In our rapidly growing and consuming world, many of us are continually striving for new and innovative ways to reduce our carbon footprint. As populations rise, so does our consumption of the earth’s resources–many of which aren’t infinite.
From buying energy-efficient lightbulbs and appliances to taking our bikes more often to buying electric cars and reducing our plastic use, there are many ways where we can alter our consumption to ensure we are living a more environmentally friendly life, without missing a beat.
Well, there is one item many of us have and might not have considered its carbon footprint–the laptop. Certainly, we all need a computer because the Internet is how we connect with the world. In our modern society, can you imagine living a few days without the Internet? Neither can we. Nonetheless, we can still access our online ventures in a more eco-friendly way.
For instance, Gadget Salvation is a business that offers cash for your laptops. You might have once typed the query, sell laptop near me. Well, this isn’t just about making money from your old laptop. Gadget Salvation also repairs and refurbishes laptops to resell. As a result, you are helping to reduce the carbon footprint by encouraging the purchase of refurbished products instead of buying a new laptop which takes more resources and energy.
So, that is one way to become more eco-friendly with your laptop. Ready for other tips? Keep reading to learn more.
Reduce the monitor glare
We often turn off our appliances when they’re not in use, right? At least, most of us do. There isn’t a need to keep the TV on 24/7. So, you should adopt the same perspective for your laptop. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, here are a few daunting statistics to consider:
- People throw their laptops away after only 30 months of use.
- We induce over five billion pounds of computer waste.
- Instead of recycling or selling our laptops to become refurbished, we throw 82 percent of our computers into landfills.
Aren’t those statistics saddening? There are so many ways to make our laptop use more eco-friendly. To start, turn off your monitor when your laptop is not in use. To be clear, your monitor needs about a third of the electrical usage of your entire laptop. So, turn that bugger off.
Plus, conserving monitor use helps to extend the lifespan of your laptop and helps to prevent the black screen of death. Just uses the “sleep” feature to automatically power down when you’re away from your laptop for more than a few minutes. But, remember, “sleep” mode still uses energy.
So, when you’re done with work and browsing, just turn it off. Not only will you feel more relaxed, but you’ll also feel better knowing your cutting down on your electricity usage.
Get into energy-saving mode
Since we’ve become a society that is so attached to our devices, many of us leave them on 24/7. Who knows what we might miss at 3 a.m., right? Wrong! We check our laptops over and over, and still, we haven’t missed a thing. Perhaps we are tired of waiting for the computer to boot up.
Well, if it’s that difficult for you to wait a few minutes then power up your laptop then make yourself a cup of Joe. When your coffee is ready, your laptop will be ready too–easy solution. Other options include standby, where your hard drive is shut-down but it will boot up quickly.
This option uses more energy than hibernate where your laptop isn’t using any energy at all. Just put your laptop on hibernate when you’re done for the day, you won’t regret it.
Eco-friendly laptops to consider
If you want an eco-friendly laptop, and most of us do, then look for laptops that come with the Energy Star sticker and has attained the EPEAT Gold standard. This means that the packaging is recyclable. Here are a few to check out:
1. Acer TravelMate TimelineX
This laptop meets the EPEAT Silver and Energy Star standards to a “T.” And, because it’s an Acer, you will get a good value for your money too.
2. Lenovo ThinkPad L420
It’s nice to have a business-friendly laptop on this list. There are many ways businesses can reduce their carbon footprint. All the L-series laptops are made with 30 percent post-consumer recycled content. Also, it’s supposed to save you 40 percent on energy costs. Moreover, it meets the Energy STAR and EPEAT Gold standard.
3. MacBook Air
Naturally, an Apple product would be on this list. Apple has been quite innovative within the eco-friendly realm. The MacBook Air doesn’t disappoint in meeting the EPEAT Gold standard and is Energy Star 5.2 compliant. You won’t feel guilty buying this laptop.
Final thought
There you have it, a few ideas to ensure eco-friendly laptop usage with several eco-friendly laptops to try. How are you using your laptop to become more eco-friendly? Share your tips in the comments section below!
