New Carbon Zero Scheme from Toshiba: green choice for laptop buyers

Toshiba today launched a new scheme through which its customers can offset the carbon dioxide produced during the manufacture and lifetime use of their laptops. For a small donation of £1.18, Toshiba customers now have the option of making their laptops a ‘Carbon Zero’ purchase through a tree planting scheme at dedicated Toshiba woodland, delivered in partnership with co2balance, Toshiba’s carbon offset partner.

The trees planted as part of the Toshiba Carbon Zero scheme will be native broad-leafed trees, in a new developing woodland called Sand Martin Wood in Cumbria. Trees are an effective, natural means of absorbing carbon dioxide emissions as part of the carbon cycle, with each tree absorbing around one tonne of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide during its lifetime.

Announcing the new scheme, Tom Nickson, Environmental Manager, Toshiba Computer Systems said: “The Carbon Zero scheme is an important one for Toshiba, because we’re allowing our customers to make a positive environmental choice when buying one of our products. This scheme is an important part of Toshiba’s wider commitment to improving the value, eco-efficiency of its products and business processes, as well as reducing emissions of carbon dioxide related to the manufacture and use of its products. The fact the cost to the consumer to offset one of our lap-tops is so low, demonstrates the progress made so far.”

Mark Simpson, Director of co2balance adds: “All the trees are planted on land which we own and which we manage ourselves. This ensures that we have control over the trees, in order to ensure that every one planted can absorb carbon dioxide and help combat climate change. The scheme is also a totally ‘additional’ project, which means that the trees would not otherwise have been planted but for the investment of Toshiba’s customers.”

The scheme follows the Toshiba Corporation’s recent announcement of its Environmental Vision for 2050, a long-term commitment to contribute to a better environment by recognising and responding to environmental issues. In implementing this vision, Toshiba aims to improve the value and eco-efficiency of its products and business processes and to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by the equivalent of 57.6 million tons per year in 2025 compared with 2000. It will also work to enhance its environmental efficiency and raise overall eco-efficiency to a factor of 10 by 2050.

To find out more on Toshiba’s Carbon Zero laptops scheme, visit www.toshiba.co.uk/carbonzero
Src: http://www.product-reviews.net

Read more!

Toshiba plants trees for greener PCs

There are a limited number of ways a computer firm can go green, and by far the most popular option is signing up to tree-planting schemes. And now, Toshiba has followed the likes of Dell and PC World, and given anyone buying a new laptop the chance to pay a sum of £1.18 to make their purchase a 'carbon zero' one. The trees planted to achieve this, they say, will be native broad-leafed trees, in a new developing woodland called Sand Martin Wood in Cumbria. To find out how to get your hands on a carbon zero computer, there's more info here.


Other computer firms have done to reduce their carbon footprints:

1) RM is focusing on electricity consumption to make its gadgets greener, and has developed a lower-energy PC called the EcoQuiet.

2) HP is tackling the green challenge from an employee perspective. In other words, your PC may consume a lot of energy when you get it home, but at least you'll know that workers in HP plants and offices are being encouraged to recycle and save energy as part of a 'carbon footprint challenge.'

3) IBM is taking quite a holistic approach to reducing its carbon emissions. It launched a billion dollar programme earlier in the year aimed at increasing energy efficiency at its data centres, as well as a separate green programme that looked at making improvements off-site.

4) Apple crawled back into Greenpeace's good books in the summer, when it was ranked as the 'most imrpoved' tech company this year in the organisation's guide to greener electronics. This reflects a lot of hard work by Steve Jobs et al in the Greener Apple pledge.

5) Dell remains the highest-ranked computer firm in the Greenpeace list.

Src: http://www.hippyshopper.com/2007/11/toshiba_plants.html
Read more!