Green Talk

Can man survive? Great free giveaway. See details below.

The Ovum Factor is a new novel by author, businessman, and publisher, Marvin L. Zimmerman, in which he depicts the inevitable consequences if we do not change to halt our destructive ways towards the Planet. The back cover reveals the following plot:

“Destruction of Earth’s ecology threatens the survival of humanity. With time ticking away, a clandestine think tank of leading scientists and world leaders has identified our last hope-the controversial research of the Noble Prize-winning professor aimed at unleashing the power of a unique molecule that can alter the course of human history.

When David Rose, a young investment banker from New York, is assigned to evaluate the professor’s research, he soon becomes swept up in a whirlwind of international espionage, assignation, and sabotage. David finds himself on a journey that takes him to the unexplored depths of the Amazon in order to fulfill two ancient prophecies for saving mankind and at the same time to realize his own destiny….”

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Photo courtesy of GreenPrint

Free Software, printing green, and saving trees and a few bucks too? For a frugal tree hugger like me, I have died and gone to heaven. Where do I sign up? (Thanks, Jason for this tip from your site, Scream to Be Green.)

Let’s start at the beginning. How will this free software for your home make your life greener? (Note, this software is not available for Mac users yet.) According to the Company’s recent press release,

“GreenPrint software eliminates waste before printing, saving paper, ink, and reducing greenhouse gasses. It does this by analyzing each page of every document sent to the printer and looking for typical waste characteristics (e.g. pages with just a URL, banner ad, logo, or legal jargon) and then highlighting and removing them before they are printed. GreenPrint also allows users to remove images from a page with a single click before printing, resulting in significant savings in ink or toner. GreenPrint saves the average user over $90 and 1,400 wasted pages per year and quantifies the ecological and cost saving benefits that result in easy to read report.”

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Photo by permission of Daniel R. Blume

As technology advances, I have seen more monitors, computers, televisions, and other electronic equipment left at the end of driveways or in trash cans waiting to hitch a ride to the nearest landfill. According to the EPA, only twelve percent of electronic equipment is recycled.

The sad part is the nearest landfill could be a third world country. A couple of days ago, I wrote an article about GreenDisk, the producers of the technotrash can, which you can use to dispose of electronic media, and certain electronic equipment. My decision to team up with GreenDisk was due to my reading of a Mother Earth article, which showed a picture of a cherub Chinese child on top of a mountain of our electronic waste. It was deeply disturbing.

Please watch this shortened version of a video produced by Basel Action Network about what happens to our electronic equipment after it is shipped to third world countries.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0xpRk7MYNg[/youtube]

Here are some other ideas on how to prevent your electronic equipment from entering the waste stream:

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Photo by permission of Zonbu

After I posted my article on the Zonbu Desktop Mini and Notebook, I received an email from Grégoire Gentil, CEO of Zonbu, about some questions that I still had.

Just to give a short recap, the Zonbu Mini and Notebook are energy efficient, green, and affordable. The Desktop Mini is priced at $99 and with a two year maintenance plan of $14.95 per month.

The 60 GB Notebook is priced at $279 with a two year maintenance plan of $14.95 per month. (Note, both Notebook and Desktop Mini’s prices increase if you buy them without the maintenance plan.) The Desktop Mini was the first EPEAT Gold certified consumer desktop based upon meeting stringent environmental criteria and compliant with ENERGY STAR 4 and RoHS standards (Reduction of Hazardous Substances). The Notebook obtained the EPEAT Silver status.

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 Some of the contents of my GreenDisk Technotrash Can

Do you remember when you use to get those AOL free disks?  They would come in your mail, in magazines, and even with your toilet paper.  (Just kidding)  Just think of how many CDs and DVDs that are produced every year and how many damaged, obsolete, or unwanted disks end up in landfills.  What about their plastic packaging?  According to the EPA, some plastic can take up to 450 years to decompose.  So, where do you think all of those unwanted disks go, after you throw them in the trash?  Landfills. 

 I will never forget the story, “High Tech Trash,” written in the October/November 2003 issue of Mother Earth News’ magazine as to the amount of our electronic trash being exported to third world countries.  The picture of a Chinese child sitting on top of an electronic heap will forever be burned into my memory. It made me sick to see this innocent child who had to live with our waste.  It changed my life and the way I think.  I resolved never to throw out any electronic waste, but what was I going to do with all those unwanted or damage disks?

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Photo by permission of Zonbu

Zonbu is ushering in a new age of computing with its affordable, energy efficient, low toxic Desktop Mini and recently added Notebook. The Company is taking a page from the cellular phone industry and offering computers at such reasonable prices with maintenance plans that make it possible for everyone to afford a computer.

What makes Zonbu different than other computer companies? The Company has made a commitment to create products that are not only affordable, but environmentally responsible as well. The Desktop Mini was the first EPEAT Gold certified consumer desktop based upon meeting stringent environmental criteria and compliant with ENERGY STAR 4 and RoHS standards (Reduction of Hazardous Substances). The Notebook obtained the EPEAT Silver status.

Think of your own consumption. Many people buy a new computer every three years about the same time that Microsoft seems to upgrade their software. My last laptop cost about $1200.00 with a 160 GB hard drive. It did not come with Microsoft Office or other needed software. In addition to the cost of the laptop, I had to spend additional monies on the software applications that I needed and an extended warranty in case of a hard drive failure. (Been there three times.) Yep. I hear it now. Ka-ching Ka-ching!

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Photo by permission. Founder Brett Mosley,taking apart broken iPods.

Emma Lazarus said in her poem which is engraved on the pedestal of the Statute of Liberty, “Give me your tired, your poor,/ Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” Although not as dramatic, Brett Mosley, founder of Buymytronics.com has taken that same philosophy and pays you for your broken or just used electronics to keep them out of the e-waste stream. Instead of just recycling the electronics, the Company gives them a second life. I can’t think of a better monetary and environmental incentive to empty those drawers, or think before you pitch.

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Photo courtesy of Second Rotation, Inc

Every time you open a drawer or closet, there is unused electronic equipment staring you in the face. Should you try and sell it? Then you think, that could be too much of a hassle. Perhaps you should throw it away? Who is going to want it anyway?

Stress no more because Second Rotation wants your equipment and is willing to pay you a competitive price for it. Does this sound too good to be true? Their mission according to Dylan Hunter, VP of Marketing at the Company is to encourage people to sell their equipment to them instead of disposing of it in a landfill. What better way to achieve this lofty goal then by paying someone a competitive price for their unused wares?

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Photo Courtesy of SmartHomeUSA.com

With all the talk about lessening your carbon footprint, one of the suggestions is to unplug your computers, televisions, and VCRs.  Even when you shut off these electrical appliances, they are still drawing power. 

 “These ‘phantom’ loads occur in most appliances that use electricity, such as VCRs, televisions, stereos, computers, and kitchen appliances. In the average home, 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. This can be avoided by unplugging the appliance or using a power strip and using the switch on the power strip to cut all power to the appliance,” according to the Department of Energy.¹

  Although we all know better, how many people remember to turn off the power strip to their computers when they leave the room?  Don’t all raise your hands at once.  Even though we are trying to be more environmentally conscious, we just forget.  It happens. 

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