Go Green Technology

Some technology companies are trying to reduce waste disposal at landfills and improve the recycling rate, yet some digital camera companies are going the extra mile. Find out who is doing just that.

Olympus camera manufacturer is also trying to reduce the amount of waste that is generated, by reducing their water consumption in their business operations through cascading, which is the repeated use of water between the intake and discharge stages. Olympus have been working to reduce their emissions of nitrous oxides (NOx) and sulfur oxides (SOx), which had declined from 2006 to 2010, and they have a future goal for further reduction. This eco camera manufacturer has also been working toward reducing their VOCs (volatile organic compounds) by maintaining, managing, and improving treatment facilities, which is an on-going effort.

Chemical sustances for human health and environment is also a concern at Olympus with the removal of lead, cadmium, and arsenic from their lenses. In addition to this eco glass in their lenses, they also do not use polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in the body of their camera, and at times their website goes on further to explain that the electrical insulation of interconnections is PVC free.

By using hazardous free substances, reducing waste disposal at landfills, and reducing the waste they personally generate at the manufacturing plant they have reduced their waste by 20% from 2007 to 2010 and are continuing to set new goals, while still meeting the demands of consumers.

The products of Olympus include: compact digital cameras; micro four thirds digital cameras; and digital SLR cameras, of which the latter is similar to the medium format film cameras that professionals use. A camera worth mentioning is the SP-610UZ which is part of their compact digital line, with a good zoom I might add, since it is 22 times "optical" zoom, which is more important than digital zoom. Another camera to highlight is the SLR Olympus E5, which is dustproof, splashproof, with a multi-angle live view, and multi exposure features and art filters. Both of these cameras are part of Olympus' eco product list.

So you are thinking, . . . Ok these cameras are eco friendly but performance is important to me. Then don't take my word for it, but Consumer Reports annual electronics issue rated both of these cameras well for performance. Consumer Reports tested 108 models and only printed the best performers in their December 2011 issue. The SLR E5 was also shown to be a recomended buy by Consumer Reports for those that wanted advanced features and performance with interchangeable lenses. If a compact camera is what you are looking for then the aforementioned SP-610UZ also rated well particularly when a versatile zoom lens is a priority. That same camera was considered a best buy for the features, performance and price, since it is less expensive than the Panasonic, Fuji, Canon, Sony, and Nikon cameras in the same category tested by Consumer Reports. So now with eco data and performance data both, you can have that warm fuzzy feeling about your purchase, knowing your pictures won't be fuzzy.

Which computer is greenest and how is that determined? There are at least 3 organizations that look at green criteria for computers based on certain high standards they have set as a benchmark. Are they right? It depends.

What one company or organization finds to be green may not be all encompassing, because that depends on several factors. Those factors are: what you want your computer to do or be able to do, along with what is the criteria for being green and who is setting that criteria.

The top 500 list of green supercomputers is listed by an organization called Green 500 (link near bottom in links section), but one may not want a supercomputer, and the average user has very different needs.

Supercomputers aside, one such way computer companies can be green is to use electric kWh in a green way by receiving much of their fuel to run their manufacturing plant or center by using wind, solar, biogas, and biofuel instead of having coal supply their production efforts. Yearly the EPA lists those partners in the Green Power Partnership (many are technology companies), which shows not only kWh (kilowatt-hours), but what percentage of that is green and from what source it is derived. This is great, however a company or corporation that has sustainable operations may still NOT necessarily produce green technology products.

Now sometimes the reverse is true, whereas a few years ago the Apple 17-inch MacBook Pro was made of glass and aluminum (both recyclable materials); and was free from mercury, arsenic, PVC and brominated flame retardants; as well as using 35 percent less consumer packaging than its predecessor, yet recently Apple company as a whole didn't rate that high on another list in another category.

Apple did fairly well on the last EPA list of October 2011, (seen above) for strong sustainable operations, but scored poorly on energy policy AND energy criteria to reduce emissions (GHG emissions) on Greenpeace's list of November 2011. All 3 categories including: sustainable operations, green products, and energy criteria are rated yearly by Greenpeace in their "Greener Electronics Guide", which includes computers. You can even download each company's report card.

In summary, when looking for a green Mac or green PC the Energy Star 5.0 rating and EPEAT symbols are NOT the only thing one should consider, but it is a start. EPEAT's highest rating is gold and their site contains a registry of greener electronics you can search for free. They are also a program in the Green Electronics Council.

Some other enjoyable related reading found at this link for

Top 10 green concept computers

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Take a look at the CPU above, which is about the size of a router and lightweight too. It's only slightly larger than a package of software and only about 6 times the size of a tennis ball.

Amazingly, these new generation computers are eco friendly and take up little space and use less electricity too. There is one particular company I want to mention that is RoHS compliant and has the Energy Star 5.0 eco label, but is little-known and deserves its place in the go green spotlight. It has been exclusively in the European Union, but they are now expanding into other markets.

The CPU (brains of the computer) comes in (stock) black or white can be ordered and is made with 100% recycled parts. Monitors are sold separately as is the case of most computer manufacturers today. The exterior frame of the monitors are also recycled. A monitor will outlast a CPU and most people retain their old one anyhow when buying a new computer. Mine is (nine) 9 years old and still kicking. If one wants to retain their old monitor and it just so happens to be VGA, then that's no problem since a DVI /VGA converter is provided for free.

