The Bite:
Pretty low if you're talking PC energy, it turns out. The newest computers on the market are also the greenest computers on the market as more manufacturers decided to get down with planet-friendliness.
How low can you go?
05.01.2008
Submitted by tmeronek on Thu, 05/01/2008 - 12:02am.
The Benefits:
- Low waste. Manufacturers are using recycled plastic in computers and packaging, and making sure components are easily recyclable when they become obsolete.
- Lower caustic chem levels. Companies are phasing out chems like the human toxins arsenic and mercury, found in typical PC screens.
- Even lower energy use. If we replaced all the old computers in the United States with new Energy Star-qualified ones, it'd be like taking more than 2.7 mil cars off the road over the computers' lifetimes.
Personally Speaking:
Everyone on the Bite team uses laptops instead of more energy-intensive desktops, which saves big on bills and allows for more "offsite meetings" at our favorite watering holes.
Wanna Try:
- MacBook Air and Mac Mini - made from mostly recyclable materials without mercury or arsenic and PVC-free circuit boards, they meet all Energy Star power-efficiency requirements ($599 and up).
- HP rp5700 Desktop PC - Windows-based, low-energy comps that incorporate recycled plastic; estimated to last a couple years longer than most PCs ($699 and up).
- Zonbu Desktop Mini - Linux operating system-based computer that needs just 10W of power; the company carbon offsets all computers and offers free recycling at the end of its life ($99 and up plus monthly fee).
Cocktail Fact
Moore's Law: Computer technology tends to double in complexity every 18-24 mo.
Bang For The Bite
If 10,000 B(y)ters opt for a computer with a mercury-free LCD screen, we'll avoid about 40 fever thermometers' worth of mercury.
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