Getty Images/Christoph Wilhelm
READ MORE ABOUT:
How to Go Green: Gadgets
Technology has become an essential part of daily life, from cell phones to televisions, music players to laptops. Electronics, though, have a significant impact on the environment. But don't despair. There are countless ways to green up your gadgetry—or even use your gadgets for environmental causes—and we have information tips, guides, fix-it solutions and facts all in one place to help you go green with your technology.
Gadgets: The green impacts
Individually, gadgets don't typically take up a lot of energy. However, take a moment to count how many gadgets you use. Gameboys and Play Stations, cell phones and Palm Pilots, alarm clocks and digital cameras. When we start to add up how many things we use on a regular basis, recharge by plugging in to the wall or popping in new batteries, or toss into the trash when they break, and then add on to that the number of people who all have more gadgets than meets the eye, then we realize that they really make an impact.
Gadgets: Life cycle impacts
Not only do we have to look at energy use while we're running them, but at their entire life cycle. Measuring the impact our devices have on the environment means looking at them from cradle to cradle. Using the most environmentally friendly materials, manufacturing processes, and power sources, as well as ensuring they are properly recycled or repurposed at the end of their lifetimes are all essential elements of greening up our gadgets.
Getting greener gadgets
You might be thinking that your favorite electronics are becoming a headache. But don't despair! We can definitely enjoy all our fun devices while still helping to lighten their footprint. Doing simple things like charging properly, checking out Energy Star and Consumer Reports for input before purchasing, taking advantage of free recycling programs, or even making some money off our old devices are all ways we can seamlessly shift to eco-friendly gadget use. You don't have to ditch your well-loved cell phone or favorite game player to still go green.
In this guide, we'll talk about easy things you can do to green up your gadgetry, some of the seriously cool science behind advancements in better gadgets, and ways to get more involved in cleaning up all those devices we use on a daily bases and often don't even think twice about.
-
- {}
