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EN-Genius Green Computing Guide for 2008
by Lee H Goldberg
Back when I wrote my first article on Green PC design for IEEE Computer back in 1998, the idea that your average desktop box would incorporate things like a high-efficiency power supply, a recyclable case, a Pb-free mother board and features that extended its useful service life seemed close to science fiction. It’s taken nearly a decade for these basic concepts to become common wisdom within the chaotic, penny-pinching computer industry but the results are impressive.
Although only a relatively small portion of the millions of PCs produced this year are truly Green, nearly all of them meet basic international standards for hazardous waste reduction (RoHS) and energy efficiency (EnergyStar in North America, Europe, and the Pacific Rim, and CECP in China) that would have been considered cumbersome and impractical even a few years ago.
Despite these advances, there is much more that must be done before the PC industry can truly be considered to be sustainable. In order to succeed, the industry will rely both on smart, eco-savvy manufacturers who produce innovative products that go beyond basic environmental regulations as well as smart, committed consumers who will go out of their way to buy them.
In this brief guide - an companion and expansion to our more general yearly Green Gift Guide published recently - we can do little more than give you a sampling of what several manufacturers are doing today and provide you some guidelines for locating and evaluating the many other green computing products that are available . With the holidays coming up soon, it’s our hope you’ll be able to use this guide to help do your part to ensure greener, cleaner, and more hopeful new year.
Things to Think About
The easiest environmental issue to deal with is your computer energy consumption. Given the fact that a PC can consume 5% or more of the average household’s energy budget, making sure the CPU, display or printer you’re thinking of buying is compliant with the latest energy conservation standards (typically EnergyStar 4.0 as of this writing). EnergyStar’s web site has a product locator that is kept up-to-date on a relatively regular basis. If you don’t need the raw computing power and expandability that a desktop unit offers, you might want to consider a laptop computer because they are usually much more power-efficient and their energy conservation features seem to be better integrated with the operating system. This is not always true but it’s a good general rule of thumb to follow for the next couple of years until more manufacturers make energy efficiency a priority across all their product lines.
Going beyond the basics, nearly every major manufacturer offers several models that carry certification from EPEAT, a system to help purchasers in the public and private sectors evaluate, compare and select desktop computers, notebooks and monitors based on their environmental attributes. Selecting an EPEAT Silver or Gold-certified product is one of the best ways to ensure you’re investing in the cleanest possible equipment.
This voluntary program that awards a Bronze, Silver, or Gold rating to a product based on to a large constellation of required and optional criteria. Besides energy efficiency, products are judged on their reduction/elimination of environmentally-sensitive materials, design for end of life (recyclability/re-claimability), packaging, and product longevity/life cycle extension.
Lenovo
Lenovo, formerly IBM’s personal computer group, seems to be carrying on IBM’s long history of environmental commitment with several EPEAT Gold -certified products, including the Lenovo ThinkCentre A61e desktop. Claimed by Lenovo to be the lightest, smallest, quietest, Energy Efficient offering of the desktop line, it uses high performance AMD processors, an EPEAT Gold Rating and the lowest power usage in the ThinkCentre portfolio, new ThinkCentre A61e systems combines excellent efficiency with a very affordable price.
 Besides its very low power consumption, the A61e incorporates several other green design features that I expect will become much more commonplace over the next few years. Its small, 8-lb chassis is designed for quick, tool-less assembly and disassembly, a feature that reduces the labor costs associated with upgrades (memory, optical and hard drives) and repair to enable a long service life. Tool-less also makes recycling labor costs lower.
The eight-pound, 45 W, AMD-powered unit has a starting price of $399, and can be optioned up to a bit under $700, depending on the processor, memory, and storage options you choose (see the November 2007 review).
If you’re looking for an LCD monitor, you should consider Lenovo’s new ThinkVision L193p 19-inch LCD display -- the market’s first EPEAT Gold rated monitor.
Earth PC by Tech Networks
If you’re like many tech-savvy users who prefer the flexibility and lower cost a generic white box computer offers, you might want to consider an Earth PC, a series of generic computers integrated by Tech Networks of Boston. They perform and cost about the same as anything you’d get from your local PC integrator, or on-line retailer, but deliver full RoHS compliance and much lower power consumption (up to 75% less for their servers) than standard products. This pioneer in green computing continues to offer both good value and excellent environmental performance as well as supporting community groups and charities in the Boston area with donations, discounts, and involvement with community youth programs. Pricing starts at around $600 for a basic system (including recycling your old PC) and ranges to around $1200 for their top-of-the-line PC.
Dell Computers
Dell is a relative newcomer to the green PC market but, thanks to Michael Dell’s commitment, they seem to be making up for lost time. They now offer several laptops and desktops that meet various levels of the stringent EPEAT standard and have recently started one of the most comprehensive computer recycling programs in North America See the recycling section of Dell’s web site for details. They’ve also announced several corporate-wide initiatives to achieve carbon-neutrality, including company-wide energy conservation measures and planting trees for every computer it sells.
