Tuesday, June 10, 2008
The quarterly IT fairs in Singapore have come again. Its time again for Singaporeans to splurge their hard earned money in exchange for prized electronic possessions. Yet, while we go through this short but sweet spending frenzy, it would be wise to stop a while and think about our environmental impact during these IT fairs.No no. I'm not encouraging everyone to avoid buying stuff (I myself am going to get a new printer and a digicam probably) but think about the positive things you could do to make this period less environmentally damaging.
Here are some things I think would be interesting to note.
1. Flyers
The IT fairs have tonnes of them. Do we really need them? No.... there are always helpful (albeit poorly paid) sales personnel who are able to assist us in our purchases. And whats more, do you actually read all the flyers they give out? Most of them end up strewn on the floor at the end of the day, and its practically a heap of rubbish every night during closing (I've experienced it before)
When someone gives you a flyer, don't be afraid to refuse it, especially if you have no use for the damned thing. If you really have to take it, do remember that Suntec has many conveniently placed paper recycling bins. Toss them there and not on the floor like some inconsiderate mothafucka (yay, always wanted to say that).
2. Printer Inks!
Everyone loves printers at IT fairs. They're so cheap to get at IT shows that its almost a complete waste if everyone doesn't go home with one. And what about those printer inks we buy that are equally cheap in that colossal sale? What happens to the old ones that we replace? Well, other than throwing them away, we also have the choice of recycling them.
Out of the four major printer players (Brother, Cannon, Epson, HP, correct me if there are more big printer companies), three of them provide drop off points for used cartridges (Epson didn't seem to have such a practice). So make use of these places to drop off your end of the life cartridges.
One interesting thing i learnt of HP in cartridges, they actually allow users to use third party refills. While they strongly advise against it, they do allow it to be done at the risk of ink and printhead quality. While refills may be of lower quality, it may suit certain users who are cost conscious, plus refills generally are more environmentally friendly. This makes it a plus point for people looking to get a HP printer.
3. Power Savers
As environmentally friendly as the world gets nowadays, companies are forced to add that power saver option to their stuff. Western digital hard drives have a range called Green Power, which is supposedly more energy efficient (Don't get me wrong, I'm not advertising for WD. In fact, I've just done a 1-1 exchange on this hard disk only to find that there's a problem with the exchanged one. VERY ANGRY). When choosing products, look out for these energy saving lovelies. They may mean some savings to your annual electricity bill.
4. Stuff You Just Got & Stuff You Don't Want Anymore
Ok... now you've got all your lovely stuff from the IT fair and you're excitedly tearing away your old ones to replace them. What to do with the old ones? Well, sell them away if they're still good stuff. Or, if nobody wants to buy it, give it away for free. SgFreecycle (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SgFreecycle/) is a great place to give away your things. And if you still can't find anyone to give it to, this thread suggests some alternatives (http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/showthread.php?t=1565068).
As for those new stuff you got, remember, those packaging it came with can be easily reused or recycled, so don't waste them.
Be a reponsible buyer this PC Show, for the sake of your wellbeing in the future
9:41 PM
Caulibeam