It seems like the world is putting a lot more focus on being “green” – finding responsible ways to preserve and even enhance the environment. There now exist many different ways Americans can “go green” including recycling, conserving energy and smarter automobiles; add to the list environmentally-friendly cell phone use. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to save a lot of energy, and the high-tech equipment we use every day does more than we realize to harm the environment.
Each year, over 65,000 tons of waste is calculated and attributed directly to unwanted cell phones. Landfills pay the biggest price, acquiring about 82% of the 2.25-millions tons of waste from high-tech equipment.
That means that only 18% of the electronic waste is recycled, and that number is not enough. We can practice being “green” by starting with our old, unwanted cell phones and laptops; it is simple and preserves the environment.
Recycle, Recycle, Recycle!
The first step is knowing what to do with your unwanted cell phone. People have had great success selling their old phones, and it is a way to keep it out of the garbage dump! Companies will sometimes refurbish old phones that are turned in and sell them again to poorer countries.
Retailers have lists of phones online that they are interested in purchasing back used; so it is easy to find. You can also donate your unused phone to charity. If not, find a retailer like Best Buy or Radio Shack that has a phone recycling center; they’ll do the rest.
Consolidate!
You really don’t need multiple devices that do the same things, like handhelds that play music, games, video and other applications that can be done with a Smartphone. It is important to start thinking about ways to “go green” without depriving yourself of things that you want or need.
It is possible to find all the applications that you can ever desire on a single device, and the newest Smartphone’s are it. The picture and sound quality is incredible, giving you instant access to everything on one gadget – less to use, less to recycle!
Renewable Energy!
It is true that companies are now selling chargers for your cell phone and laptop that are powered by solar and kinetic energy; it’s all renewable! You can find these products through many internet companies and the new innovations are appearing all the time. You can charge your cell phone while you bike ride, charge your laptop walking to class or just driving around the town. It’s so easy … and efficient!
Green High Speed Internet!
Companies are in an all-out war over customers as the green movement charges onward. Incentives are ways for one company to attract customers away from another company, and these incentives often work. In fact, you can go online and compare incentive packages before making your decision! Consumers are the winners here; you get rewarded for helping companies improve the environment.
Apple just announced 100% recyclable laptops to customers who buy their mobile broadband, while other companies will donate to environmentally-friendly charities, plant trees or go over the top with a gesture to enhance our world.
Cell phones, broadband, laptops are all things that we are using on a daily basis. If we take the time to recycle, conserve energy where we can and research greener options, we will be helping to truly make our world a better place to live.
I often Google for eco-friendly high speed internet providers in my area and have found some to be very reliable and priced very well even against the big providers; so that I get piece of mind for each and every byte of data that gets sent down the line.
