I. Introduction
Computer use is exploding around the world, including the University of Oregon. Currently, there are 6000 computers in use on campus, and at least half the students have computers at home as well. This profusion of electronic wizardry has certain costs, however, including significant environmental impacts. This booklet is designed to help minimize the environmental impacts computer uses as well as provide ideas that will help you and your computer actually help the natural world we all inhabit.
To start, we'll trace a computer through it's life from design and manufacture, through use in the home or office, until finally it's time to turn it off for the last time; but wait! You don't have to throw it away!
Along the way, we'll look at the sorts of things that go into your computer, like electricity, paper, and chemicals. Some of these things are pretty deadly, so minimizing their over consumption can mean a lot to the environment.
The best thing you can do, though, is use your computer as a tool to protect the environment. The power of a computer to make an impact in advocacy and grassroots campaigns is immense, and when this power is multiplied by the number of users, a major force may be unleashed to maintain an intact biosphere.
II. Design and Manufacture 
The first computers were huge roomfuls of vacuum tubes and clacking relays, all designed and built by hand, including all the wiring and soldering. It took years to make them, and thus were too expensive for any but the most serious users, usually scientists.
Today, computers are designed and built with the essential aid of other computers; indeed, it could take thousands of years to design and fabricate a simple processor chip without such aid. In a similar way, it is important to remember that when buying a computer, you are also affecting many other ecological and economic systems in what may become a positive feedback loop.
What is a computer made of? Looking at the outside, you can see mostly metal, plastic and glass. The metals must be mined; this usually means digging huge open pit mines, which consume highly corrosive acids and dangerous explosives. The plastics are usually a byproduct of petroleum industries, and also create a big toxic mess. Glass is made of sand and other impurities.
However, the outside of a computer only represents the thin skin of the manufacturing process. The inside is where the real action is, in terms of both design complexity and manufacturing processes, to say nothing of toxic chemical usage. Such chemicals include arsenic hydride, hydrochloric and sulfuric acids, and ozone-depleting chloroflurocarbons, which pollute the land, air and water. These chemicals are used in the assembly, cleaning, and etching of semiconductor devices.
Unfortunately, the chemicals used in manufacturing computers aren't disposed of very well, often leading to groundwater or river and lake pollution. Over 100 toxic chemical dumps have been discovered in California's Silicon Valley, which will require billions of dollars to clean up. To prevent such future mishaps, the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition has drafted a set of Silicon Principles to guide future computer manufacturing toward a more environmentally friendly regime. The Silicon Principles include:
In order to make sure the computer you buy is environmentally friendly, ask if the manufacturer has adopted these Silicon Principles, and ask about what steps have been taken to implement them.
III. Using your computer: How to do it for the least cost to the environment.
As the number of computers rises, the resources necessary to run these computers will also rise. These resources include electricity, paper, toner cartridges, floppy disks, and other peripheral devices. Still, it's possible to minimize this impact using some very simple means.
A. Electricity 
In terms of electricity, a typical computer uses about 300 watts of power excluding the printer. At five cents a kilowatt hour, if you leave your computer on all the time, it will cost about $131 per year. That's quite a bit of money! On the other hand, if you turn your computer off at night and on weekends, the electrical cost drops to about $31. The cost drops even more if you turn it off whenever you' re not using it: as little as $12 per year!
Think about it: a savings of $119 per year, times 6000 computers on campus, means almost a million dollars per year could be saved by the University! (This doesn't even include students and faculty who use computers outside the University.) Just by the simple act of turning the computer off when it isn't being used.
In an effort to aid energy conservation, the Environmental Protection Agency has created a set of specifications for computers to minimize energy consumption. Called the Energy Star program, it requires computers and peripherals to have a low power "sleep" mode which uses less than 30 watts that engages when the computer has been idle for a set time, and automatic power-up when the user hits a key. If you are buying a new computer, look for one with the Energy Star logo; the energy you save will more than cover the extra cost within the first year!
Where does all this electricity go? most of it becomes heat, which is why your computer has a fan. In winter, this means you can turn your thermostat a little lower. Most of the remainder goes into Electromagnetic radiation, which is beamed right at you from your monitor. While not conclusively bad for your health, some studies indicate that this radiation may cause cancer or birth defects. There are a number of ways to deal with this: you can purchase a low-radiation monitor or a radiation screen. As a less effective but much cheaper, you can sit further away from your computer and monitor.
B. Paper 
Computers also use paper; actually, it's the printer that uses the paper, but computers are used to compose and edit the documents that will eventually be printed out. If your computer doubles as a fax machine, it also prints out faxes. The first and perhaps best way to minimize paper use is: Don't print a document if you don't have to. For example, in many instances a document is printed to assist in editing. Instead, edit on-screen.
