Computer manufacturers have three opportunities to earn their
environmental stripes: during a machine’s manufacture, use, and
disposal. From what I’ve read, the worst environmental legacy of
computers will be toxic waste, rather than energy consumption. (Not to
sneer at energy consumption issues, natch.) What we want to be able to start looking for in our computer choices is responsible manufacture
and responsible end-of-life stewardship. We don’t quite seem to be
there yet, but take heart: think about the time lag between onset of
chemical agriculture and onset of the organics label.
