I just saw a commercial for the new Mac green notebooks. They sound pretty interesting, especially the part about using a quarter of the power of a lightbulb. It is great that the computer industry is getting on board with the whole green thing. Computers have been seen as the green option for quite a while, what with the electronic files and messaging -- no more killing trees.
Unfortunately the upsides have generally overshadowed the downsides. They use a lot of energy, especially if, like many people, you leave them running 24/7, they are full of harmful chemicals and they get thrown out on a regular basis since every 18 months or so they become outdated. Even if they do get recycled, they are often improperly disposed of by the recycling companies, or shipped overseas (think carbon emissions) to get dismantled in third world countries without proper safety equipment. Much of this was documented on CBC's Marketplace
So the green book is good.
As I think about it more though, it occurs to me that making a product that is more environmentally friendly to throw away doesn't solve the problem. Mac's ad proclaims that the fact that the green book is made of aluminum and glass makes it more recyclable and it doesn't contain harmful toxins such as mercury that can seep into the environment.
But shouldn't we just stop throwing things out? Why do we need to buy a new cell phone or computer every 6-18 months? The one we have worked just fine when we bought them, and really, are we paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for products that we expect to throw out in a couple of years?
Think about throwing out your refrigerator every year. Doesn't it seem a bit ridiculous? So why is it any different for electronics?
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