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Green guide :-)
This list is not exhaustive, however it provides examples on how to reduce your energy expenditure which will benefit our planet.
1 – Ensure you have optimal power saving options, which can be adjusted in your power power options in the control panel on a windows based machine. A computer uses less power when hibernating than when sleeping, set up your computer to hibernate rather than just go to sleep if possible.
2 – Turn off or disconnect peripherals devices when not required as they continually draw current while in standby mode which makes a difference in energy conservation at home or in the Office.
3 - If you do not wish to turn your computer off as tasks are being completed, just check if the software has the option to shut the system down automatically once the task has completed. Some anti virus programs and peer-to-peer clients like Bit torrent & uTorrent can shutdown your computer once a scan or download completes.
4 – Reducing the brightness on your on screen display saves power, having a brighter screen uses more power - simple.
5 - Turn your monitor off when you have finished using it as standby mode still consumes energy. If your computer & monitor are connected to an extension bar why not turn them both off.
6 – If you need to access your computer remotely just enable the Wake-on-LAN option. Then your computer can be accessed over the internet from anywhere, so there is no reason not to shut down your computer when you leave the house.
7 - Recycle any old parts of your computer that you don’t need. Computers can be donated & re used or recycled which is much better than ending up in a landfill site.
8 - Why not try Win OFF for Windows which shuts down, restarts & hibernates your computer (among other things) after a certain amount of time, at a specific time, or when your CPU goes idle so that your computer automatically shuts off at times you don't need it. Apple Macs can also benefit from Smart Sleep a free energy saving application to enhance your power-saving options.
9 - Always try to create a PDF document instead of printing paper, which can be emailed or faxed. This saves tons of paper & saves many trees too! A freeware PDF printer is available from Cute PDF Make sure you source both the free download & converter required. To save ink and paper when you're printing from your browser, use the handy Firefox extension Aardvark to tweak the layout of a page & remove elements like adverts and images that you may not require on the printed page.
10 - Laptop computers generally use less energy than an equivalent desktop machine; up to 50% less in some cases. LCD monitors use on average 50 to 70% less energy than a CRT monitor, however advantage tends to get smaller as LCD screens become bigger.
11 - Before you make your computer purchase please take a few minutes to research the informative sites like Metaefficent.com This will inform you which companies are producing green efficient models. Dell for example produces the Studio Hybrid, Apple has the Mac Mini energy sipper & Lenovo produces monitors attaining EPEAT’s gold-certification.
12 - If you are committed to purchasing from only planet friendly manufactures browse through the informative Green peace greener-electronics guide.
12 - Look for RoHS information on on your next purchase, which is the European Union Restriction of Hazardous Substances reducing allowable levels of lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, & flame retardants. Even if you don’t live in Europe, look out for the logo showing you the manufacturer’s commitment to being green.
The HP DV6929 laptop comes packed in a messenger bag made from 100% recycled material instead of excessive packaging using huge cardboard boxes containing non-biodegradable Styrofoam.
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Western Digital have released their Cavier GP (green power) eco friendly hard drive. The drive incorporates a variable speed range, which in turn reduces the drives power consumption. The green credentials definitely do not hamper the speed of the drive with better than average results when compared to other similar specification units. Western digital claim the operational current has dropped from 13 watts from their previous generation hard drives to only 8 watts. A claimed 38% power consumption can be saved by using the drive. Capacity from 320GB - 3TB. - October 2010
The new NEC E231W monitor improves the companies green heritage by utilising an EPEAT gold rated LED backlit panel to increase energy savings by up to 40% with an operating power of only 28w. The 23” monitor is competitively priced with a 3 year warranty & a 4 way adjustable stand ideal for businesses wishing to reduce their operating costs.
- October 2010
Apple has released their latest generation of the Mac Book, Mac Book Pro and the Mac Book Air
which are greener than any models previously produced. A pioneer of green products since formulating their environmental policy back in 1990, the current lineup uses lead-free LED technology and arsenic-free display glass. - 2010
Apple green manufacturing details.
Moneual have released their Sonamu G100 which is the first green pc to achieve zero watts energy consumption in standby mode saving a significant decrease in energy, costs & C02 emissions. The PC allows you to manage the power of all your peripherals (printers, monitor, speakers etc) via a button on the front panel saving you the effort of unplugging all the peripherals directly. - August 2010
Samsung Blue Earth phone is manufactured from recycled plastic bottles and powered by solar panels on the rear of the phone. Even when the sun is absent the 5 star rated charger uses only 0.03w in standby mode. It features a 3” LCD screen, WiFi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.1, GPS, VGA camera & FM stereo. - 2009