Do Your Part
Get a greener computer
May 12, 2008 | view all items
Did you know you can do your part by picking a greener type of computer? According to National Geographic, you can cut your computer’s energy consumption by 50% by switching from a desktop to a laptop computer.
Energy Star says energy savings gets to the heart of what a laptop is designed to do: operate using as little energy as possible. It’s the laptop’s mission to contain components that consume less energy enabling the laptop’s battery to last as long as possible. Energy Star also says you’ll save 50% and even as much as 80% of computing energy consumed by switching to a laptop.
There are other ways to save energy and money when using your computer. First, set your computer to “fall asleep” after just five minutes of inactivity. Second reduce your computer’s brightness settings. Chances are your screen is so bright, that lowering this setting won’t affect your ability to see what’s on the screen, but it will require less energy!
All Apple computers come with an Energy Saver mode enabled. The company also provides a calculator on line to let you know how much you’ll save by using that Energy Saver Setting.
http://www.apple.com/environment/resources/calculator.html
Another key factor to consider when shopping for a computer is how it’s made, the materials used and general impact on the environment. Apple offers details on environmental impact for each of their computers. You can find that by clicking on this link.
http://www.apple.com/environment/resources/specs.html
Other computer manufacturers also offer this information. Dell Computers is a popular choice for PC users. That company now offers free recycling. For more information on the environmental impact of its products, click here.
http://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/corp/environment/en/index?c=us&l=en&s=corp
You can calculate just how much energy your computer is consuming by visiting the Energy Star website at http://www.eu-energystar.org/en/en_008b.shtml
Energy Star says energy savings gets to the heart of what a laptop is designed to do: operate using as little energy as possible. It’s the laptop’s mission to contain components that consume less energy enabling the laptop’s battery to last as long as possible. Energy Star also says you’ll save 50% and even as much as 80% of computing energy consumed by switching to a laptop.
There are other ways to save energy and money when using your computer. First, set your computer to “fall asleep” after just five minutes of inactivity. Second reduce your computer’s brightness settings. Chances are your screen is so bright, that lowering this setting won’t affect your ability to see what’s on the screen, but it will require less energy!
All Apple computers come with an Energy Saver mode enabled. The company also provides a calculator on line to let you know how much you’ll save by using that Energy Saver Setting.
http://www.apple.com/environment/resources/calculator.html
Another key factor to consider when shopping for a computer is how it’s made, the materials used and general impact on the environment. Apple offers details on environmental impact for each of their computers. You can find that by clicking on this link.
http://www.apple.com/environment/resources/specs.html
Other computer manufacturers also offer this information. Dell Computers is a popular choice for PC users. That company now offers free recycling. For more information on the environmental impact of its products, click here.
http://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/corp/environment/en/index?c=us&l=en&s=corp
You can calculate just how much energy your computer is consuming by visiting the Energy Star website at http://www.eu-energystar.org/en/en_008b.shtml
