Buying a greener, cheaper laptop (and junking the old one responsibly)

I've been shopping around for a laptop, and I finally bought one earlier this month. My goal was to get a laptop that meets my computing needs and is low-impact on my wallet and on the planet. This is a tall order, considering the environmental issues posed by computer manufacturing. But despite my mixed success, I still learned a lot in the process and found some helpful resources for would-be consumers of cheap green laptops.

LaptopAdvisor.com is a good starting point for figuring out what you really need in a laptop, and avoiding unnecessary bells and whistles that may break the bank. It also has strategies for finding cheap laptops.

These websites helped me learn about and compare the environmental and social attributes of computers and their manufacturers:

• A Better Upgrade, Not a Faster Throw-Away is a comprehensive treatment of all the different environmental and social sustainability aspects of computer hardware and software. (The information about the toxic afterlife of e-waste is especially disturbing.) It also has useful advice for minimizing the impact of your computer purchase and operation, including what to look for in a computer so that it does not need to be replaced so frequently. A great resource, if you can swallow a fair dose of ideology along with the information and advice given.
• Conscious Consumer: Buy Cleaner Computers Now is a good consumer-oriented starting point for computer shopping.
• Greenpeace publishes a Green Electronics Guide that ranks computer manufacturers on their policies for use and elimination of toxics, as well as product responsibility and take-back programs.
• The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC) has a report card on the environmental performance of various computer manufacturers and an Electronics Purchasing Guide.
• EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) is the EPA's searchable database for greener computer products. However, according to SVTC, there are some important criteria that are omitted from EPEAT, so it makes sense to use EPEAT in conjunction with another guide.
• For energy efficiency, look for the computers, laptops, and monitors with the Energy Star certification.

As with many consumer goods, the most frugal and environmental option for getting a laptop is to acquire a used one. Possible sources:

• Ask around to see if someone will just give you their old laptop for free. Check with friends, family, and Freecycle. Although I wasn't successful with this, I know a couple of people who have been.
• Check the giveaway section of Green Citizen's electronics classified ads.
• Craigslist (however, I've had one report from a friend that the used laptop listings on Craigslist were "sketchy").
• eBay (use the sellers with the best reputation ratings).
• WeirdStuff in Sunnyvale occasionally has a few older used laptops in stock.
• LaptopAdvisor.com gives advice on shopping for used laptops, as well as a list of reputable used laptop dealers.

Another option is to go with a refurbished laptop. It's a somewhat greener and substantially cheaper alternative to buying new. To allay concerns about quality - refurbished computer equipment is thoroughly tested and generally includes a warranty. New Dream's IT director explains the benefits in the article When 'Refurbished' Takes on an Earth-Friendly Vibe.

• Most computer manufacturers sell refurbished equipment on their websites, at a substantial discount.
• Refurb Depot and Computer Renaissance carry refurbished computers.
• TechRestore has refurbished Macs.
• Check out LaptopAdvisor.com for more advice on shopping refurbished, along with a list of refurbished laptop dealers.

I ended up getting a refurbished HP laptop, using Sugar Daddy's employee discount for even more savings. Now that I have the laptop, the next question is what I should do with the two old computers in my possession. They are 6 and 8 years old, too slow to run the latest and greatest programs or anything requiring lots of processing power. But they could still be useful for simple tasks like checking email, surfing the web, creating documents and spreadsheets, etc. So I prefer that they be reused rather than recycled or discarded.

As someone who is concerned about waste and the environment, it was an eye-opening (and frankly, discouraging) experience to research my local options for getting rid of my old computers in a responsible manner. Here's what I discovered:

• Our continual pursuit of the latest and greatest generates a HUGE amount of electronic waste each year.
• Although more computer recycling options are available today than in years past, the electronics recycling industry has its own set of social and environmental ills, and it's up to the consumer to find a responsible recycler. Plus, given the magnitude of the e-waste problem and the low recovery rate of materials from recycled computers, it's hard to believe that electronics recycling is going to be some kind of magic environmental cure-all.
• Silicon Valley non-profits are flooded with so many donations that some are extremely picky about what computer equipment they will accept. They, too, demand the latest and greatest! (I have some slight sympathy for such policies, though - who wants to be a teacher in an underserved school district trying to run Microsoft Word 2007 on your old donated Trash-80?)
• Even if you donate your computer to a charity/non-profit, you may not know what they will actually do with it unless you investigate further and ask some hard questions. They could reuse your computer, donate it to someone else, sell it, strip it for parts and junk the rest, recycle it, or even landfill it if they deem it unsuitable.

With those sobering facts in mind, I'll be looking into the following local options for reuse and recycling:

• Freecycle (although I suspect it will be hard to find takers for old computer equipment here in Silicon Valley).
• A friend of mine gives his older, less-powerful computers minor hardware and software upgrades so he can reuse them as DVRs or for home networking.
• Computer Recycling Center accepts computers for reuse and recycling at locations in Sunnyvale, SF, and Santa Rosa. They repair, upgrade, and distribute the usable computers to teachers, schools, and non-profits. The rest are recycled or used for parts. Based on their hardware specs, they might actually accept and reuse my computer (with a few upgrades)!
• Resource Area For Teaching (RAFT) in San Jose accepts donated computers. I've volunteered with them and they are an awesome and worthy organization. However, they are one of the picky ones - my old computers don't qualify!
• Plugged In in East Palo Alto accepts newer hardware and software for its non-profit community technology center and self-paced learning studio.
• WeirdStuff in Sunnyvale accepts computers and other electronics. They resell a lot of the equipment that is still functional (yes, including the weird stuff) and also use it for parts. In fact, they have some great cheap dollar-bin stuff at the front of the store that probably comes from donations.
• The SVTC Consumer's Guide to Electronics Recycling has tips on finding a responsible recycler, plus a list of responsible recyclers in California.
• Amerturk in Sunnyvale accepts computers for recycling at no charge. (Shameless plug: mention the account number 1021 when dropping off equipment, and they will donate part of the proceeds to my performing arts organization.)
• Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin Counties accepts computers for resale and recycling through its Reconnect program.
• Universal Waste Management, Inc. holds free e-waste recycling events around the Bay.
• Green Citizen accepts computers for recycling at its Palo Alto and SF locations. They also have classified ads with "wanted" listings. However, I was somewhat put off by their blog posts Can’t Someone Still Use My Old Computer? and Computer Donation = Computer Dumping. Although the posts highlight some unpleasant truths about computer donations, I found the bias in favor of recycling over donation/reuse to be self-serving.
• The County of San Mateo Re-use Guide lists more local organizations that accept computers for reuse and resale.
• eRecycle.org provides information to California consumers about recycling electronic waste.