Earth day is celebrated today and offers the opportunity to reflect on the impact our choices have on the planet. We’ve outlined five easy eco-friendly tips you can follow to make the greener choice through your computing devices today.
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1. Shop online, shop green
Online retail has dramatically changed the way we shop, with great solutions for sourcing every type of product from clothing to groceries reducing our reliance on leaving home, getting in the car and driving to a shopping mall or supermarket. University studies found that, due to the reduction in those regular car journeys, the environmental impact of online shopping may be as much as 35% lower.
2. Ask before you buy
Individuals have the greatest potential to drive change. As consumers, we can get curious about the products we buy and ask the companies we buy from where they stand on ethical and environmental issues that matter to us.
When it comes to working out the green impact of day to day purchases, innovative web apps such as the Good Guide are on hand making it easier to access information about the ethical and eco credentials of a whole range of products.
3. Switch off
We all know that we can make a greener choice by turning off lights, turning home appliances off properly and not leaving things like our TVs on standby, but don’t forget about your computing devices!
4. Save energy
In day to day life we’re all using energy all the time, but we can’t necessarily see it so it can be difficult to know whether you’re using energy as efficiently as you could be. There are, for instance, processors that dynamically adjust the speed of a device to provide you with performance when needed for hefty tasks and battery savings when we don’t.
5. Recycle your old device when you’re done with it
Some retailers actually operate schemes whereby you can return your old laptop or PC for free and they will recycle it — it’s worth asking before buying. Just remember — if you do recycle an old device you’re not using anymore – be sure to remove any personal data stored on it first.