Dell now offers several EPEAT-qualified models, including the Latitude D630, a full-featured laptop reviewed here in June 2007. Bristling with a dual-core processor, a shock-protected SATA drive, high-speed WLAN, and all the techno-bling you'd expect in a business-class laptop, the D630 also boasts lower energy consumption, easier upgradability, and a much smaller environmental footprint than anything else on the market to date. You can select your own configuration, where you’ll get a nicely-equipped unit for around $1200, or, option it up with bigger disks, faster processors and a state-of-the-art graphics card for around $1800.
The Cricket Laptop Stand
 The Cricket Laptop Stand manufactured and designed by Innovative Office Products is an example of how modern eco-design practices are beginning to pop up in computer accessories as well as the computers themselves. The portable stand is fully adjustable to accommodate any screen size and preferred screen height, which also allows air to circulate and heat to dissipate. It folds to fit in a pocket or computer bag. Made of 70% recyclable materials, it is offered in sustainable and reusable packaging, avoiding unnecessary consumer waste.
Cricket retails for $39.95 and can be ordered by visiting www.lcdarms.com or calling 800-524-2744.
When You're Done Having Fun
If you're like most tech-positive folks, there's at least one (and usually three or four) computers languishing in your basement, attic or storage bin, awaiting a new home or final resting place. Until recently, it's been tricky to find a computer refurbishing or recycling service but that's changing rapidly.
Most homes are now within 20 miles or less of some sort of facility that recycles computers and other electronic products. A good place to start your search for a recycler is the My Green Electronics web site. Despite its less-than-friendly user interface and occasional spurious entries, their Find Recycling search feature has one of the most comprehensive lists of electronics take-back operations I've seen.
For those of you who you can't find a nearby municipality or local charity with a computer recycling program in place, here are a couple of good options that will free up a few square feet of storage space in your house:
The National Cristina Foundation
The National Cristina Foundation is a non-profit organization that encourages companies and individuals to donate used computer equipment. The equipment is then matched to charities and schools throughout the US and Canada. These organizations have all been pre-screened, and have projects that will use the equipment to provide training to people with disabilities, students at risk, and economically challenged persons. There are no fees to donate equipment. Likewise, schools and charities are not charged to receive equipment.
Their website contains more information and an easy to use on-line donation form. They are seeking Pentium 3 and newer computers (or equivalent) as well as digital cameras, printers, and other peripherals in working condition.
Cristina has matched donations of used computers and related technology to charities and schools for more than two decades and believes that reuse is the first and best option for computers. There are no fees to donate equipment while schools and charities are not charged to receive it.
Computer Recycling Center
If you’re anywhere close to the Bay Area, you’re in luck because the Computer Recycling Center runs one of the best computer refurbishment, re-use, and recycling operations in North America. Long known for putting serviceable refurbished computers into the hands of deserving students, schools, and families, they now also participate in national reuse programs targeting foster children and their families. Their Computers & Education (C&E) program is also offering - to city and county agencies that oversee and manage services to foster children/families and low-income home-bound elderly - refurbished laptops and computers for their clients. For more information on what how and where to recycle your equipment, visit their web site.
Dell Gives You Computer Recycling Without Tears
You don’t even have to own a Dell to take advantage of their cheap, easy recycling service. For $11.95, you can purchase a kit to return that laptop or desktop you’ve been wondering what to do with. $20.99 bring you two airway bills so you can return your computer plus that old monitor, printer, or even the old 486 box that’s been lurking in the basement for the past dozen years.
Dell will pick up any computer equipment at your home or specified location and send it to one of their partner recycling facilities. You will receive a Dell Recycling kit in the mail containing a pre-paid air bill and instructions on how to pack and ship your equipment. You will need to provide your own box and packing material. Just be sure to remove those nasty photos you took at the office party last year and any other sensitive personal data from your system.
Suggested Reading
If you want to learn more about what can be done to lighten the impact that computers have on the environment, one of the best books on the subject is Computers and the Environment -- An Introduction To Understanding and Managing Their Impacts. Compiled and edited by Ruediger Kuehr and Eric Williams, it provides a series of insightful essays that take us on a journey exploring the life cycle of a computer from multiple perspectives, and helps weave together the seemingly disconnected universes of engineers, businesspeople and environmentalists.
Even if all the editors managed to do was to come up with all kinds of fascinating factoids about the resources consumed by computers and related products, it would be a very worthwhile read. We learn, for instance, that making the average 53 lb desktop computer & monitor requires 530 lb of fossil fuels, 50 lb of chemicals and 3330 lb of water, or roughly the weight of an SUV. We also learn that the total energy used per year of owning a computer is roughly the same as a refrigerator and that reselling or upgrading computers saves 5 to 20 times more energy over the computer's life cycle as compared to recycling.
While it does not give us a complete roadmap to eco-Utopia, the book does supply a solid first-pass survey of the business, management, and regulatory issues confronting manufacturers. In addition, it details many practical solutions that are working today for innovators in Asia, Europe, and the US. Designers and technology managers will also appreciate its compilation of all the energy consumption, materials content, and electronics regulation initiatives in place around the world.
Priced at $76, it is available at amazon.com and other fine book outlets.
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