Lifestyle Changes: Electronics
In this day and age, electronics are fully integrated into almost every aspect of our lives. They allow us to communicate with people all over the world, bring us the news, cook our food, and assist in all sorts of medical settings. With new and exciting pieces of technology coming out nearly every day, it is so simple to discard your old equipment into the without a second thought. We have several things to consider when it comes to electronics; their energy efficiency, how they are manufactured, and what we do with them when they are no longer of use to us.
We are using more energy than we think!
Please see this website for an estimate of household appliances'
energy usage, keeping in mind that this does not account for our
mobile phone, MP3 players, and tablet usage:
http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/home/appliances/small_appl.html
Good ways to prevent energy waste are
to make sure all of your electronics are serviced regularly. Poorly
functioning devices tend to draw more electricity than those who have
been properly maintained. Unplug your devices when you are not using
or charging them. Seek to purchase only those appliances with the
Energy Star rating and built by companies who manufacture in
countries with fair labor and environmental standards. While it is
great to purchase an Energy Star appliance to minimize your energy
usage, you are being less helpful than you might think if the
appliance or electronic you purchased was manufactured in a plant
that puts off a surplus of toxic waste or emissions. It is certainly
going to cost a little more to purchase an energy efficient appliance
manufactured in a country with adequate environmental regulations,
but we (both as individuals and as corporations) need to shift away
from a focus on our pocket books and towards a healthier earth by
making sure that our practices reflect our beliefs. For those who
live in the US, a sustainable practice is to buy Energy Star rated
electronics and appliances that are made in the US or Canada. While our
environmental policies certainly leave something to be desired (a
topic for another day), they are much better than most of the
countries who presently manufacture the vast majority of electronics
worldwide. The energy savings in shipping alone is worth paying a
little more for domestically made products. Here is a website that
has compiled a list of American made products, including appliances
and electronics: http://reemployamerica.us/
Manufacturing is an area where there is
significant room for improvement in almost every field, including
electronics. My research did not yield anything in regards to
electronics or appliance manufacturers using reclaimed materials to
build new products. Many major companies sell "re-built"
devices for less than their new counterparts, but a really
big step in sustainability would be for manufacturers to start using recycled plastics
and metals to build their new electronics and to find new renewable
materials to replace those currently in place in addition to ensuring
that they are contributing no waste or pollution to the surrounding
eco-systems by adopting sustainable manufacturing policies and
programs. There does seem to be a lot of interest in the field to
become more sustainable, but it has been very difficult to find a
concrete example of where the industry has improved. Please see the
following website to learn more about the initiative:
http://www.sustainelectronics.illinois.edu/
According the the EPA, approximately
2.37 million tops of electronics, including computers, office
equipment, and mobile devices go into the landfill each year. That is
A LOT of waste! And this number does not even include household appliances. Not only are most electronic devices
recyclable or reusable in some capacity, but they contain heavy
metals and highly toxic chemicals that contaminate water and soil and
pose a hazard to both humans and nature if disposed of improperly. At
present, the best solution for this is electronics recycling
programs. Most electronic devices can be fixed or upgraded and
re-sold or their components can be harvested for the repair of
similar devices. You can find electronics recycling programs that
will rebuild your devices and dispose of the remains responsibly by
visiting: http://earth911.com/recycling/small-electronics/
As mindful global citizens, we need to
be very aware of our consumption and decrease overall demand for the
products that eventually end up in the landfill in order to make an
impact on waste and manufacturing practices. Take good care of this
electronics you have and use them until you just can't anymore. Upgrade your existing devices rather than purchasing new ones, if possible. Maybe you won't look as cool with your iPhone 4 (because as far as I can tell there is no such thing as an American made mobile phone...) as all your friends with the iPhone 5, but we have to ask ourselves what is really important?
Buy
products made domestically with ethical business practices and
whatever else you do, do NOT simply throw your outdated or broken
electronics in the trash. Find a recycling program or, at the very
least, donate them to a local second hand shop. Most have some sort
of repair shop on site nowadays and the proceeds from the sale goes
to a good cause. We must decrease demand to improve practices, but we can start with these very basic things to put a dent in the mess we've created with our technology obsession.
To learn more about eCycling, visit the
EPA website at:
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/ecycling/index.htm
Here's a short video on how our
electronics are "Designed for the Dump:"
http://www.openideo.com/open/e-waste/inspiration/designed-for-the-dump
You bring up a good point about the differences in environmental protection in other countries. US companies routinely choose to operate manufacturing in countries that have lower environmental standards because it is cheaper. This seems to be a loophole that needs to be closed somehow. Thoughts?
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