绿色机器：环保电子产品

The green movement is in full swing: from organic foods toenergy-efficient appliances对于更绿色的清洁产品，为房屋购买时的环保思维不再仅仅是环境活动家。

So what makes a “green electronic”? According toGreenElectronics.com, these machines are progressively designed to minimize energy use and have less of an impact on the environment. This doesn’t just mean they suck less juice out of electrical sockets, though. Truly green electronics also feature materials and use manufacturing processes that are less energy-intensive than traditional methods and even use renewable and natural materials when possible.

“对于那些关心绿色问题的人来说，好消息是电子产品变得越来越环保，”吉姆·巴里（Jim Barry）说。Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)。而且，如果您认为消费电子产品并不是那么大，因为您不使用那么多的东西，那么您可能会低估自己在家中拥有的这些电动产品的数量。

“根据CEA研究，一个典型的家庭拥有24种消费电子设备，”巴里说。“这不是电器，例如冰箱或微波炉烤箱，而是立体声，时钟收音机，平板电视，DVD播放器等。”

Energy Efficiency Saves Money
When consumers add up the cost savings they can reap when they buy more energy-efficient, greener consumer electronics, they realize it can be easier on the wallet to be green.

绿色购物网站联合创始人杰里米·阿迪蒂（Jeremy Arditi）说：“绿色电子产品对消费者兴趣的最大催化剂之一是它们成为代名词。”Greenzer。“自然，这意味着他们吸引了更广泛的人，这反过来又引起了制造商生产更绿色产品的动力。”

Some of the energy efficiency ofnew products不仅仅是他们需要多少千瓦，还不仅仅是如何管理能源使用，这对于计算机尤其如此。

Arditi说：“ Windows Vista实际上实施了一个非常高级的系统，以减少空闲计算机的能耗。”实际上，一项来自英国PC Pro Labs的独立研究发现，Windows Vista中的电源管理功能每年可以节省每家台式电脑80美元。

判断您可能正在考虑的任何电子产品的一种方法是寻找能量星标签，该标签可确保电子产品比政府标准高10％至25％。您可以信任的另一个标签是电子产品环境评估工具，或隶属于。EPEAT认证的产品符合电气和电子工程师研究所在八个领域设定的标准：

• Reduction or Elimination of Environmentally Sensitive Materials
• 材料选择
• 生命终结的设计
• Life Cycle Extension
• Energy Conservation
• End of Life Management
• Corporate Performance
• Packaging

在布依族ng energy-efficient products, consumers also need to follow green energy-usage practices at home. “There are simple things people can do that can have a really significant impact, like unplugging devices when they’re not in use,” Arditi says. “Given how much electricity idle electronics consume, this is a really important step.”

Arditi说，另一种选择是购买带有可充电电池（例如iPod和手机）的太阳能充电器来榨汁物品。您甚至可以为其他家用物品购买可充电电池，并使用太阳能充电器为其备份。他说：“另一个重要的建议是简单地照顾好您的设备。”“这将延长其使用寿命并减少购买新产品的购买，这对环境和您的钱包都是积极的。”

You can find more ideas for greening your current setup at websites likeMy Green Electronics。

绿色技术
绿色技术的选择正在迅速增长。Barry说，例如，LCD电视比旧的阴极射线管技术要高得多，并且比等离子体电视效率更高。他说：“历史上，等离子体的效率降低了，但它们一直在进步。”“他们在每一个新一代的等离子体显示器中都使用较少的能量。”

But Barry is most enthusiastic about two major benefits of OLEDs, or organic light-emitting diodes, a technology becoming popular in mobile devices and being used to develop the next generation of flat-panel televisions. “One is the energy efficiency, and the other is that they’re much thinner than plasma or LCD,” he says, noting that OLEDs are sometimes as thin as two credit cards.

Companies are also moving to use LED backlighting for LCD televisions, which will make these more energy-efficient, as well, says David Berman, director of training and public relations for theHome Theater Specialists of America。一些家庭影院组件将超越基本的能源效率超越了其他对环境负责的方式。松下的家庭影院系统包括中心扬声器中快速可再生的竹子材料，而不是基于石油的塑料。

More companies are cutting waste in both the manufacturing process and on the consumer side, as well. “The Sharp factories produce higher-yield glass panels for their LCD TVs with less waste, and they recycle almost all of the water used to cut and transport the panels,” Berman explains. And for consumers, a single, rechargeable home audio control system like this one from Philips will keep many disposable batteries out of the landfill over its lifetime.

Shopping
对于普通消费者来说，很难判断他们是否购买了实际上比平均水平更环保的东西。零售商和制造商擅长“绿化”，或者展示比实际敏感的物品。

That’s where web sites like Greenzer come in, says Arditi. Look up most electronic items on the site, and you’ll see its “Greenzer Score.”

“The Greenzer Score is an algorithm we’ve developed at Greenzer that leverages ratings and certifications from third-party groups we believe to be the most thorough and relevant sources of environmental information in their respective fields,” such as EPEAT, Energy Star, and Climate Counts. Arditi says the 1 to 10 score is active on most computer and electronic products on the site. “Our mission is to make shipping for green products a no-brainer,” he says.

如果您不通过格林泽购物，那么寻找标签是一种更容易购物的有效方法，因为这些第三方认证被广泛接受为产品的环境或能源效率优点的良好措施。

Arditi说，如果您担心绿色产品在购买时意味着更高的成本，您会感到惊喜。他说：“实际上，看到绿色产品的成本已经大大降低，整体质量与常规产品相当非常有趣。”

消费者意识到好处,嗯l. “I think consumers are becoming much savvier and demanding when it comes to green products and electronics in particular,” Arditi says.

Recycling
Recyclingis another area where the consumer can play a role. Many people just set their old television or computer monitor out by the curb, destined for the county landfill. But this decision isn’t just bad for the environment — it can be bad for human health as well, experts say.

“Only about 12 percent of the 126 million discarded televisions were recycled in 2006,” says Bruce Nofsinger, owner of Charlotte, NC.-based Topics Communication and an electronics-recycling education advocate. “TV sets contain toxic substances like lead, mercury, cadmium, and chromium. When discarded improperly, these toxins end up in our landfills and eventually seep into our land, rivers and oceans.”

If your old electronics are still in decent working order or could be easily repaired, consider finding them a new home by posting their description and availability on sites likeCraigslistorFreecycle,或通过在当地报纸上发出广告。

如果您需要处置电子产品，请在诸如Earth911andMy Green Electronics。此外，许多大型零售商（例如百思买）和西尔斯（Sears）都使消费者更容易处理其旧电子设备。与您的地区商店联系，以了解他们是否为旧电子产品提供回收计划。