green
Work
ECOBOT Tracks Your Carbon Footprint
3:30AM Lisa Hoover | Mac: Wondering what kind of impact your power and fuel consumption have on the environment? ECOBOT helps you figure it out. More »
Fix
3:00PM Angus Kidman | Hewlett-Packard is now offering free takeback on old HP equipment, but trying to work out whether you’re actually near a convenient recycling centre has been turned into a ridiculously contorted process. More »
HP Launches Top-Secret Takeback Program
3:00PM Angus Kidman | Hewlett-Packard is now offering free takeback on old HP equipment, but trying to work out whether you’re actually near a convenient recycling centre has been turned into a ridiculously contorted process. More »
Fix
Make A Non-Toxic Cleaning Kit
1:30AM Rosa Golijan | Don’t want a house full of nasty cleaning chemicals? Green living web site care2 details how to make a complete, non-toxic, eco-friendly and cost-effective cleaning kit. More »
Travel
4:00PM Angus Kidman | Everyone (except the occasional US president) recognises that travelling has an environmental impact, and that it’s sensible to try and minimise that. But is it possible to do that systematically without spending more money? More »
Can You Develop A Personal Green Travel Policy At Minimal Cost?
4:00PM Angus Kidman | Everyone (except the occasional US president) recognises that travelling has an environmental impact, and that it’s sensible to try and minimise that. But is it possible to do that systematically without spending more money? More »
Money
2:00PM Angus Kidman | If you want your next car purchase to be more environmentally friendly, the government-funded Green Vehicle Guide is a sensible place to start. The site ranks cars based on greenhouse and air pollution emissions, and lets you compare up to three models for relative performance. The lists are ranked by both best performance and vehicle sales, which reveals that most of us apparently haven’t yet taken the green message to heart when it comes to car purchases.
Green Vehicle Guide
More »
Green Vehicle Guide Rates Cars By Emissions
2:00PM Angus Kidman | If you want your next car purchase to be more environmentally friendly, the government-funded Green Vehicle Guide is a sensible place to start. The site ranks cars based on greenhouse and air pollution emissions, and lets you compare up to three models for relative performance. The lists are ranked by both best performance and vehicle sales, which reveals that most of us apparently haven’t yet taken the green message to heart when it comes to car purchases.
Green Vehicle Guide
More »
Fix
Computer Power Management Myths Debunked
3:59AM Gina Trapani | If you think booting up and shutting down your computer negates the benefits of turning it off to begin with, or that your screensaver is saving you energy, get thee to Ted Samson’s rundown of five PC power myths and why they’re wrong. Save yourself and your company some cash and compute more sustainably by getting your computer’s power management in order. More »
Fix
12:00PM Angus Kidman | In many countries, a small levy is added to the price of all electronic goods to cover the cost of manufacturers reclaiming them at the end of their life and ensuring their components are recycled. In Australia, just 4% of electronic items are properly recycled, and the rest end up at the local tip, Karen Dearne reports at AustralianIT. Despite that poor record, however, the Federal Government doesn’t want to commit to a similar scheme, with environment minister Peter Garrett rejecting suggestions effectively dodging the question:
I want to develop a national waste policy which maximises our opportunities to increase recycling, working closely with state and local jurisdictions to consider the best options for reducing the amount of waste going to landfill. I am not ruling anything in or out at this stage.
Given the current poor record, it seems to me that a financial incentive is the best chance to stop people dumping old electronics. If you’ve got suggestions for other tactics, let’s hear them in the comments.
Garrett rules out electronic waste tax [AustralianIT]
More »
Does Australia Need An E-Waste Levy?
12:00PM Angus Kidman | In many countries, a small levy is added to the price of all electronic goods to cover the cost of manufacturers reclaiming them at the end of their life and ensuring their components are recycled. In Australia, just 4% of electronic items are properly recycled, and the rest end up at the local tip, Karen Dearne reports at AustralianIT. Despite that poor record, however, the Federal Government doesn’t want to commit to a similar scheme, with environment minister Peter Garrett rejecting suggestions effectively dodging the question:
I want to develop a national waste policy which maximises our opportunities to increase recycling, working closely with state and local jurisdictions to consider the best options for reducing the amount of waste going to landfill. I am not ruling anything in or out at this stage.
Given the current poor record, it seems to me that a financial incentive is the best chance to stop people dumping old electronics. If you’ve got suggestions for other tactics, let’s hear them in the comments.
