Green IT is defined to create more environmentally friendly ways to manufacture, use and dispose of computer equipment in our homes and offices around the world. The steps toward minimizing the environmental impact from our digital world is one that’s not as easy as it appears. When you realize how much computers are relied upon today and made in specific ways, it becomes complicated in changing their environmental footprint.
While the manufacturing materials of our computers probably won’t change in the immediate term, computers can still be recycled so the materials used in them can be used in new products. Unfortunately, the metals of gold and copper used in computers aren’t recovered as much as they should be. On Greenitweek.org, it’s noted that computers contain more chemicals than you likely ever knew, and those can end up in the environment when a computer isn’t recycled responsibly.
Here are some simple and easy steps businesses can do to support the Green IT movement:
- Purchase electronic equipment that is energy star compliant.
- Support electronics vendors who have a sustainability focus and program.
- Turn off all computers and electronic equipment at night. This can save over $100 per piece of equipment per year.
- Support electronics vendors who take back their equipment and recycle responsibly.
- Use an e-waste vendor to recycle electronics responsibly. You can find a national database of proper recycling centers for computers through the General Services Administration.