What You Can Do
Consumers can thank Europe (at least in part) for the green options they have. The European Union's Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive, which took effect in July 2006, states that products sold there must be free of six toxic substances: lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE). Companies that exclude these materials from products destined for sale in Europe sell same safer products elsewhere around the world. (RoHS logos don't appear on most products sold in the United States, whether or not the products qualify; check the manufacturing company's Web site for this information.)
As noted earlier, products that meet higher energy-efficiency standards qualify to display the Energy Star logo. In October 2006, the EPA announced more stringent guidelines that computer equipment must satisfy in order to earn the Energy Star 4.0 label. These revised guidelines will go into effect in July 2007. Already HP has updated several of its business-focused desktop PCs to meet the new guidelines. Changes include the use of power supplies that are more energy efficient and sleep modes that kick in after a shorter period of inactivity.
But Arizona State University's Allenby warns against thinking of environmentalism solely in terms of product choices. He argues that society can gain only so much by focusing on buying products with better materials. Beyond that, he says, we should also look at the environmental opportunities that come through technology-driven changes in lifestyles and work habits. Current examples include telecommuting instead of driving, using Web services instead of relying on paper, and updating existing hardware through software drivers rather than buying new (and throwing out old) appliances.
"If you're focus is only on the physical artifact, then you're not identifying areas where you can make significant improvements," he says.
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