Friday, June 19, 2009

Green Machines

I'm a bit wary of "buy green" campaigns. The best way to buy green is not to buy at all! Given that most of us buys things, though, here's a couple of resources to help decide which of the many examples of each product is the most environmentally-friendly.

Greener One rates products' environmental impacts using a formula created by a group of technology veterans. Contributors answer questions about each product's materials, manufacturing, use, and disposal. The formula uses these answers to calculate a Green Index for each product. As on Wikipedia, anyone can contribute to the site, and contributors monitor each other's entries. Greener One is up and running, but still being tested, so welcomes comments and contributors.

Greenpeace's Guide to Greener Electronics rates the practices of the top 17 electronics companies in toxic chemicals, recycling, and climate change. The top 5 ranked companies from 1-5 are: Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Philips, and Sony.

An interesting single product to consider is Motorola's W233 Renew cell phone, carbon-neutral and made of 100% recycled plastic. Motorola uses offsets to neutralize the greenhouse gas emissions caused by its manufacture, distribution, and use. Maybe this was a reaction to their ranking as #8 on Greenpeace's list, or Nokia's 50%-recycled 3110.

What's your favorite green product?

Stay cool,
Bonney

3 comments:

  1. what kind of product is the renew--cell phone?

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  2. Thanks for catching this, Patty! Yes, it's a cell phone.

    ReplyDelete
  3. http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2009/05/waste-not-want-not

    Annie, Twin Yolks, posted this link on her blog. Some good data here.

    ReplyDelete