Geeks love their gadgets; the newer, the faster, the more powerful they are, all the better. The gizmos that geeks love, however, consume a lot of energy and leave a lot of carbon footprints. Geeks are not often thought of as green-living folk.
But it is nonetheless possible to be a geek and at the same time adhere to the principles of green living. It is just a matter of making the right choices. Here are some of the choices that you can make towards living an eco-friendly lifestyle but without losing any geek credibility.
Choose Your Gadgets Wisely
Many geeks buy their gadgets indiscriminately. Just because a gadget is the newest toy in the market, boasting of some great features and being great eye-candy to boot, they must have it. However, this does not mean that they really need it.
So, before you buy that newest and shiniest toy from your favorite gadget store, ask yourself first if you need it. But if you really must have this new toy, you should do your homework before you fish for your wallet. Check out its Energy Star rating as well as consumer reports about the gadget.
It would also help improve your green living status if you buy a single gadget with lots of features. Most cellphones these days, for instance, can serve not just as mobile phones but also as mini-computers, digital cameras, MP3 players, calculators, alarm clocks and handheld gaming consoles. Having less gadgets with more functions can also help you deal with clutter.
Gadgets and Recycling
As mentioned above, many geeks are prodigious consumers and some of them are in the habit of throwing away gadgets that they do not want anymore even if they are still working perfectly well. Do not be like these geeks. Try to do your part in extending the life of a gadget by buying secondhand or by using your toys for as long as they work. Also, make sure that the gadgets you buy are recyclable.
When you are tired with your toys or when they stop working, you should not just chuck them into the garbage bin. See if their manufacturers have a buyback program, which is a good way for you to get back some of the money you paid for in purchasing your gadget. If they do not have a buyback program, you can take your old gadgets to your neighborhood recycling center.
Use Renewable Energy for Your Gadgets
One of the greatest hallmarks of the eco-friendly lifestyle is using renewable energy. Gadget geeks use a lot of energy for their gizmos, and so it becomes more of their responsibility to make sure that the energy they are using for their gadgets is renewable.
It is not difficult to do this. You do not even have to install a solar panel or a wind turbine at home. If your gadget requires batteries, you should use rechargeable batteries made with lithium ion instead of alkaline.
You can also buy simple chargers that make use of solar energy or wind to recharge your gadgets. It would raise your geek credibility to get these chargers because they are, by themselves, cool gadgets to have. All you need to do for these chargers to have enough power to supply your gadgets is to leave them sitting at your window sill, strap them to your arm while you are jogging or stick them on the windshield of your car.
Most of all, you should turn your gadgets off and unplug them when you are not using them. Vampire power is one of the biggest enemies of a green-living geek because it is a waste of your resources and a waste of your money.