This is a still or motionless CPU, whereas most CPUs have 2 or 3 fans. It does have one fan, but is only activated when necessary when using higher class software such as games and full HD (high definition) movies. Constantly stable, the CPU's temperature of graphics and processor never goes over 55 degrees Celsius, which is 131 degrees Fahrenheit. Now to put this in perspective, PCs (depending on which brand and configuration) can run in the 80's and even mid 90's Celsius, with some mild stress being seen at 63 degrees Celsius on some computers, so keeping it at or under 55 is a good thing. This will also prevent the computer from overheating.

Small and lightweight CPU

This small sized CPU is 25mm thick (2.5 cm), which is equal to the thickness of two magazines. The length and width are not even up to a magazine of A4 size, and it's ultralight at only 0.4 kg.

You may use the CPU free standing OR because of its lightweight you can save additional space by attaching it to the back of your monitor. Most monitors (even mine that is 9 years old) have four holes on the back towards the middle surrounding the label and this is where you would mount it. The Vesa mounting kit comes with the CPU and is very easy to attach so even someone without a lot of computer or mechanical knowledge could do this effortlessly. (see mounting pic further down)

Low Energy CPU

This low energy CPU uses only 17 to 19 watts per hour, with some variation due to the size hard drive you choose. Most newer desktop CPUs typically use 65 to 95 watts per hour, (not including the monitor) but that also depends on whether it is at 100% load or not, and the age of the CPU. That is not however the national or even global average, which for older CPUs can be around 190 watts or more, and CRTs have even higher numbers.

Since electricity is not measured in watts or kilowatts but kilowatt hours, with a kilowatt being equal to 1000 watts, then if you had a device that used 1,000 watts and ran it for an hour then you would have to pay for 1 (one) kWh. I am not going to do the calculations for all the scenarios (based on computers and electric companies) and will leave you to do the math, but consider this next example. On average computers are running 8 hours a day and so 100 PCs running at that rate and over a 5 year period does mount up. Let's say the average CPU is 190 watts, (no monitor) x 8 hours a day x 365 days a year x 100 PCs x 5 years (div by) ÷ 1000 = 277,400 kWh used. That does not even include the monitor usage and when you add that to the mix, this eco friendly PC could save companies an estimated 60,000 Euro or more. Companies with more than 100 PCs running would save even more still so this CPU is an electricity saver, which in turn saves money.

Photo credit da.bruger.twid on Creative Commons - English and Danish

Obviously the savings are not as great for the average home user. However with that being said, Americans have on average 3 computers per household, some running all day and night with fans continuing to cool it, even when gaming is not engaged. It is true that most monitors today have a power saving feature, but if the CPU is still on it still uses electricity. In tough economic times like we are in now, everyone is looking to save money and you would be doing something good for the environment. Residential and business users alike replace their CPU every 4 years anyhow (on average), so why replace bad with the same bad. Additionally with residential turbines coming on board, you'll have that much more electricity (not used) to sell back to the power company. Click here to get more info on this topic and how many have or will tie on to the grid and sell back unused power, with net metering in alternative power applications.

So what's the catch? The hard drive space is great and the RAM is certainly more than adequate, but to some they may feel like the speed could be compromised or that the processor is average. I really don't feel like this would be the case, for everything does not hinge on processor speed or even bus speed, and another point of interest is that the new technology is not calculated the same way as before. Processors today are better at HOW they process, which makes the smaller MHz and GHz less important in the overall functionality. Moreover, the average office user will not be playing games at work, and home users have found the Wii and Xbox 360 to now be a household name.

Going Green Without the Compromise
In summation I'd like to ask, wouldn't it be nice to buy great products you like, while helping green the earth and not have to sacrifice anything? Quite often the products are smaller, just as efficient, and cost about the same as your old non-green products. The specifications on this eco friendly CPU for this PC, is included in the next section below along with space saving mounting.

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SOME SPECIFICATIONS:
This eco cpu has the Intel ATOM 330 Dual Core Processor, but paired with the nVidia ION graphics processor. The nVidia ION companion (based on GeForce 9400) acts like a 3rd processor and runs faster than the other two, so none of the usage from the ATOM processor is used. That little magic touch allows HD movies and games to run smoothly, and the company owner said that it was tested using the game "NHL 2009" even with medium graphics specifications with no problems. Many have heard of the ATOM and some have even heard of nVidia ION, but here they are paired together and the lower electric consumption this one boasts is an important ingredient too.

The CPU is 64 bit, has HD 1080P, a WiFi antenna, and uses the go green hard drive (or hard disk) "Western Digital's Scorpio Blue." The Vesa mounting kit (seen above) is included, which allows for CPU mounting to the monitor in a similar way that TVs flush mount to the wall. If you are not familiar with Vesa mount also known as FDMI or known as Vesa Mounting Interface, use this link I provided. If you happen to live in the United States, one can easily pick up a EU/ US electric converter for a few dollars. They also offer the CPUs in bulk of 10 or 100 at a time for businesses. To see the full details and pricing for the Eco PC at Global Change, click this link for the home page of GlobChan and note that you can still customize your purchase. If you prefer, here is the link for a pdf format with English translation.

Note 1: I have not personally bought one of these computers yet, so I make no claims about the product nor am I a representative of the company or a paid sponsor. Note 2: Additionally, the CPUs normally come with Linux as an operating system, however you can ask for Windows 7 instead.

Disclaimer: These pictures with the exception of one photo (credited) are not for public use, but feel free to pass on this article (link). I have personally been granted permisson from this company to use these photos.

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And don't forget to check out this page "Green Solutions for the Environment"