On Wed, Jul 18, 2007 at 04:45:41PM +0000, Jordan Bettis wrote: > Also I think the production costs of a new machine are often far more > important than energy use.
FWIW I decided to google to see if I could find stuff to back up this claim. I found plenty: <http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/feature_pol.html?id=c373e9ffbf73ffac8f6a17245d830100> : Computing equipment differs significantly from many other consumer : products because the vast majority of the energy it uses over its : lifetime 81%, according to Williams' calculations is required during : the manufacturing process. : In this context, extending the lifetime of computers becomes : important. "Reselling or upgrading computers uses 20 times less energy : than recycling," Williams explains. Other studies have shown that many : computers are shipped to the developing world, where they are recycled : in environmentally destructive ways (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2002, 36, : 52A-53A), such as open acid baths, he says. <http://update.unu.edu/archive/issue31_5.htm> : While computers become smaller and more powerful, their environmental : impacts are increasing. The materials- and energy-intense production : process, greater adoption of PCs worldwide, plus the rapid rate at : which they are discarded for newer machines, add up to growing : mountains of garbage and increasingly serious contributions to : resource depletion, environmental pollution and climate change. <http://www.it-environment.org/compenv.html> : Manufacturing computers is materials intensive; the total fossil fuels : used to make one desktop computer weigh over 240 kilograms, some 10 : times the weight of the computer itself. This is very high compared to : many other goods: For an automobile or refrigerator, for example, the : weight of fossil fuels used for production is roughly equal to their : weights. : Extending the usable life is very effective for reducing all types of : burdens, but relatively few older PCs are being resold, refurbished or : recycled -- most are stored in warehouses, basements, or closets and : eventually end up in landfills. <http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20021112-961.html> : Many people are concerned about computer's power consumption and : minimizing the fossil fuels used to keep a system running. It may turn : out more environmental damage is done in building the computer than in : its lifetime of use. Cheers, -- Jordan Bettis -- Chicago Il. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]