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By now, most greenies know that computers and their accessories are some of the biggest energy hogs in the home — and that improperly recycled electronics can easily end up in toxic dumps in developing countries.
Want to make sure you’re doing right by Mother Earth when it comes to computers? Follow these three steps to green computing:
December turned into one costly month budget-wise. And what about Earth-wise? You’d think that fixing something old would be automatically better than buying something new. But, actually, when it comes to the life cycle analysis of most appliances — or their cradle-to-grave environmental impact — it turns out it’s the use of an appliance that has the biggest impact. Which means if your refrigerator is a shade of ‘70s avocado, you’ll step lighter on the planet if you embrace the energy efficiency of the 21st Century.
While there are a lot of variables to consider, here are some tips to help you decide whether to repair a broken appliance or replace it:
A couple of years ago, a friend invited me to join a citywide competition to try to reduce residents’ gas and electricity usage. We teamed up in groups of five households or more, and for a month, did whatever we could to cut back on our in-home energy consumption. At the end of the month, we submitted our utility bills both for that month and for the same month from the previous year. The teams that had the most year-to-year reductions won.
Since I’m currently living as an expatriate in Sweden, I have been watching the stimulus package action from afar — with envy! Details are now emerging on how U.S. homeowners can take advantage of tax credits for energy-efficient improvements: a 30 percent rebate, up to a max of $1,500 for most projects. (The old federal tax credit was 10 percent up to a max of $500.)
Raise your hand if you’ve been sitting at your soul-deadening, eye-ball-glazing, brain-frying cubicle job, preparing your latest round of TPS reports and saying to yourself, “I just wish there was a job out there where I could both enjoy myself and do good for the planet. And, you know, not starve.”
Smart grids. Everyone’s talking about them. President Obama wants to include the beginnings of a new smart grid in the economic recovery package. Texas billionaire T. Boone Pickens started calling for an overhaul of the power grid last year as he touted his wind energy plan. And GE even laid down a serious chunk of change to run ads during the Super Bowl (featuring the Wizard of Oz’s hapless scarecrow) simply to convince folks a smart grid might be quite a nice thing to have — and perchance also that GE would be a dandy company to help build it. (See the ad on Earth2Tech.)
The long dark days of winter are here, bringing us cheery snowmen, cozy nights by the fire, and… sky-high heating bills. There’s nothing to be done, you think. You’ve got to heat the house, right? Well yes, but there might be a way to reduce the amount of energy you use — without resorting to three layers of sweaters and goofy wool hats.
Every week we highlight the best articles, blogs, news, videos and interesting Web tidbits to help you live green, be healthy, and connect with your sense of spirituality. Read our roundup for info that just helps you live better.