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What is green processing?
Global warming and environmental change have become major problems for governments, corporations, and the average Joe who are looking for new ways to green their daily activities. Computers certainly make up a large part of many people’s lives and are traditionally extremely harmful to the environment, which raises the question: What is green processing?
Green Computing is the science and practice of minimizing the impact of computers on the environment through efficient production, use and disposal.
Problems with electronic waste
Electronic waste is an increasing problem worldwide due to the rapid aging of electronics, which accounts for as much as 70% of all hazardous waste. Computer waste is rich in many toxic materials, such as heavy metals and flame retardant plastics, which readily penetrate into groundwater and bioaccumulate. In addition, chip manufacturing uses some of the most lethal gases and chemicals known to man and is resource-intensive.
On average, 24 million computers in the United States are becoming obsolete. Only around 14% (or 3.3 million) of them will be recycled or donated. The rest – more than 20 million computers in the US – will be thrown away, incinerated, dumped as waste, or temporarily dumped for later consideration. We never wonder what happens when our laptop dies and we throw it away. The reality is that it either rots in a landfill, or children in developing countries tear its ingredients by hand, melting toxic pieces to recover traces of precious metals like gold.
Wasting electricity
Manufacturing a computer uses 1818 kW / h of electricity before it is even turned on, and a typical computer uses 120 watts when it is running. Research shows that most computers stay idle all day long, and many remain on continuously. Every time we leave our computers on, we waste electricity without thinking where it comes from. Most of the world’s electricity is generated by burning fossil fuels, which emit pollutants such as sulfur and carbon dioxide into the air. These emissions can cause respiratory disease, smog, acid rain and global climate change.
The future of green computers
The Canadian company Userful Corporation has developed a solution that turns 1 computer into 10 – DiscoverStation. Quickly becoming the standard for green computing around the world, DiscoverStation harnesses the untapped computing power of modern computers to create an eco-friendly alternative to traditional desktops. Multiple users can work on one computer, connecting up to 10 monitors, mice and keyboards. This enables the reduction of CO2 emissions by up to 15 tons per year per system and the reduction of electronic waste by up to 80%. Userful recently said their software saved more than 13,250 tons of CO2 emissions in the last year, the equivalent of removing 2,300 cars from the road. (More info at: http://userful.com/green-pcs)
European Union
The European Union solves this problem in two ways. Companies are now required to make computers free of the worst toxic materials and are responsible for taking back their old products. When faced with having to dismantle parts and put them back into production, companies are making more careful decisions about how to assemble the parts. In 2002, NEC released the first computer using lead-free solder, a fully recyclable plastic housing that did not contain toxic flame retardants. Since then, many computer companies around the world have started selling lead-free computers, and it is becoming more and more common to offer their customers free recycling of old computers.
Ways to ecology
Here are some suggestions to help you reduce your computer’s power:>
- Don’t use screen savers. They waste energy, not save it.
- Purchase computers and monitors labeled “energy star” that can be programmed to automatically “turn off” or “sleep” when not in use.
- If you use more than 1 computer, the Userful 10 to 1 advantage can save electricity and your wallet.
- Turn off your computer and peripherals when not in use. It won’t hurt the hardware.
- Use flat panel monitors, which consume about half the electricity of a cathode ray tube (CRT) display.
- Buy inkjet printers, not laser printers. Inkjet printers use 80 to 90 percent less energy than laser printers, and the print quality can be excellent.
If we all did this every day, we could make a little difference. We only have one land; let’s treat it right.
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Source by Cathie Walker