Sustainable Living: Computer Customs

Believe it or not, but sometimes it is better for the environment to get the newest gadget.
Particularly for computers there is a big difference between the good old desktops with the big screens and today's laptops.

Energy consumption by half by changing your old screen for a flat screen. If you switch to a laptop, you can decrease electricity consumption with 90%!
You might cause more waste, but 90% decrease in electricity consumption on a daily basis could be worth it.

Another matter to pay attention to is the power usage. You might want to look over your computer's power management settings, as a computer in sleep mode uses 10% less energy. It's all made very easy with the power management settings which can be set to a certain delay time, e.g. 10 minutes of inaction, after which it goes to sleep.

On your laptop you can set your computer to hybernate as you close the lid. This is my personal favorite as it is fast and efficient without risking that your computer goes to sleep when you don't want it to.

And finally don't forget to turn your computer off when you are not using it!
For laptops it can even be worth pulling out the charger if you don't need it. Obviously an empty battery is a nasty surprise, but modern laptops can charge rather quickly and thereafter be unplugged to save further electricity.

Sustainable Living: Turning off the lights

Most of us have been told to turn off the lights when we leave the room since we were small, even if it was mostly for financial cost. However, the financial cost effectiveness of turning off the lights varies according to what type of bulb you use and the cost of electricity. We all know that different lightbulbs have different efficiencies and this will obviously impact the cost of leaving the lights on.
However, did you know that different bulbs have different operating lives? The operating life is in turn influenced by how many times the light is turned on and off; i.e. the more they are turned on and off, the shorter their lifespan.

Incandescent lights are the least effective and release approximately 10 % of their energy as light and the remaining 90% as heat. Turning the lights off is therefore extra beneficial in warm climates as it could save you some energy on the airconditioning.

Halogen lights are more efficient, but it is still best to turn these lights off when not needed as they are not as efficient as CFL or LED lights.

CFL lights are very efficient, making the financial cost calculation a bit more complicated, and should be turned off if you are leaving the room for a longer period of time (>15 minutes). As their lifespan shortens with turning on and off, you will have to buy new ones quicker, therefore spending not only more money, but also creating more waste. These lamps also tend to use a lot of energy to get started so even in this regard it is best to turn them off only if it is for longer periods of time.

The operating life of LED lighting is not affecting by on and off switching and they almost instantly reach full brightness. This is therefore the most advantageous lighting for both financial and environmental sustainability.

When in doubt, turn off the lights if you are leaving the room for more than 15 minutes. If you are a forgetful person like me, you have plenty of automated options. There are timers, motion sensors or light sensors available to enable the light to turn on or off under certain conditions.

Most importantly, switch to LED lights whenever possible.

Sustainable Living: Public Transport

The amount of energy consumed per person per km is significantly reduced if you take public transport compared to a private car. This effect is multiplied if it is a public transport vehicle using alternative fuels or electricity. In addition, it is often cheaper than owning a car. The further your daily travelling distance, the cheaper it gets. In certain countries the price will be more or less equal, but this is not taking into account the investment in acquiring a private vehicle nor the maintenance entailed. In many cases the government will subsidize public transport, making it even more profitable.

Public transportation can save 340 million gallons of fuel and 37 million metric tonns of CO2. Even those who do not use the public transportation system benefit from it as it greatly reduces congestion and therefore also travel time. Public transportation also reduces energy consumption and the general air quality.

Despite its reputation, it can actually help reduce stress. Instead of being stuck in traffic, you can use your travel time to relax, talk to a friend, read or listen to music.

 

Food for Thought - Pareto's Law

The bottom line of Pareto's law is that 80% of the world's resources go to 20% of the world's population. While his theories started in economics, this can be applied to all phasets of life. 20% of the world consume 80% of the world's energy, 20% of a country's population is using 80% of its resources, etc. I believe you could scale it down even to an individual level - 20% of your time is consuming 80% of whichever input you wish to measure. Maybe we should be not only more efficient with our resources, but also more efficient with our time. Cut out all the unnecessary extras and distractions, it could save us time resources and money.

Measure your carbon footprint, become conscious. As they say in recovery programs; realization is the first step on the road to recovery.