Green Gadget Basics
In today’s world just about every company is proudly pointing out all of the eco-friendly characteristics of their products. With so many gadgets to choose from it can be a very daunting task trying to buy really green gadgets. To compete with the true green gadgets, some companies are practicing “greenwashing”. When looking for energy efficient devices there is help, consider the following:
- Energy Star label – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has established a voluntary program of energy usage specifications for consumer products. ENERGY STAR products are independently certified to save energy without sacrificing features or functionality. Look for the ENERGY STAR label to save money on your energy bills and help protect our environment. You can find out more about Energy Star products at https://www.energystar.gov/.
- EPEAT ® certified products – The Energy Product Environmental Assessment Tool is a program by the Green Electronics Council dedicated to help people purchase green computers and other environmentally preferred electronics. You can find out more about EPEAT certified products at http://www.epeat.net/.
- Greener Choices – Consumer Reports provides information regarding which green product claims you can trust and which you cannot. You can find out more information at http://www.greenerchoices.org/eco-labels/ .
Other considerations when making a new green gadget purchase are:
- Can I recycle it?
- How much power does it use?
- Will it last?
- Is it easily repaired?
- Should I buy new or used?
- What kind of reviews has it received?
- What kind of warranty does it have?
- Is there evidence to support claims to be green?
By asking these questions when purchasing a green gadget you can avoid “greenwashing”. Greenwashing is misleading consumers about the eco-practices of a company or its products or services. This may mean that a gadget claims to be green one way by trading-off other detrimental environmental impacts. Many claims of being green can’t be proven or these claims are vague and misleading. Lastly the claim of being green is an outright lie. Basically when you are buying green gadgets you must beware.