Study reveals hidden cost of PC boom

[dArKeR]

THROWAWAY CULTURE: Scientists estimate the manufacture of a single computer consumes 240kg of fossil fuels, 22kg of chemicals and 1,500kg of water

THE GUARDIAN , LONDON
Tuesday, Mar 09, 2004,Page 6

First it was the fridge mountain, then it was the tyre mountain. Now discarded computers have got environmentalists worried.

According to a study released yesterday, our relentless appetite for buying new computers -- and the ease with which we throw out old ones -- is having a major impact on the environment. Instead of dumping our old computers after a few years, we should be using them for longer, or selling them secondhand to reduce demand for new ones, the authors say.

Scientists at the UN university in Tokyo estimate that to make a new computer requires at least 10 times its weight in fossil fuels and chemicals. The manufacture of one computer consumes 240kg of fossil fuels, 22kg of chemicals and 1,500kg of water.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/03/09/2003101774

Can we see a study on the 'hidden cost' for a Trident sub and its leathal nuclear weapons?

[DuctapeFatwa]

1. Now this is something you can do something about. What you;ll need

Get your local schools to lend you some budding nerds.

Commandeer a few garages, storage rooms, what have you.

Talk to local businesses, get them to give you their discarded computers.

Have the nerds dust them out, spiff them up.

Call your local Big Brother/Sister, Boys/Girls, public housing office, food bank, whatever you have, and let them know where low income/at risk kids can come pick up their new computers!

The nerdlings can even get community service credit for it if you wheedle.

[BigMcLargehuge]

2. yeah, call these guys!

[minkyboodle]

5. party down?

follow Homer's advice Nerds..

[Occulus]

3. Now, THAT is a great idea.

An AWESOME idea. Problem is, many people will want to be able to play SimCity4 or some such thing that really needs a fast PC. It sucks- computer technology becomes deprecated so quickly.

Still, it would be able to get people online, and there are still lots of thins you can do with PCs from four or five years ago.

It's a good idea- really!

[minkyboodle]

4. donating is a great option

and even after that you can always get some use out of the old guys. My 6 year old cousin has one of my old comps and 2 others are serving a purpose on my network as we speak. Worst comes to worst you can find a local recycling center that handles comp stuff. This shouldn't be a problem, people need to make more of an effort here its not that hard to recycle or donate comp parts.
Scott

[ze_dscherman]

6. Second best, skipping cycles, fix them, give them away

After 15 years of computer use, in order to not spend all of my money on new ones, I approach as follows:

I never buy the latest generation of computers. I don't need the latest graphic card and the fastest processor, since I'm not a gamer. Consumes a lot less of energy, too.

I skip as many innovation cycles as possible, trying to stick with old hard/software as long as possible.

Fixing or upgrading computers is a good thing if one knows how to do it (but, alas, I'm not a technician). One may also re-use old parts like CD-drives, keyboards or harddisks.

I've fixed and upgraded those old computers of mine that did not die a horrible death. Relatives that need a PC just for writing or some Excel sheets are happy with a Pentium 100 with a small harddisk. It is more than suitable for this simple task.

[74dodgedart]

7. Not as easy as it sounds......

I worked with a volunteer program that did this type of work, and its not as easy as it sounds..Most charitable organizations are very skeptical of accepting donated electronics because they are worried about getting stuck with crap..There are only so many charitable organizations,and they can only use so many PC's..Sooner or later all
PC's will become worthless, or more expensive\trouble to maintain than they are worth. Open your doors to accepting computer junk and you will soon be buried with worthless crap (anyone need a pallet of 286's) that will cost you money to dispose of.

PC's are worthless if they don't have software and people are worried about licensing issues. Open-source stuff helps a little but, there are still issues.

The problem needs to be addressed by the industry. PC's need to be designed with disposal in mind. The cycle of planned obsolescence needs to end.

[Mika]

8. Shouldn't Al Gore be blamed for this?

After all.. Al Gore invented the internet, didn't he? :evilgrin: