America Recycle Day on November 15th

Recycling is the focus this week throughout the country as
residents, schools, businesses, municipalities and other organizations celebrate America Recycles Day, officially recognized on November 15th. With Americans consuming over 426,000 cell phones and 1,370,000 ink cartridges EVERYDAY, Project KOPEG “Keep Our Planet Earth Green”, offers non-profits, churches, schools, youth groups, businesses or virtually any organization wanting to raise extra funds, a program that incorporates a win/win solution of recycling and protecting the environment. One cell phone alone, improperly disposed of in a landfill can potentially contaminate 158,000 gallons of ground water, which is the equivalent to 2.4 million cups of coffee or tea!

Project KOPEG accepts used cell phones, batteries & chargers, inkjet/toner cartridges, Mp3 players, iPods, Digital Cameras, Pocket PC’s, Handhelds, Palm Pilots and PDA’s. “With the growing concern over the environmental impact of electronic waste, we believe we are doing the right thing in offering individuals and businesses the opportunity to recycle these items and support their community at the same time” states Mary Bradley, a fundraiser consultant with Project KOPEG. “We have a commitment to education and the environment. Every piece of our literature carries the message of the harmful effects of improper disposal of e-waste.”

KOPEG’s owner, Mike Green, isn’t fussy about the items they accept. “We will compensate fundraisers for all models, no matter what condition. Our focus is to keep these items out of our nation’s landfills and help protect water for future generations. We make it simple and easy and pay for all shipping of items to our office.”

Src: http://www.prlog.org/10037596-celebration-of-america-recycles-day-on-november-15th.htmla
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Intel Unveils New Chips Built Using Green Transistor Formula

Improving the energy-efficiency of computer processors is the key to improving computer performance, Intel indicated in its Sunday announcement about a new family of chips. The chipmaker developed a new transistor formula to cut down on energy leaks, which it sees as a threat to future computer innovation.

This new method was unveiled in 16 high-end PC and server processors from Intel. An added benefit of the formula is that it eliminates the need to use lead (an environmental hazard). Also, by 2008 Intel expects the process will also do away with halogen materials.

So, not only is the formula breaking new ground in terms of computer processing power, but it’s “green” as well.

For its new transistor formula, Intel combined two advances: the company’s Hafnium-based high-k metal gate formula (enables hundreds of millions of transistors to be built into each processor) and its 45-nanometer manufacturing process (boosts performance, lowers power consumption).

Intel expects that the breakthroughs it made with this new formula open the door for designing and building chips 25 percent smaller than previously possible. During 2008, the company will be focusing on just that, developing “system on chip” products for ultra mobile and consumer electronics devices.

The flagship product in Sunday’s unveiling was the Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 core processor, designed for use by gamers and media enthusiasts. This chip is already wowing game-maker Crytek, developer of first-person shooter game Crysis.

“One of our goals was to optimize Crysis in order to deliver the ultimate quality, bringing mind-blowing game play to the latest hardware,” said Douglas Binks, R&D manager at Crytek, in a statement. “With the new 45nm Hi-k Intel Core 2 Extreme processors, we use multi-core technology to enable physics, particle effects and audio on separate cores, helping Crysis to create an astounding gaming experience.”

Intel’s Sunday launch also 15 dual-core and quad-core server chips. Twelve of these processors feature clock speeds ranging from 2GHz to 3.20GHz, front sidebus speeds as high as 1600MHz and 12MB caches. The remaining three chips clock up to 3.40GHz with FSB up to 1600MHz and 6M caches.

The company designed these new Xeon processors to be compatible with server platforms built on the Intel 5000 chipset family. Three new platform solutions, supporting the 45nm processors, were also launched:

- Intel 5400 chipset-based platform, aka “Stoakley,” optimized for high-bandwidth applications.
- Intel 5100 Memory Controller Hub chipset, aka “Cranberry Lake,” cost-optimized for one or two processors.
- Intel 3200 chipset-based platform, aka “Garlow,” designed for single-processor entry servers.

“The intellects, physics and designs that went into solving one of the industry's most daunting challenges are awe-inspiring and I congratulate the Intel teams for this breakthrough achievement,” Intel’s president and CEO, Paul Otellini, said in a statement.

Otellini continued: “Best yet, this feat, coupled with our industry-leading architectures, means faster and sleeker computers, longer battery life and better energy efficiency. Our objective is to bring consumers a new class of computers delivering a full Internet experience in ever-smaller, more portable form factors.”

src: http://www.tmcnet.com/green/articles/14332-intel-unveils-new-chips-built-using-green-transistor.htm
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The $300 Green Linux PC from WalMart

If all you need is the basics, check out the eco-friendly $300 dollar Everex’s TC2502 gPC Ubuntu Linux PC- it’s compact, cheap, and a great greener option. And where can you get it? WalMart!

Despite years of WalMart’s dubious labor practices and the like, we recognize that giant company has made great strides recently in its environmental initiatives, and we actually like this green computer a lot.

For those of you who are technically challenged, the Everex TC2502 is a full featured PC, with an operating system that is completely free. Free to use, free to update, and extremely easy to use. Not only that, but it comes with a host of software which will satisfy all your needs.

This super energy-efficient PC features a 1.5 Ghz Via C7 CPU embedded within a Mini-ITX motherboard. It comes with half a gig of RAM an 80gb Hard drive and a DVD burner. It won’t run Vista, but the Ubuntu based operating system works beautifully (you can actually download it to try it yourself).

Why is it green though? The fact that it runs really, really efficiently, due to the use of the low powered minicomponents within the machine. We wish that they’d go farther, as unfortunately they designed the machine to look bigger than the size it actually needs to be, but still this is pretty sweet. Stuff like this helps put the idea out there and let people consider alternative choices, so we applaud Wal-Mart for taking this great step.

Src: http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/11/12/the-300-green-linux-pc-from-walmart/

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Microsoft Launches Authorized Refurbisher Program - Green Reuse of Computers

Microsoft’s new “Authorized Refurbisher Program” (MAR), launched Friday, represents either the company’s determination to help boost reseller businesses while benefiting users and the environment, or the company’s determination to crack down on unauthorized use of its Windows operating system.

In its Friday announcement, Microsoft said MAR was created to help simplify volume licensing for refurbishers, enabling them to grow their businesses by selling used computers that are reformatted and then have the Windows OS re-installed.

In a Q and A on Microsoft’s Web site, Hani Shakeel, senior product manager at the company’s Genuine Windows Product Marketing division, said 2004 research conducted in partnership withGartner showed that 150 million PCs entered secondary market that year, of which about 20 million were refurbished and resold.

“Today we project that this number is closer to 28 million PCs, making refurbished PCs over 10 percent of the worldwide PC market,” Shakeel said in the Q and A.

Shakeel went on to say that Microsoft decided to create MAR after getting requests from refurbishers for genuine software solutions to meet needs of the secondary market—a way to buy licenses in bulk for use with large volumes of computers these companies collect and prepare for resale.

It isn’t always possible, Shakeel explained, for refurbishers to restore used PCs to their original state in terms of software installed, since they don’t always have access to each computer’s recovery disc. Refurbishers can order replacement media from the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), but this a tedious process that doesn’t lend itself well to bulk refurbishing operations.

Now, with MAR, refurbishers can purchase new Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional licenses for PCs that have a certificate of authenticity. Licenses are available in English, French and Spanish.

By helping refurbishers prepare computers for resale without violating intellectual property rights, Microsoft said it is also helping to keep used computers out of landfills by encouraging reuse and recycling of technology.

“One of the big concerns in the secondary market is with the proper disposal or recycling of PCs, rather than having them end up in landfills,” Shakeel said in the Q and A on Microsoft’s Web site.

Shakeel continued: “The refurbishers with whom we are launching the MAR program have put in place strict environmental processes to address these concerns. This is a key differentiator for them compared to their competition. The MAR program enables partners to take this further, and differentiate themselves based on how they treat intellectual property and software licensing.”

Src: Click Here
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Green Environment Friendly Gifts for Christmas

Green products make wonderful gifts. Not only are they good for the environment, but they tend to save money (on electricity) and add functionality as well.

Portable chargers, for example, make excellent stocking stuffers. They let you charge your phone and other toys on the go without plugging in. You can harness the sun, the wind or both.

Windup chargers, or gadgets that have built-in charging through some kind of hand-crank, make great gifts, too.

Unlike previous years, there is now a huge selection of solar-powered backpacks and carry-all bags to choose from. These bags have solar panels on the outside and batteries on the inside. When you want to charge your stuff, just keep them plugged in as you carry them around.

Green PCs not only save you money on power, but also on the purchase itself. Wal-Mart, for example, is selling a new green PC for less than $200. Environmentally friendly PCs also tend to be quieter.

Look for products that are recycled or are recyclable, and don't use batteries or rechargeable batteries.

Giving green gifts lets your loved ones enjoy guilt-free fun. And, if you're good, maybe you'll get green gifts in your stocking this year. But that's only if you're good. If you're bad this year, expect carbon offsets instead of coal.
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Recycle Your Computer at Blind Center of Nevada

More than two million tons of electronic waste is dumped into landfills every year, and the Environmental Protection Agency says eventually that could cause major problems.

Eyewitness News found a local group that's working to keep your high-tech trash out of the Las Vegas Valley dumps. For the past two years, workers at the Blind Center of Nevada have being sorting, stacking, and shrink wrapping the valley's computer trash.

"The more we keep out of landfill the better," said Bob Waldorf, the president of operations for the Blind Center of Nevada.

Waldorf says 1,300 computers are kicked to the curb every day. This electronic waste is especially toxic, filled with mercury, flame retardants and worst of all lead.

Republic Recycling's Bob Coyle said, "The U.S. EPA was concerned about the amount of lead on the screen and monitors and felt they should be kept out of landfills."

The lead wires inside could contaminate the ground soil and water. Fortunately, Las Vegas landfills have safeguards to stop that kind of toxic catastrophe.

Bob Coyle continued, "Our landfill is lined in Las Vegas to stop contamination of the water."

Still, workers at the Blind Center are battling the new-age waste hauling in more than 2 million pounds of computer equipment every year, recycling, reconditioning, selling, and even donating it to local non-profits.

"The life of a PC in business maybe three to four years, but a life of a PC could be 10 to 12 years, so there is still a lot of useable life," Bob Waldorf explained.

The computer recycle program started as a way to help protect the environment but now the Blind Center of Nevada is taking it one step further by increasing personal security. They wipe the hard drive clean of all of your person information.

"It's just taking care of Mother Earth is what it's all about," Bob Coyle added.

Coyle says the computer recycling program helps, but high-tech trash is a growing mountain that they are trying to shrink into a mole hill. Republic Recycling officials say they expect to see an increase in TVs at landfills, as more people upgrade to high definition.

State lawmakers say they're considering charging extra recycling fees for those who buy new electronics to help off set recycling costs.
src: http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7339086
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Sony Vaio Goes Green

Sony today took the wraps off four environmentally friendly Vaio notebooks.

The Graphic Splash Eco Edition notebooks, based on the Vaio FZ series, feature several eco-friendly features, including having easily recycled components, packaging made primarily of recycled materials, RoHS compliant components, free recycling and it is part of Sony’s rechargeable battery recycling program offered at Sony Style stores and participating retailers.

The laptops feature four “green” inspired case designs, Caribbean Water, Clay Earth, Spotted Life and Bloom. Suggested retails for the line start at $1,391 and Sony will donate 1 percent of each sale to For The Planet, an alliance of businesses committed to creating a healthier environment.

Another part of this launch has Sony offering a rebate on the purchase of any new Vaio notebook to consumers who trade in their old PC for recycling.
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