| You can help the environment by making one | | | | thinner display. It uses a solid state drive, which is |
| simple decision. By going green with your | | | | much lighter, more reliable and faster than a |
| computers. This is done by choosing notebooks | | | | conventional hard drive. It also contains a low |
| computers that are environmentally friendly and | | | | voltage processor and has improved "battery |
| long on charge. New "green laptops" take the idea | | | | stretch" software for energy savings. It meets |
| of an environmentally friendly notebook computer | | | | the Energy Star 4.0 criteria and is 25% more |
| even further. They are smaller than other | | | | efficient than Lenovo's previous generation |
| notebooks, last longer on a charge, and comply | | | | notebooks. The packaging materials for the X300 |
| with most environmental regulations. These | | | | are 90% recyclable, and the use of toxic |
| ultraportble, small footprint, lighter weight | | | | materials such as cadmium, lead, and arsenic have |
| notebooks are inherently "greener" than heavier, | | | | been reduced. |
| larger footprint products for a few reasons: They | | | | The MacBook Air is one of Apple's greenest |
| are designed to deliver the desired performance | | | | computers. The Air's display was the first from |
| while consuming fewer materials for | | | | Apple to be mercury and arsenic free. The all |
| manufacturing and less energy for shipment and | | | | aluminum case was also a good choice as |
| distribution. Packaging requirements are also | | | | aluminum is easily recyclable and highly desirable |
| reduced, saving materials and energy. Laptops | | | | by recyclers. The Air qualified for a Silver EPEAT |
| don't use as much power as a desktop, mostly | | | | rating (all the circuit boards are bromide and PVC |
| because the processor is only drawing about 35W | | | | free). It's also Energy Star 4.0 certified. On PC |
| or less, compared to about 65W or more for a | | | | Magazine's energy consumption tests, the 14 |
| desktop CPU. The added benefit is that your | | | | Watts it produced while idle is consistent with |
| electrical bill won't be as high either. | | | | Energy Star's 14 Watt (and under) requirement. |
| Less Hazardous Components | | | | The reading was taken while the system was |
| Although notebooks are typically much more | | | | running Leopard after 15 minutes of idle time. You |
| energy efficient than desktops. They are, | | | | can get the Macbook Air fitted with a 64GB solid |
| however, no greener than desktops in other | | | | state drive, which will further reduces its power |
| regards. They typically contain the same | | | | requirements. Apple paid attention to the retail |
| hazardous components, and they are not easily | | | | packaging of this machine, and reduced it by 50%. |
| recycled. However, a few "greener" notebook | | | | Green Computing Is Here To Stay |
| computers are now on the market. | | | | Any way you slice it, green computing is here to |
| Lenovo's Thinkpad X300 is the company's first | | | | stay. Laptops will get more efficient, smaller, and |
| EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental | | | | safer for the planet. EPA estimates that in the |
| Assessment Tool) Gold certified notebook. Only | | | | next five years purchases of EPEAT registered |
| 15 notebooks have achieved this rating to date. | | | | computers could reduce hazardous waste by 4 |
| The X300 uses mercury free LEDs to illuminate | | | | million pounds and save enough energy to power |
| its display. This saves energy, and allows for a | | | | two million homes. |