Greening your PC
Make the move from technophile to ecophile
By Susanne Hasulo
When you consider that computers now consume about 10 per cent of the electricity generated in North America and that a great many PCs still end up in landfills, leaching deadly chemicals, it makes sense to adopt more eco-friendly computing options.
John Hiddema, technical consultant for Nerds on Site, is one of the many people making a conscious effort to go green. He recycles, buys organic produce, uses cleaning products less harmful to the environment, owns energy-efficient appliances and has configured his PC to use less energy. He’s also going green on the job. Some of the work he does for clients' computer systems can be done remotely from his home office, drastically reducing his need for a car.
Here are some tips for making your technology use more eco-friendly.
1. Manage power consumption
Did you know that approximately 40 per cent of the energy used for home electronics is consumed while these devices are turned off or idling? Techies refer to computers and related gadgets that draw power while not in use as vampire load. Turn off and unplug everything when you’re not using it. Even simpler: shut down everything and then turn off the power bar.
"Turning off lights that aren't in use just makes sense, right? Same thing for a computer you're not using," says Jeremy Kaplan, an executive editor of PC Magazine. Turn off your printer, scanner and fax.
If you leave your computer on, set Power Options in the Control Panel to save energy. "Depending on the specific hardware, these options can reduce power usage dramatically, to the tune of 80 per cent," says Hiddema.
2. Use alternative power sources
Companies such as Solar Style and Sundance Solar offer a range of solar charger options for many battery-powered electronic gadgets, including your digital camera, MP3 player, cell phone and laptop.
If you're not ready to take your house off the grid, you can buy your electricity from an environmentally responsible provider. Bullfrog Power provides residents in Alberta and Ontario with renewable power from emission-free sources such as wind and low-impact water power. In the United States, Idaho Power has a Green Power Program that pools different sources of electric energy, including green sources.
3. Print smart
Using the printer-friendly option, available on many web sites, can eliminate the printing of unwanted graphics or text.
Software applications, such as GreenPrint, make this process easier by automatically detecting unnecessary pages and eliminating them from your printouts. When you do print, use recycled paper and refillable ink cartridges in your printer.
4. Extend your PC's life
If your PC is a few years old and you're thinking of getting a new one, you may only need to upgrade some of its parts to keep it running at top capacity. You can safely upgrade many components such as the monitor, video or sound card, and hard drive, or you can add RAM to your existing PC.
Newer components are likely to be more eco-friendly. A liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor uses one third the energy of a cathode ray tube (CRT) monitor and lasts twice as long.
You can also give an old PC new life by repurposing it.
- Install a TV tuner card and use the hard drive to record your favourite TV shows.
- Move the old PC to the cottage or let the kids use it for their homework.
- Set the machine up in the kitchen with Internet access and the old PC becomes an electronic cookbook that helps you search for and file new recipes.
5. Recycle your PC
Perhaps the greenest thing you can do is keep your computer out of the landfill. Approximately 70 per cent of the heavy metals found in landfills emanate from electronics, and PCs (especially older ones) contain toxic chemicals such as lead, mercury and polyvinyl chloride.
If your PC has reached the end of its life cycle, a quick web search will help you find local, reputable recycling companies or charities that will take your hardware and find new uses for it. The Electronic Recycling Association, for example, collects old computers in five cities across Canada and donates them to local schools, charities, libraries and other groups. In the United States, Recycles.org is a non-profit recycling exchange network that collects donations of old computers and helps distribute them to non-profit organizations within its network throughout the country.
You can also check with your PC's manufacturer. A growing number of PC makers have recycling programs and will take back PCs at the end of their lives.
6. Buy responsibly
If you've decided it's time to upgrade to a new PC, Hiddema advises reading the small print to see whether a manufacturer is following green practices in making the product or reducing its power consumption. There are various industry standards, and it can often be tricky to understand just how a particular model is more energy efficient or eco-friendly. EPEAT offers some help; it’s an independent online registry that lets you research and compare desktops and laptops of registered manufacturers based on an extensive list of environmental attributes.
