Towards greener tech
01-Jan-11 14:45
David Pogue, the NYT's popular tech columnist writes a timely article on sustainable tech. He talks about the basic human desire to upgrade and how it leads to a lot of hardware getting dumped every two years or so.
Sure the manufacturers are partly to blame. Says Pogue:
"... the electronics industry itself is built upon frequent
renewal. The iPhone, iPod or iPad you buy today will be obsolete within a
year. Every pocket camera model on sale today will no longer be sold
six months from now. And Android phones — forget it. They seem to come
out every Friday afternoon."
But we are partially to blame too. Adds Pogue:
"The manufacturers are simply catering to some
fundamental human drives. It’s style; it’s status; it’s the confidence
of knowing that we’re not missing out on anything. Owning outdated
technology makes us feel outdated ourselves."
He turned to Twitter and his legion of 1.3 million followers for some crowdsourcing on how to achieve greener tech. Here are some good ideas:
• Include prepaid recycling envelopes with new gadgets.
• Standardize connectors and accessories.
• Make recycling mandatory or charge a fee.
• Persuade the industry to use more recyclable materials, like
biodegradable plastics.
Pogue himself suggests a few ideas:
• Get the government involved.
• Consumer pressure.
• Over time as products mature, the obselecence cycle slows down.
• For now, recycle your old gadgets.
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