Today there were 160 news articles on green technology. One hundred and sixty. This is a good thing. Perhaps the powers that be will start doing things that will positively affect the future of this planet.
It’s funny because just the other day I was sitting on the train watching as a man took out reams and reams of paper and stuck them on the table. Then, all he did with each page was sign it. That was it! There was almost an entire tree’s worth of paper there for absolutely no other reason than to have a signature.
Surely technology has advanced to the point where the paperless office is actually doable? I have an electronic signature. I just took a photo on my phone, emailed it from my phone, edited it on my Eee PC, and stuck it on my documents. It’s still my signature.
Sure, there are security issues around this. Especially in circles where the complexities of the human signature are a massive part of an identity check and can change lives. But other security technologies and systems, already in place, should protect a digital signature as effectively as the documents themselves.
It isn’t just about signing digital paper. It’s also about the fact that if this is one man, on one train, and you think of how many thousands of people are doing the same thing in one city alone. The mind boggles at the impact we are having on our planet.
The same applies to our use of technology. We’ve all done it. Left our machines running “just for one afternoon” because the thought of re-opening all those windows and websites was too much to deal with. Or we’ve never had the time to set up our Sleep or Hibernate modes properly.
Taking the time to implement basic green practises can make a huge difference. Your two hours of unnecessary carbon emissions may be negligible on their own, but when combined with thousands or millions of other people’s, it becomes a torrent.
I recently wrote an article about seven ways to get greener so take a gander at those tips. Even if you only do one of those a day, a week, a year, you will be helping to make a difference.
Of course, and I don’t mean to sound flippant here, you can also invest in technology that’s had the green built in for you. I have a deep love and lust for the Asus Bamboo range. Ever since I saw the first one several years ago, and heard that one of them had climbed Everest successfully, I wanted one.
How can a girl not love the fact that her laptop is made of bamboo and therefore the design is utterly unique. No Bamboo laptop looks the same. Yes please! Add the green credentials, the style, the powerful built-in system and it really is a no-brainer.
The new U-Series Bamboo collection has just ambled into the UK (yay!) and I am coveting one for myself. Oh to take this on my daily commute. How the other commuters will cry with envy when they see my gorgeous green (in every way) machine. Ha.