How Much Do You Care?

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Ok, I know what you’re thinking. What’s all this got to do with IT?

Here too you have choices – and probably more than you think. You can exercise choice when buying new stuff, using it day to day, and trashing it for an upgrade.

When you come to buy your next piece of IT equipment, you could have a go at factoring in its environmental impact. According to Greenpeace International the average Briton looking to spend £500 on a PC would be prepared to spend an extra £64 if that PC were more environmentally friendly.

That’s pretty big stuff – you are talking about paying more than a ten percent surcharge for some green credentials. It certainly shows that some of us are prepared to put our money where our mouth is. (There’s a survey report here, which reveals more on this subject). With regard to eco-friendliness, Greenpeace lists IT companies it regards as good performers and companies that it thinks do badly.

Another useful source is the Ethical Consumer, a magazine which covers a whole lot more than IT equipment. Its sister web site – www.ethiscore.org has a few free consumer reports that give you a taste of the kind of things on offer and there’s a report there on computer manufacturers. Now, this report is a bit old, and I don’t want to suggest its findings should be taken as definitive for purchases you intend making today or tomorrow, but take a quick look and you’ll get the idea of how things work for the Ethical Consumer and ethiscore.

Once you’ve got your equipment you need to use it in an ‘eco friendly’ way. Don’t leave it on standby when it can consume oodles of energy – switch it off when you are done. If you work in an office, switch your computer off before you leave for the day – and the last one out should turn out the lights – no, that’s not just a saying. Unplug mobile devices when they are charged so you aren’t still draining power from the mains.

Find schemes you favour to recycle your old equipment. Visit [linkout: http://www.inkagain.co.uk www.inkagain.co.uk] to recycle your old inkjet cartridges and mobile phones to favour a charity of your choice – there are plenty to choose from. If you are a company reading this check out the collection scheme.

If you want to give an old PC to a good cause visit Computer Aid International or try Donate a PC.

Many of the behaviour changes I’ve suggested are simple, easy and free to implement. Some will save you money.

Some might mean giving up something you like, putting in that bit of extra effort when you buy new equipment and get rid of old and maybe even not getting the device you really want because while its features are great you can’t go along with its eco characteristics.

So what? In the long run this seems like a small price to pay.

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