Don't get me wrong I'm all for saving the environment. Though I must say people really go about this the wrong way. Now take away what you wish from my post but this is my opinion and not a full researched one. So before you criticize I'm saying up front I could be completely wrong. This is just how I see it thats all.
My first note is about companies like Apple who produce advertised eco-friendly products. Now it is great that they are using these materials. But! The whole Apple business plan is for you to buy their new product. They are very brilliant marketeers. I give them that. How do they make their sales numbers pop? They entice their customers to buy something new every year with options they omitted in the prior product. How many people buy an iPhone and upgrade as soon as the new one comes out with more features? Quick answer for you. Watch a Steve Jobs Keynote. Now is this a bad business practice. No it's not. Though I do find this is when a company as large as Apple should look into providing solutions and incentives for customers to donate their old product when they upgrade. I use Apple products despite the fact they have a closed platform. I'll go into that in another thread. I also recommend them to many people because they are great products. We can compare the same theory to the automotive industry but I'm a tech guy. Very few of us want our sports cars or race cars not running on fuel. We want performance and appearance that suits our taste. So we need to find a happy medium. My opinion for this happy medium is for companies offer a trade-up program that is eco-friendly. Thus reducing waste.
The next thing I want to go into is paper and software. We hear a lot of recycle paper and we're wasting so many trees. Part of this is true but here in America our tree farmers actual replace the majority if not all the trees during their process of harvesting trees. Though many will not complain when they get their fresh Christmas tree at the end of the year. If your going to be on the wagon use all of the wheels. A missing wheel can make for a wobbly ride. Again where is the happy medium when it comes to paper. This day and age there are always connected smart phones and computers. Becoming paper independent is actually a little easier than people think. Apple has an option build into the Mac OS, Windows has a free app called CutePDF, and other paid software that allows you to print your files in a .pdf format, and Linux has a built in function all the same. For those who don't understand this option; you actual are just printing your file into a format that you can use almost anywhere. Your phone, home computer, work computer, and so on. This is only a eco-friendly option. Of coarse there is always times you will need a paper format. On the why you should print to pdf vs paper: that file can travel in your pocket in a phone with out getting a wrinkle, you can store many pages with limitations usually based on what viewer you use to open the file. What will this help accomplish? One is that this file is going to save you ink in your printer and use of paper. Two as I mentioned earlier is portability as in you can take it any where. This helps in reducing paper but not having to go completely paperless since you can always print this file when needed.
Onto the software. One of the largest problems in computing which changed I think in the late 60's "I'm still young so correct me if I'm wrong" was proprietary software. Meaning software companies made it so you had to buy their software to view or edit their files. I will pick on Microsoft for this one. Lets look at Microsoft Office. Until recent years the only option was to purchase Microsoft's Office suit to create and edit a Word document. If your asking what impact does this have in the eco-friendly environment, then consider how large businesses must constantly purchase new software and hardware to stay current with business needs. As an I.T. Director I purchased more equipment that was tailored strictly to the Microsoft environment because there were no options for using current equipment to handle the workload Microsoft was putting on them. Yes that is part of growth and staying a high tech business. But for tasks as simple or complex as editing documents; this should not be the case. I am not on the same page as a full blown FOSS (free open source software) I still think that companies need to earn their money but there needs to be a happy medium. Quick example. There would be no Pepsi if we could only drink Coke. Two different drinks that are classified as a cola. In the computer field I think the happy medium is for software vendors to focus more on offering their functions (options) over format. A recent case for example is Bluray and HD DVD. Both formats were capable of delivering great content. We chose to make a final industry decision to ditch the other. Thus we created a huge HD DVD waste.
My point in this post is to shed a little light on the whole go green campaign. Yes it is a good thing. Yes it makes for great advertising. But there lies our problem. We have turned a debate into a profit. When it should be more like knowing you need to brush your teeth in the morning. It should not be a burden or an expensive change in life style.
Though I'm not a heavy eco-friendly person I have began to make some changes. Here to list a few.
1. I've gone from a custom built top of the line computer down to a netbook only option. Limited but its capable. Before I migrated I stored my data on large drives and donated the machine to a family member in need.
2. I've began to store my files (except private information files) in the cloud (online) using multiple sources. Examples: I no longer have to purchase that $80 planner anymore by migrating all my calendar info to Google calendars and sharing is not a hassle. I have told people I need to share files with about Windows Live Office and its 25GB storage option. Create, edit, and share your docs right from there. I also use Google Docs. I use multiple file hosting and sharing sites that integrate into computing and mobile environments well such as box.net, dropbox, Windows Live Mesh, ZumoDrive. All have folders that you can sync between computer, cloud, and mobile for greater access to your files.
3. For printing I use Adobe Acrobat 8 Pro which installs a pdf printer for paperless printing. Though the occasional paper print is still needed. At one point in time I had a digital picture frame for viewing my personal photos. With smartphones, tv's, Xbox, PlayStation, Wii, and networked BluRay and DVD players I can view my favorite prints on almost any screen.
All of the products we use in this technology age produce a high carbon foot print. But we are not going back decades to change our habits. So lets find the happy medium and go about it from every angle not just a way to create profitable marketing.
