Green Computing
Computers are not generally known as being environmentally friendly. Since technology is always changing and folks always want to be on the cutting edge, people tend to upgrade after only a couple of years and toss their old systems out. The problem isn’t just that our landfills are overflowing. Computers contain trace amounts of several toxic chemicals like mercury and lead. Improper disposal can lead to health and environmental hazards. The other problem is that computers are power hogs and can use a lot of electricity. Want to go green? Here’s a good way to start.
Western Digital has unveiled its new Greenpower brand of hard drives. The drives, available in 500GB, 750GB, and 1TB sizes use an average of 4 to 5 watts less than similar hard drives from Hitachi, Seagate and other manufacturers.
Tom McDorman, VP and GM of the company’s enterprise business unit, said: “WD’s RE2-GP enterprise line of hard drives allows customers to expand their storage needs, reduce their total cost of ownership, and improve the environment all at the same time.”
The increased efficiency is produced by several different technologies, including IntelliSeek, which optimizes seek speeds to lower power consumption and noise.
The new drives are expected to have retail prices of $149.99(500GB), $249.99(750GB) and $349.99(1TB).
Oh, and when you’re ready to toss your old system, call your city’s sanitation department to learn about safe ways to dispose of and/or recycle it. Or, you may want to consider donating it to a worthy organization instead.
computers, hard drives, data storage, western digital, environmentally friendly computers, recycling
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