Make It

Lots of people are making their own things or repurposing what they have. Mister Jalopy is probably on of the more famous people in this arena. Here is a piece about him on CNN and his Owner's Manifesto that he wrote for Make.

While this type of work is not for everyone due to technical limitations I think everyone can learn a little bit and there are plenty of DIY and MIY resources on the internet. It's like we all became lazy about everything because we could always buy another one or there was always a new gadget that would solve that problem. Thinking about products differently and incorporating a cradle-to-cradle design mentality will go a long way in addressing our garbage problems.

Fix It If You Can

One of the problems with so many of the things we buy is that they are difficult to fix. Usually they are cheaper to replace, too. What if you could find an easy way to repair rather than toss and replace?

iFixit is a site that has parts and repair help for Apple products and has teardowns of other gadgets so you can see what's inside and maybe get an idea on how to fix it. A step in the right direction to reduce our consumption and keep electronic waste out of landfills.

High Tech Gardening

Gardening is a great hobby that has many benefits. If you're into technology there are more ways to combine these to pursuits. As things like computers, sensors, lighting etc. have become cheaper and the ability to connect them all easier having a high tech garden is not that difficult.

Here are a couple of interesting links about technology to the garden courtesy of Lifehacker and Make. At Make they posted a video about a robot that can maintain the garden. Never worry about forgetting to water again! I posted the video at my other site which is mostly news links and videos.

Electronics Recycling Made Easier

Recycling electronics is not easy and since many of them still work they are difficult to part with. However, Best Buy has expanded their recycling program to all of their stores in the U.S. Since there are lots of stores it has become significantly easier to recycle numerous electronics.

Reconnect Partnership

The Reconnect Partnership is program involving Dell and Goodwill. They work together to recycle computers. They use Goodwill as collection centers like they already are for many things. Just go to the site and enter your ZIP to find a center near you.

Alternatively, find ways to reuse, repurpose or rebuild what you have. An older desktop in our house has just been rebuilt using Ubuntu rather than buying a new machine. It's like a new computer now and it was very easy. Several other ideas are available for older desktops that we may implement. Building a network storage or server, a server dedicated to Skype or a media server/PVR are possibilities. There are plenty of instructions online and software to do these things are readily available. It could even be a fun family project.

Digital TV

Digital TV is arriving in February 2009. This means that many television sets will be rendered obsolete. Take Back My TV is a project of the Electronics TakeBack Coalition. They are asking electronics manufacturers to take back these old sets and design electronics with recycling in mind. Another alternative to trashing your old TV is buy a converter but if your set is on the way out anyway use a responsible recycling center.

Revive Dead Batteries

I found an Instructable (via Hack-a-Day) on how to revive dead nickle-cadmium batteries. If you have some technical skills, and still have the chargers, you can get these types of batteries going again.

This is a great way to keep these batteries out of the landfill. Despite today being a big shopping day it is looking like many people will being trying stretch the life of what they have. Saving money and reducing garbage are a good combination any time.

Recycling Computer Hardware

I think I missed the boat on Blog Action Day. However, it does not mean that I can't still bring attention to something from that event. Lifehacker had a post about donating old computer hardware. You clear up some storage space, save electronics from the scrap heap and help out people and organizations that could use the hardware.

I know some jurisdictions have introduced electronic recycling levies and things but I haven't heard about whether those programs are effective or having any impact. Looks like individuals will have to take responsibility for their own electronics.

Electronic Waste In Africa, Too

I have written several times about electronic waste and have posted a few videos, too. I found another story out of Ghana where children are combing through piles of computers to try and earn a living. The report is appalling but it is not anything we haven't heard before. This is symptomatic of two problems in our society. The first is mass consumption without thought for the consequences. We can make individual choices to minimize our damage and help others do the same. The second is a function of our regulatory and economic system that (usually) makes it cheaper to pollute than to be responsible. As citizens we can make a difference in that area by being involved in our communities and governments. Electronic waste is just one of many environmental problems we export and until we start seeing piles of burning wires in our cities it is unlikely we'll do anything about it.

Electronic Tax

The province of Ontario has decided to charge a recycling levy on electronics. They range from $10 on a TV to $13 for a desktop computer.

I don't know if these fees will change behavior or cover the cost of recycling. Ten bucks on a $1500 TV is hardly going to make people think twice about buying it or how they'll throw it out. Just another tax disguised as a green initiative. There must be better policy options out there.

Buying Green Electronics Made Easier

I have written several times about environmental impacts of electronics. Occasionally, people need to buy new electronics but how do you find the environmental impact of what you buy? The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool may help.

The EPEAT is a registry of products that meet criteria established with the IEEE which you may know from various electronic standards like the firewire or WiFi. They have companies register their products and certify that they meet the criteria while EPEAT does testing of some products. More details about EPEAT and their criteria can be found on their website. It also appears that they work with the U.S. government on purchasing and in conjunction with the EnergyStar program which adds credibility for consumers. I think this is a great tool and the more information that people have the better purchasing decisions will be.

