10 Easy Ways to Become More Eco-Friendly with Tech

Joe_Dominici

If you’ve been spending time watching the technology industry in recent years, you know it’s making a hard push towards eco-friendly products that reduce your carbon footprint and help you achieve sustainability goals. But as the market has shifted towards green tech, it’s also become more difficult to know if the products you’re using or the activities you’re engaging in while using them is really as eco-friendly as you might think. 

Luckily there are a slew of ways to use and engage with technology that allow for more eco-friendliness and sustainability. And with the right steps taken and the right products used, you may find that you can easily improve your eco-friendliness without spending too much money (if anything at all). 

Below we discuss a variety of ways to improve your sustainability and be more eco-friendly with the tech you use each day. 

Buy only green tech 

If you’re really serious about being more eco-friendly with technology, then it’s a good idea to only buy products that are sustainably designed and environmentally conscious. There are plenty of green tech devices available, including smart power strips, sustainable computer accessories, and even green PCs. Acer’s Aspire Vero computers are built with several sustainable features, like easy upgrading for swapping out components, energy-saving software tools, and post-consumer recycling plastic in parts of their case and keyboard. 

Use analysis tools 

As the world has increasingly turned to green tech products, companies that build such devices are equipping users with analytics tools that help them see how they’re consuming energy. From simple battery monitors on your laptop to energy usage guidelines that tell you how often you’re using your products in a less environmentally friendly way, any good green tech product (and even those that are not necessarily built with the environment in mind) offer analytics tools to guide your usage. 

Check out certifications 

Whether it’s Energy Star, EPEAT, or any other certification, keep an eye out for products that have been certified by trustworthy and well-known certifications agencies. When a product is certified by a reliable eco-friendly organization, it means it meets standards for sustainability. If a device doesn’t have energy certifications, you may want to look elsewhere. 

Turn the power off 

Although it’s easy enough to put your tech in sleep mode, you really aren’t doing much to further your green goals. Instead of putting your device into a minimal power mode, turn it off when it’s not in use. You’ll not only save battery life, but if it’s a monitor or desktop, you’ll also conserve energy and be more eco-friendly along the way. 

Use software to your benefit 

Software has proven to be a secret ingredient in making any tech product more eco-friendly. Whether it’s a laptop or a smartphone, dig into your device’s settings and see how you can optimize battery performance and use the product in the least resource-intensive way by adjusting its settings.  

Acer’s Aspire Vero computers ship with several energy settings that make it easy to quickly adjust your power consumption. Their Eco setting is a low power mode designed to save battery life and their Eco+ setting turns off features to maximize energy efficiency. They help to dramatically reduce energy consumption and boost eco-friendliness. 

AI is your friend 

Artificial intelligence is another major component in driving energy efficiency in today’s tech products. When buying a new device, seek products that offer artificial intelligence behind the scenes that will monitor your usage patterns and adjust energy features based on how you typically engage with your device. By doing so, you can rely on your computer’s AI to intelligently optimize your energy usage and save battery life. 

Find brands you trust 

Although there are plenty of companies that say they build energy-efficient products, they’re not always being truthful. Do your research and find companies that are truly building green and energy-efficient products and support them. You should also trust companies like Acer that have plans to further reduce energy consumption and improve manufacturing processes. There’s simply too much waste in the technology industry and supporting the companies that are looking to clean that up is an important step towards improving sustainability. 

Make changes to how you use tech 

Knowing how you’re using technology and employing software and artificial intelligence to improve energy-efficiency can only go so far. If you really want to become more eco-friendly with the tech you use, you’ll need to analyze how you’re engaging with products and adjust your habits. If you find that you consume a lot of energy in the morning when surfing the internet or later at night when checking out social media, switch things up. The more control you have over yourself, the better your chances of reaching your sustainability goals. 

Upgrade wherever possible 

While the shiny new device may look great on paper, if you’re looking to improve your eco-friendliness, consider upgrading your machine instead. There are plenty of ways to make your aging computer feel like new again by increasing your RAM, swapping out your hard drive for a solid-state drive, and installing a new processor. Upgrading your machine isn’t for everyone, but if you have the knowledge and wherewithal, it’s a great way to improve your sustainability. 

Recycle or donate 

If you decide you need to have a new device, consider recycling or donating your old computer or smartphone instead of throwing it in the trash. Recycling or donating your tech cuts down on manufacturing and allows for what would’ve been even more e-waste to be used in a second life. And if you donate your computer to a charitable organization, you’re also providing someone else with opportunities to engage with technology and the internet without contributing to environmental issues. 

It's no secret that the tech industry has created new strains on the environment. But if you engage in the right activities and have the right plan in place, you can do your part to drive sustainability goals and reduce your impact on the environment. 

hyuk

I find for me, reducing, thinking of better ways to use devices and reusing is the way to go. Lower the brightness of my devices (so they can go longer between charges), reusing food containers. I'm always looking for other ways that I can help, thanks!