Scientists in China have developed a way to recycle electronic circuits in old computers, mobile phones and other electronic devices in a way that is less harmful to the environment.

It can be used to reclaim valuable metals such as copper without releasing toxic fumes into the air the way current practices do.

Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are made of fibreglass and resin with electronic circuitry on top. The number of PCBs manufactured is growing by around 9% every year

Via NewScientist.com

Dell says it’s going to meet its goal of aquiring 275 million pounds of computers by the year 2009.

Dell claims to have recovered a little over 12% of the computer equiptment sold seven years prior.”Protecting the environment is too important an issue for one company to be leading alone,” CEO Michael Dell stated. “Customers should not be forced into improper disposal due to a lack of environmentally responsible options.

“Dell provides several recycling programs, including no-charge recycling services for its own equipment worldwide without requiring the purchase of a new computer.

The Recycling Works Award was presented to Dell by The National Recycling Coalition in February to recognize the company for it’s efforts.

Methane heats the planet 20 times more than carbon dioxide. A ruminant animal, an animal that digests it’s food many times, creates methane when it digests food in its rumen, the first stomach in a ruminant animal that acts as a holding chamber for food.

The rumen contains over 400 microbes that break down the food as it enters and some of the microbes specialize in producing methane. The key may be to just get rid of these particular microbes and replace them with ones that won’t produce methane.

Scientists at AgResearch in New Zealand are working on a solution. New Zealand is expecting a surge in it’s livestock demand in the coming years due to the increased need for meat and dairy products in China and the replacement of grazing land for ruminants in the US by bio-fuel crops.

• Use them to line small trash cans.
• Put them in the bottom of plant pots to act as a drainage system.
• Children can use them for carrying gear or supplies to school.
• Use them as packing filler to keep the contents of packages from moving around.
• Use them in the garden to hold clippings and weeds before you take them to the compost pile.
• Use them when packing for a trip to keep dirty/wet clothes and shoes away from clean clothing.
• Use them as dog waste when you walk your dog.
• Check with your local grocery store to see if the have a recycling program for plastic bags.
• Use them to carry your lunch to work.
• Use them as trash bags in your car.

Telecommuting is when employees commute to work is done via telecommunication links. These types of arrangements are best suited for jobs that don’t require strict supervision by an employee but instead are based more on the results produced by the employee. 

Aside from the obvious cut on your consumption of fossil fuels you can also save a substantial amount of money when you take into consideration current fuel prices. 

One way to lighten your load and make a smaller carbon footprint is to telecommute. So, if you can work it out with your employer you can help save money and the environment. 

The Energy Saving trust in the UK, or EST, says that consumer use of tech gadgets may be offsetting efforts to curb global climate change do to the power used by these electronic devices.

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Beginning January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2007 purchase select ENERGY STAR items and you may be eligible to claim a tax credit of up to $500 on your 2006 or 2007 tax return.

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Law AB 2449 went on the books on Sunday. The law requires stores that are over 10,000 sqaure feet to offer customers a plastic bag recycling program.

“The bag-manufacturing industry is partnering with the retail community to develop practical solutions for recycling in California communities and around the nation,” Isaac Bazbaz, chairman of the Progressive Bag Alliance, said in a news release.

Less than 5 percent of the 19 billion plastic bags used every year are recycled, while consumers toss 294 million pounds of bags. By cutting down the bags sent to landfills in half would reduce oil consumption by 2,000 barrels and eliminate 73,000 tons from landfills every year, according to the alliance.

Via Sacramento Business Journal

Google is planning on being carbon neutral by the end of 2007 by becoming more efficient, using renewable energy sources and buying carbon offsets for what they can’t effectively reduce.

Their long term goal is not to rely on the carbon offsets but instead use them to start making a difference right away while they develop the programs that will create a smaller footprint in the long run.

They have already started some programs such as the Climate Savers Computing, a project whose aim is to improve computer efficiency standards. Climate Saver Computing’s goal is to redcue computer power consumption by 50% by the year 2010.

“Believe it or not, the average desktop PC wastes nearly half the power delivered to it. Half! This wasted electricity unnecessarily increases the cost of powering a computer, and it also increases the emission of greenhouse gases.” — ClimateSaversComputing.org

Google also wants to raise awarness of others so they have launched tools such as Google Transit which aids people in finding public transit.

EnergyStar.gov put together an excellent list of ways to conserver energy in your home.Â

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