Garrett rules out electronic waste tax [AustralianIT]
More »
Design
1:00PM Kym Weathersten | Notebooks with cases that aren’t some variation on grey/black have become more prevalent in recent years, but most still sport fundamentally the same materials on the outside. Asus’ Bamboo series is a definite exception, using bamboo for a design approach that also claims a greater level of environmental friendliness than your typical hard-case machine.
The laptops are covered in “artisan-grade Moso bamboo panelling”, a light, and durable, non-flammable and petrochemical-free material. Apparently, the design “is a cutting edge creation that incorporates innate, ornate aesthetics, each Bamboo Series notebook is organically unique and radiates a divine spirituality” — those are Asus’ words, not mine, obviously.
The notebook range actually looks better than the hyperbole makes it sound. Bear in mind that the machines are only partially degradable, with much debate about whether bamboo really is greener than plastic, and you’ll still want a PC-friendly recycling centre at the end of its life. But anything that improves the green quotient for what’s still a fairly toxic industry is a good step. The laptops — which come in 11.1in and 12.1in models, sporting Core 2 Duo processors and Windows Vista — should hit stores in December, with pricing starting at $3,499.
More »
Asus Goes Green With Bamboo Series Laptops
1:00PM Kym Weathersten | Notebooks with cases that aren’t some variation on grey/black have become more prevalent in recent years, but most still sport fundamentally the same materials on the outside. Asus’ Bamboo series is a definite exception, using bamboo for a design approach that also claims a greater level of environmental friendliness than your typical hard-case machine.
The laptops are covered in “artisan-grade Moso bamboo panelling”, a light, and durable, non-flammable and petrochemical-free material. Apparently, the design “is a cutting edge creation that incorporates innate, ornate aesthetics, each Bamboo Series notebook is organically unique and radiates a divine spirituality” — those are Asus’ words, not mine, obviously.
The notebook range actually looks better than the hyperbole makes it sound. Bear in mind that the machines are only partially degradable, with much debate about whether bamboo really is greener than plastic, and you’ll still want a PC-friendly recycling centre at the end of its life. But anything that improves the green quotient for what’s still a fairly toxic industry is a good step. The laptops — which come in 11.1in and 12.1in models, sporting Core 2 Duo processors and Windows Vista — should hit stores in December, with pricing starting at $3,499.
More »
Fix
Green Your Home Office
1:50AM Lifehacker US Edition | While kicking the commute habit can certainly help reduce your carbon footprint, you can be greener. Green web site TreeHugger’s guide to greening your home office offers some good tips. The truly smug use recycled furniture, have a paperless office, clean with non-toxic, biodegradable products, and buy earth-friendly electronics and office supplies. But even a potted aspidistra or two can make difference by oxygenating your workspace, whether you work at home or not. Any tips for reducing your impact on gaia around the homestead? I, for one, wash my pants far less frequently. More »
Fix
10:30AM Angus Kidman | Christmas consumables are already in the shops, which might just serve as a cue for working out ways to celebrate the festive season which don’t involve so much cheap plastic from China. F**kTinsel.com (decidedly not safe for work) is largely designed to flog a T-shirt bearing the same slogan (which I for one would happily wear), but still offers a handy list of 10 tips for greening up your December 25. I especially liked the workplace option of banning Kris Kringle parties:
have you ever remembered receiving a kris kringle gift that you actually liked or found useful? probably not. well the important thing is not to encourage it.
A separate tip via OzBargain is to use biodegradable paper plates to minimise the impact of your celebrations. If you’ve got other green Christmas tips, spread the joy in the comments.
F**kTinsel (NSFW)
More »
Start Planning For A Greener Christmas
10:30AM Angus Kidman | Christmas consumables are already in the shops, which might just serve as a cue for working out ways to celebrate the festive season which don’t involve so much cheap plastic from China. F**kTinsel.com (decidedly not safe for work) is largely designed to flog a T-shirt bearing the same slogan (which I for one would happily wear), but still offers a handy list of 10 tips for greening up your December 25. I especially liked the workplace option of banning Kris Kringle parties:
have you ever remembered receiving a kris kringle gift that you actually liked or found useful? probably not. well the important thing is not to encourage it.
A separate tip via OzBargain is to use biodegradable paper plates to minimise the impact of your celebrations. If you’ve got other green Christmas tips, spread the joy in the comments.
F**kTinsel (NSFW)
More » 