by Michael Smith
While (modern) technology is probably very useful indeed, and improving upon what we have is a great for reducing our environmental impact and footprint in a many ways, it cannot and must not be the be all and end all. Sometimes green gadgets get way too much attention over the totally effective non-tech solutions to problems in our lives, because, well, non-tech solutions are boring, or so, at least, it would appear. But it does not and should not (have to) be so.
Too much emphasis is being put on the modern stuff for the environment and many of the old techs that could reduce our impact and footprint are not even considered.
Let us take a closer look at ways in which we can do without technology to help the environment and to reduce our environmental footprint. It may help us re-center and also remind us of the fact that the world does not revolve around power outlets. There are alternatives that do not require electricity.
While E-Books E-books and e-readers have been getting quite a bit of attention on Blogs, and elsewhere, recently, and everyone tries to forecast the death of paper books and the newspapers printed on dead trees, the other FREE (well you do pay for it in your taxes really) alternative is being forgotten and that is the public library.
I must say that I do like e-books but in PDF rather than any other format so I can read them on a variety of computer screens rather than requiring some special e-reader. The Green (Living) Review is – still – intending to produce occasional collections in e-book (PDF) formats that will, probably, bear the title “Best of Green (Living) Review” and hence I am not against e-book. Quite the opposite and I am also not against receiving my news online whether from “papers” or other sources. But there are other, non-electronic ways that we should not forget. In this case, as indicated, that is the public library.
Only a rather small amount of people still use the library for obtaining books to read. Yet, along with so many other resources that are available in a public library including access to PCs, libraries offer the solution to pretty much any book that anyone may ever wish to read. Even if a particular library does not have the title someone may be seeking, they are likely hooked up to a network so that a nearby library can send the title right over to you. While this may take a day or two it is still possible and, what is more, it is all perfectly free.
Another kind of gadget that may not be all that necessary are Home Energy Monitors. While there is little doubt that energy monitors are an excellent way to help us cut down on our energy use. But there is an even cheaper and easier alternative available other than a power monitor to saving energy and reducing our environmental footprint and that is simply unplugging stuff.
If this does not underscore why green technology is more exciting to talk about than non-tech alternatives, then nothing will. Unplugging stuff, definitely, is a surefire way to consume less energy and there are two reasons for this. First, it stops the vampirePC
We know that PCs tend to be big power suckers, and we are always on the prowl for new technology that helps them run efficiently. From new computers that sip energy, to software downloads that keep a tight shut-down schedule, to silly EcoButtons (see my review), anything and everything can be helpful – the EcoButton though is not.
However, something that doesn’t get much attention is the fact that your PC already has power-saving capabilities built in to it that allow it to save energy right this second, at no extra charge.
Adjusting your PC power settings is a soft of non-tech alternative to tech power-saving programs. All you have to do is go into the power options on your computer to get started. For instance, on a laptop, you can go into the power options and program it to lower screen brightness, shorten the time for when it goes to sleep during inactivity, or shorten the time for when to turn off the display.
For the desktop or tower PC, aside from the power options that come standard built in the best way of saving energy is to simply physically turn off the monitor, regardless of CRT (bit old fashioned but works) or LCD flat screen, as it is the monitors that draw much more power than the PCs themselves. A PC that does not process anything takes only, basically, the energy it takes to run its fan, etc. So, turn your monitor off when you are not going to use the PC for a while but still want the possibility to get back to work quickly as and when.
LED lights and CFL bulbs get a lot of attention around these parts because the technology offers serious improvements over our current lighting and display issues. We don’t want to go without lighting when it is dark. That’s clear as day. And one of the key ingredients to switching to LEDs or CFLs is the energy savings – they use a lot less energy and what they do use is more efficiently turned in to lighting as opposed to waste heat. Yet, energy savings can come in more forms than a twisty bulb in a box…
Equally as efficient at saving energy is the decidedly non-tech alternative to CFLs and LEDs – turning off the lights. Using lights only when you need them, and only to the degree to which you need lighting is a big energy saver. Sure, there are even gadgets that help you turn the lights off. But really, all we have to do is flip the switch on only when we need it, and flip it off when we are done with it. Businesses that use extensive lighting can learn from this too; for example, does the light of a bathroom restaurant really need to be on when no one is in there? But, we don't talk about this because, well, you already know it.
There are a lot of simple non-tech solutions to our environmental woes that just don’t seem to get the press time because they aren’t the world’s first, or groundbreaking discovery, or just interesting to debate. They are, however, equally as important as new advances. Hopefully, we will remember them even as we ooh and aah over cool new innovations. power, that power that is drained even though no appliance is actually in use by just having the adaptor plugged into the wall. Secondly, because it can be annoying to plug something in every time you want to use it, you avoid using an appliance in order to avoid the hassle of plugging and unplugging. While this is utterly boring, and in no way as exciting as energy monitors and all that it is an energy-saving solution nonetheless.
Recycling is an absolute must. New technologies to help us better recycle the mess of consumer goods we create are vital. We love talking about the new ways to turn junk into fuel, or make something useless into something cool again. It is exciting to see not only the technologies involved in the actual recycling, but also what products now use recycleable materials and recycleable packaging. But what doesn’t get as many nods are products and ideas for how to go without the stuff that needs recycling.
Precycling is a simple concept – do things that avoid waste. I’m not sure why we don’t talk more about it, but I suppose because it is all about what not to do. However, precycling is awesome and deserves some web space. It includes actions like bringing your own storage containers to bulk food stores, skipping the overly packaged foods and goods, designing products that use the least amount of wasted material as possible, using lunchboxes, and passing on print jobs. Precycling revolves around the “Reduce” and “Reuse” corners of the green triangle. And actually, this is a pretty interesting topic! There should always, if we already have the material that may need to be recycled, the thought be given to “reusing” and “repurposing” of such items before they ever get anywhere near the recycling bin.
There are lots of simple non-tech solutions to our environmental woes that just do not seem to get the press time because they are not the world’s first, or groundbreaking discovery, or just interesting to debate. They are, however, equally as important as new advances.
We could also mention, in the field of transportation the humble horse and cart or buggy or even the mule or donkey and cart.
In many countries, including Britain, for instance, the horse is used again as the chosen “tool” for the extraction of timber in forestry as it has less impact on the ground than do the machines.
Maybe time we looked at a different angle again.
© M Smith (Veshengro, November 2008
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Old technology – vs – modern technology in the fight against man's environmental impact
