Going Green with the Electronics at Home

These days’ electronics are used as toys and tools to play, communicate and work. With new generations, by getting smaller in size they are becoming the bigger part of our lives thus going green is no more an option but a necessity in order to preserve our environment. It might be giving you a flashback of seventies, like people listening to FM radio and living in solar powered homes, but don’t take it that far. Going green is just about using good technology in the best possible way.

In the next few stanzas we will be discussing about green gadgets. What are green gadgets, how to use them and how to discard them.

1. Shop smart: The energy star will help you to purchase energy saving electronics. This is important because some low quality devices take in more power and energy. They might cost you less but not for a very long time. Good quality energy saving devices save the environment and your pockets.
2. Use energy smartly: Haste makes waste. The phrase proves write in usage of electronic gadgets. In hurry we forget to switch off the lights or unplug the devices and hence they keep on drawing power unnecessarily. There is a myth which people have developed out of ignorant attitude that devices do not suck power when left unplugged with their switches off. Many wall warts if left unplugged continue to draw power from the socket. So, make sure that you switch off and unplug the devices after use.
3. Use green alternatives of batteries: It will save a lot of energy if you’ll use rechargeable batteries rather than disposable batteries. Because of being rechargeable they can be used for longer durations than disposable batteries. These might be a little more expensive but they’ll surely pay you back if are used properly.
4. Be careful with worn out gadgets: We understand that you must be way too exited about your brand new, sleek smart phone but don’t miss the old one in this excitement. Do whatever but just don’t throw it off because it will increase landfill waste thus affecting environment badly. There are loads of charities that take old electronics and recycle them. You can even sell it online on any auction site.
5. Only buy ROHS electronics: Restriction on hazardous substances is a directive followed by all the European electronics selling organizations. All their electronics are free of toxic chemicals like cadmium, lead and mercury. So always look for the companies following this policy and purchase gadgets from them.
6. Take care of your batteries: If you are using rechargeable batteries then maintain them in a way that they last long and perform better. Both lithium ion and nickel hydride batteries have different maintenance procedures. For this you are required to read the manual you receive during the purchase of product.

This is good to know that almost all the electronic gadget manuals contains the necessary information to preserve environment, but it’s unfortunate on our parts that we tend to throw the manuals in some corner of our house. Take time to go through the manuals they will guide you on how to treat the electronics in a best possible way.

Author Bio: Mitzi is a travel writer, who has contributed immensely to various magazines. She has been focusing on writing articles that put forward view points about planning and booking a trip. Besides this, she covers news about the travel industry, informs about latest travel trends and various other topics that interest the avid traveler. Mitzi has visited Toronto several times and says that a short term furnished apartments is perfect for a comfy vacation.