The Hardware you pick has to last a long time.
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The great thing about computers today is that they last a long time; it used to be that hardware and operating system upgrades came so quickly that one was replacing them every couple of years; now that so much of our work is done on the internet, computers are almost all fast enough, and changing the operating system is no longer a must-do. (in fact, many PC users are actively resisting changing to Vista.) If you are using an older computer and it is not quite as peppy as you like, consider switching to Linux; Mark at TreeHugger suggests that you will probably get twice the life out of your machine; the Eco-Geek writes "that A widespread switch to Linux could prevent millions of tons of waste from going into landfills. Every computer not needed would prevent the use of 240 kg of fossil fuels."
If you have to get a new computer, make it a green one. Planet Green's Jasmin suggests looking for Energy Star, but that only looks at energy and there is a lot more at stake. What is it made of? Is it full of toxic chemicals? Can it be recycled? For that, you have to look at the newer EPEAT standard for green computing. It stands for Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, and Collin at TreeHugger says it " offers criteria in eight categories—materials selection, environmentally sensitive materials, design for end of life, end-of-life management, energy conservation, product longevity and life-cycle extension, packaging, and corporate performance."
Get a laptop. There used to be a real performance, cost, upgradablility and durability hit compared to desktops, but as prices have dropped and performance of every computer is pretty close for anyone who isn't doing 3D rendering and gaming, the difference has decreased to the point where it is offset by flexibility, power consumption and size. Read more in our Buy Green Guide.
But you might also think about getting a big monitor to go with it.
Read the next page "What kind of desk?"
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