
ENERGY STAR qualified computers can use up to 70 percent less energy than other models, cutting your greenhouse gas emissions and saving you money, too.
Buy an EPEAT computer
Add
This feature is only available to GreenYour members. Please sign-up.Email
Get a medal-worthy, eco-friendly laptop or desktop the next time you're in the market. EPEAT computers are made more eco-friendly from start to finish.
Install a power strip
Add
This feature is only available to GreenYour members. Please sign-up.Email
Don't let vampire energy suck power from your computer when it's turned off. Hook it up to power strips, hit the off switch, and stop the current.
Power mobile devices with a hand crank or solar charger
Add
This feature is only available to GreenYour members. Please sign-up.Email
Using a renewable power source to charge your laptop will cut down on carbon emissions from fossil-fuel generated energy.
Use a green Internet search engine
Add
This feature is only available to GreenYour members. Please sign-up.Email
Greenback Search and Regrowgle.com are both powered by Google, but they each donate a portion of their revenue to carbon offset projects.
Comments
1:57pm
hm. tip #10 could be inclusive of green web products, not just search engines. for example, the browser Flock released an eco edition offering a bunch of cool green features: http://browser.flock.com/eco/
Share Your Comments