Recycling by Mail

The U.S. Postal Service launched the "Mail Back" program. The program provides free envelopes to mail small electronics, like MP3 players and PDAs, so they can sent to Clover Technologies Group for refurbishing or recycling. The program is available in 10 areas around the U.S. like D.C. and Chicago but I'm sure as the program grows they will expand it.

A simple and easy way to save some electronics from the landfill. I keep getting amazed by the simple solutions to these problems. If you live near one of these post offices go and get some envelopes and send your unused/unwanted items for recycling. Just make sure you delete everything before you send them off!!

Go Online, Save a Computer

Recently I have discovered the wide array of services and tools offered by Google. I have started using a lot of them. One I find particularly helpful is the Google toolbar for Firefox. I use Firefox and have done so for a few years now. What I like about the toolbar is that I can import all my bookmarks. Now I can have all the things I have found online anywhere. Now you're asking what does this have to do with the environment?

If you have an old computer you can save it from the landfill and use it without having to get the latest operating system. We know electronic waste is very harmful and we should try and minimize it. I think I have a solution which is not new but I would like to share it nonetheless.

Linux is a much less cumbersome operating system and can even be run from a CD so you don't need massive hard drive space. With a Linux based computer you can still access the internet. You access the internet and have all of your things online with Google. They have email, calendar, blogs, books, photos, documents and spreadsheets, and more. Add an online storage service and you can have it all with an old computer and no cash outlay for upgrades or a new one and save it from the landfill. I'm in the process of doing something similar as I'm getting tired of rebuilding and reloading my desktop PC. I've started using more of the Google services and I'm hooked. I'm finding new things I like about it everyday. Give it a try and save a computer from the dump.

Green Technology

Information technology and consumer electronics have become so pervasive in our lives. Most of the time environmental impacts are not taken into consideration when we buy them or when they are designed. At a European technology show in Germany the trend has been towards green(er) technology.

Sooner than later we will have to produce goods that consider cradle to grave implications. This is a step in that direction but I feel we have a long way to go.

The Afterlife of Cell Phones

Cell phones are everywhere. But what happens to the old ones after they've been replaced?

A detailed article titled The Afterlife of Cell Phones in the New York Times explains a lot. Also a video and site called The Secret Life of Cell Phones is also quite informative.

This is a big problem in our gadget-obsessed society because everyone wants the latest one as a status symbol without thinking about the consequences. People have to find ways to feel good about themselves other than buying everything.

Macworld and the Macbook Air

The Macbook Air was introduced at Macworld today. One of the things being highlighted in this unveiling are the environmental features of the Macbook Air. Apple has been targeted in the past along with other manufacturers about plastics and chemicals used in the production of electronics.

The Macbook Air has full aluminum case to make recycling easier, mercury free display, arsenic free glass, less packaging and different circuit boards.

All of these factors are a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, Apple, and all manufacturers of any product, do not include lifecycle planning and recycling. Apple promotes itself as a different company that is more progressive than everyone else yet they are not taking the giant leaps that would leave everyone behind and force a move. Apple is quite profitable with the ubiquitous iPod and the iPhone is right behind it. They could afford to do something drastic that would put them over the top. They didn't go bankrupt when nobody bought anything they sold so I'm sure now that they have products in almost every household in America they can do something. Sure everyone is a critic but they are not afraid to ride their image to the bank. Either way the Macbook Air is running at $1,799 so I'm not rushing out to buy one. It's already on the Apple site so you can check it out.

Electronics for the Holidays

If you plan on giving electronics as gifts for the holiday season this year think about what might happen to the old stuff.

I have written about this in the past where you can donate your old electronics or recycle them.

E-Waste

I have written a few times about electronic waste and the hazards it poses. This video outlines how it can affect other people in the world. Please donate, find a way to reuse or responsibly recycle your old electronics.

Technology in the Garden

Gardening is a favorite hobby for many people. A friend of mine found this, The Garden Monitoring Project, for a monitoring system for your garden. It will monitor soil moisture, temperature and other must have information for proper garden management. I'm not an electronics expert so I'm not sure whether you can build it with some recycled electronic components. I also don't know the power usage of this unit but you may be able to add a small PV and battery to make it an off-grid appliance. With all the information it can gather I'm sure it could help you enhance your organic garden production in some way and you'll never forget to water again with the automatic sprinkler connection. These kinds of displays of creativity make me feel hopeful that we'll be able to harness our brain power to find solutions to our environmental problems. I guess that will happen when less people read Perez Hilton or follow Lindsay Lohan's escapades.

Constant Consumption

An article I spotted on Yahoo made me wonder. It is titled "When to replace common household items". Sure it's great to know that you should replace a 4 year old computer but what do you do with the old one? That's what really got me with this article. It is probably going be read a few thousand times today and people might run out and buy new computers and mattresses with no thought on what to do with the old stuff. I've written about electronics recycling in the past and I think it is very important that consumers consider the life cycle of their purchases. We obviously have to since media, government and industry are not.