Green Computing

Most people go on the computer several times a day, so why not be as environmentally friendly as possible? For those who are thinking of a new computer this season, here are a couple of my top picks:

Apple's Macbook uses almost no energy (a light bulb uses four times as much energy), and the it is free of mercury, arsenic, PVC, and brominated flame retardant. It is also almost completely recyclable.

Dell's Bamboo Computer is approximately eighty percent smaller then a standard mini-tower desk top, and uses seventy percent less energy.

MicroPro Computers' biodegradable PC iameco (pronounced I am Eco). With bodies, keyboard casings and mice out of recycled wood, the computers are designed to be zero-waste computers so that they can be easily upgraded rather than replaced.

*One tip, laptops almost always use less energy then desktops, and flat screens use about one third the energy of CRTs*

While not everyone is in the market for a new computer, there are some ways we can all be a little more green with our computer usage.

-Turn your computer off when you aren't using it.

-Unplug you computer when you can to stop "Phantom power use".

-Avoid screen savers; they have been known to use MORE energy then letting the screen dim.

-When away from you desktop for fifteen minutes or more, turn off the monitor.

-Change you power settings.

If you want to see how power smart your current computer is, check out http://www.epeat.net/ . EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) is all about finding the greenest electronics.

If you have a favourite environmentally friendly computer, or green cimouting tip LET ME KNOW!! COMMENT!