Today is Blog Action Day, where thousands of blogs worldwide are teaming up to raise awareness of environmental issues. I’ve been kicking around this article idea in my head for a while, but I figure that today is as good as any day to actually write it! Here are some simple simple ways to be more environmentally friendly with your computer and technology purchases. Some of these may be pretty obvious, but a refresher course never hurts.

Recycle

In many areas there are periodic electronic waste recycling collections. Also, check with your local city or county governments for any other computer recycling or reuse programs. Alternately, do a google search for such programs in your area. Some cities, such as Alameda, California, may have web sites set up with environmental information. Also, be on the lookout for cell phone and ink cartridge recycling programs.

Purchase with recycling in mind

Some computers, such as the current generation iMac, are designed with recycling in mind. In this case, the iMac makes heavy use of aluminum and glass, two highly-recyclable materials. Do what you can to check how recyclable the computer you’re interested in is.

Reuse when possible

Perhaps you have an older computer that still runs fine for word processing or email but no longer cuts it for your gaming. Put it to use elsewhere; give it to your kids instead of buying a new computer. Use it as a home server. Give it to a friend. Sell it. Donate it to a school. Squeeze as much life out of it as possible before it needs to take a trip to the recycling plant. This goes for peripherals as well. Do you have an old iPod that no longer holds its charge? Use it as a mobile external hard drive. Does your old printer still work just fine? Keep using it instead of buying a new one.

Pay attention to energy consumption

Most computer manufacturers list the energy consumption of their products with the computer’s specs listing. Make it a point to check the energy usage for any computer you buy. In the United States, look for the EnergyStar logo.

If you don’t use a desktop computer’s expandability, consider a laptop instead; laptops typically use far less energy than desktop computers.

If you build your own desktop PCs, look for the most energy-efficient power supply for your needs. If you don’t need a one-kilowatt power supply, buy something that consumes less energy.

Sleep: use it or lose it!

If your computer is on all the time, use its sleep feature, which saves energy. Alternately, if you use Windows, use hibernate. Hibernate saves everything on your machine as it is and shuts it down. When you turn your PC back on, everything will be back to exactly how it was before you hibernated the computer.

Ditch that CRT

...if you haven’t already, that is. CRT displays not only are bulkier than LCD displays, but are tougher on the eyes (flicker) and contain toxic chemicals such as phosphors and lead. LCD displays are generally more environmentally friendly (most do contain some mercury due to their backlights, but LED backlighting, which doesn’t contain mercury, is starting to make its way onto the market in some laptops) and use less energy. Regardless, be sure to dispose of your old monitor properly.

Viewsonic has more information on LCD displays compared with CRTs.

Consider RoHS

RoHS (Wikipedia article), or “The Directive on the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment” (that’s a mouthful) is a European Union directive governing the use of certain hazardous chemicals in electronics. More specifically, it tightens the restrictions on the use of lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls, and polybrominated diphenyl ether in electronics products (and no, I have no idea what most of those chemicals are). While it is law in the EU only, many products from multi-national electronics companies are RoHS-certified. If possible, look for products that meet the RoHS guidelines.

Waste not

Some companies use insane amounts of packaging. Others don’t. Consider the amount of packaging waste when you buy a product.

Weigh the tradeoffs

It’s nearly impossible to go 100% green when you buy electronics, so there are often tradeoffs to consider. Do you buy a laptop that uses less energy, or a desktop that will allow you to upgrade the parts, thus keeping that desktop in service longer, despite using more energy? These are things you have to consider when buying a new computer. Do your homework before buying.

Every little bit helps

The Earth’s environmental problems may seem like too big of a problem for one person to make a difference. It may seem like what you do today will have little impact, so it doesn’t matter. The problem is that many people think this way, thus the problem. For us to deal with our environmental problems, we need those little bits. Together, they add up to a lot of change.

And they don’t need to be big changes either. Be a little smarter when buying a computer. Turn off the light when you leave a room. Use CFLs in place of traditional light bulbs; as noted in an earlier article posted on Deep Thought, there are more than the cold bluish-white CFLs on the market. Walk or ride your bike for short trips, and consider public transit for longer ones. Recycle when possible.

These are not hard things to do. I encourage everyone to do what they can to think green; our little changes can add up in a huge way.