A fax modem is another great way to reduce paper use, both for faxes sent and received. Rather than printing out a fax then sending it, modern software allows you to fax what you see on your screen and only print it if necessary. Often faxes contain only one piece of useful information, like an address or phone number; why waste a whole piece of paper? In terms of sending faxes, modern technology has made it cheaper to send a fax across the country then to mail the same information. A one page letter will cost 32 cents, while a one minute phone call to send the same as a fax will cost less than 20 cents; try it!
Of course, your fax modem can also be used for E-mail. At the University of Oregon, everyone can have an E-mail address, to write to your friends, family, and other people. This mode of communication is even cheaper than faxing, since no long distance phoning is involved, and you don't have to waste paper or other printing resources. Finally, of course, E-mail within the University is easy and much quicker than sending messages through interoffice mail.
If you must print something out, consider the kind of paper you need to use. Do you really need brand-new white, virgin paper? If you are printing out a draft rather than a final copy, probably not. Why not reuse paper that's already got printing on one side? If you do need new paper, why not consider one of the unbleached recycled papers available? Chlorine bleaching of paper is one of the major sources of water pollution in the Northwest and around the world, to say nothing of the deforestation caused by paper production.
When you are done with a printout, of course you shouldn't throw it away. If it's one-sided, put it aside for printing rough drafts later; if two-sided, the University of Oregon has one of the best and most accessible campus recycling programs in the world; why not let it work for you?
C. Other Issues
Besides electricity and paper, computers use diskettes and printers consume toner. Both of these items are mostly plastic, so throwing them away is wasteful. For diskettes, instead of buying more you can just reformat and reuse old ones. Most offices have drawers full of old disks, used for either archival backups or containing old versions of software. All they need is a new label and a reformatting; this can save your office money and landfill space simultaneously.
Toner cartridges, both for laser printers and ink jets, can be easily refilled and reused. Several local vendors and national manufacturers will pick up your used cartridges, refill them and sell them for half the price of a new one, and remanufacture them if necessary. A growing number of campus offices are using these recycled cartridges, with excellent results. Further, printer ribbons, for those people with dot matrix printers, can be re-inked for a small price. For more information, call Campus Recycling at 346-1529.
IV. Upgrading your computer
So you want the latest technology. Your 2400 baud modem isn't fast enough, and your 80 megabyte hard drive is full, and your 386 processor can't run the latest software. In this modern, disposable society, you would normally just throw the old out and get a whole new computer. But we now know that such behavior is wasteful and foolish.
Instead, you can just upgrade your computer or peripherals as necessary. Anyone, and I do mean anyone, can install a new modem or motherboard. It just takes some patience and a good set of instructions. Alternatively, you can have a professional do it for a lot cheaper than a whole new computer. The phone book is full of computer dealers and fixers, so why not check out upgrading before you consider full replacement?
If you need to either get or sell old parts, there is a large market for salvage computers -- seems like one-third of The Processor (a 108-page newspaper containing MOSTLY display advertising) is information on used computer equipment (parts is parts). The address:
The Processor
PO Box 85518
Lincoln, Neb 68501,
Subscription Services: 800-334-7443,
Advertising Services: 800-247-4880.
V. Using Your Computer to Help the Environment
Although there are some real negative environmental impacts involved with computer manufacture and use, these can be offset by taking positive steps to help the environment using the power of your computer.
First, you can use it to write letters to government officials, newspapers, and the like. Bulk mailings are easy, and address lists are downloadable from many places on the Internet. If you have a fax modem, its even easier to tell your representatives how you feel, either by E-mail or fax. In fact, a fax costs less than a letter! A one page fax takes about a minute to send, which costs about 20 cents for the phone call, while a letter takes 32 cents for the stamp, as well as paper and an envelope. And of course you can do a phone list and fax as many as you like.
Second, your computer may allow you to stay at home to work. This is called telecommuting, and it's becoming very popular in many fields. Modern modems and software allow you to call your office, download that day's work load, spend the day working in your own home, and upload the finished product at days end, thereby eliminating transportation and other costs. Try suggesting telecommuting to your boss, if you think it is an appropriate option.
VI. Conclusion
Computers definitely have an impact on the environment. However, with some forethought and consideration, these impacts can be minimized. Suggestions in this area include:
1. Turn off your computer when not being used, and only turn on printers and other peripherals when you need them. Buy Energy Star compliant equipment, and ask if the manufacturer follows the Silicon Valley Principles in dealing with toxic chemicals.
2. Minimize paper consumption by only printing when you need to, and using both sides of the page for drafts and the like. Also, minimize use of other computer aids like diskettes, toner, etc.
3. Upgrade your computer rather than throwing it away and buying a new one.
4. Give your old computers to charity, or have a recycling service deal with your really archaic computers.
5. Use your computer to help the environment, by writing letters and faxes and telecommuting if possible. Your computer is a powerful tool, with thousands of possible uses. It is up to you to make the most of it, and have fun while you are doing so. Good Luck!
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