It's taking time to 'grow' green PCs

Toxic waste elements of computers slowly being reduced by companies

Lenovo's ThinkCentre "A" series line of desktops includes models that are Energy Star-compliant, meaning the computers consume less power, emit less heat and make less noise.
By Scott Taves
MSNBC contributor
Take one look at the Web site of any major computer company and you will see details of “green” initiatives about environmentally friendly measures dealing with the toxic materials in PCs and the excessive energy use they require.

PC manufacturers are working hard to sound PC, and some are taking it seriously, saying they’re doing everything they can to minimize the negative effects their practices and products have on the environment.

“We consider it our ethical responsibility to implement best practices that preserve resources and minimize our impact on the environment,” said Rachelle Arcebito, environmental communications manager of Sony Electronics, a leader in green practices.

The company has been busy cutting electrical consumption of its desktop and notebook PCs, and eliminating toxic brominated flame retardants and PVC from components. Sony also has put in place a chemical management program that eliminates heavy metals and other toxic materials from the company’s manufacturing facilities and outside suppliers.

Dell, ranked the top U.S. PC manufacturer by Gartner research, says its OptiPlex desktops are 50 percent more energy-efficient than similar systems from 2005, and that it has stepped up programs to eliminate or reduce hazardous substances in its products.
The new era of environmental leadership will be defined by businesses and consumers working together to improve the planet,” said David Lear, director of Dell's worldwide environmental affairs.

Spend a few minutes looking over Greenpeace's quarterly "Guide to Greener Electronics," and it becomes clear that greening the PC is no simple task.

A Gartner research report from June 2008 noted that, for the first time, the number of computers in use worldwide has surpassed 1 billion. Along with this staggering figure, a Gartner analyst estimated that over 35 million computers across the globe will be dumped in landfills this year with no regard to their toxic materials.

According to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, only 12.6 percent of 2.6 million tons of electronics waste in the U.S. was recycled in 2005, the latest year for which figures are available.

Greenpeace’s quarterly report, now in its 8th edition, may not be the only way to measure corporate greenness, but it's nothing if not comprehensive.

Companies are ranked according to points given to 15 criteria in the categories of toxic chemicals, energy and e-waste. As of June, Sony came out the greenest with 5.1 out of a possible 10 points. Dell, tied with Sony for 2nd place in March, is now in 5th place with 4.5 points. HP, the nation's second largest computer manufacturer, scored 4.3 and Apple received 4.1.

“Progress is being made, but we are far from any company legitimately claiming the mantle of green electronics company,” said Casey Harrell, toxics campaigner with Greenpeace International.

Check before buying
While manufacturers are gradually making headway in environmental responsibility, consumer vigilance is needed to assure green computing not only stays on track, but increases.

And that’s where you can help. When it’s time to buy a new computer, check the manufacturer's Web site, or call customer service, for information on toxic materials, energy efficiency and recycling programs.

So far, European standards are tougher than those in the United States. With no equivalent U.S. program in place, look for products that adhere to the European Restriction of Hazardous Substances directive, which eliminates six key toxic chemicals from PC manufacturing, including lead, mercury, cadmium and flame retardants.

In the United States, voluntary Energy Star ratings, similar to those for other appliances, were first applied to computers last year. The federal government’s Energy Star Web site includes a search tool to find products that comply with the standards.

Greenpeace's Harrell recites the organization’s mantra: “Reduce, Reuse and THEN Recycle.” That means if you can hang onto your current PC before buying a new one, try to do that. A computer that’s upgraded with new parts, such as a CPU, or larger-capacity hard drive, will prolong the machine’s lifespan.

Once you decide to ditch a computer for good, you can either donate a working PC, or find an environmentally responsible recycling program. The National Cristina Foundation will match donors of working PCs with pre-screened charitable organizations, for example. The UsedComputer.com site offers a lengthy list of donation and recycling programs.

Most computer manufacturers have recycling programs. Dell leads the way with free recycling of any Dell product even if you don’t buy a new Dell. Apple offers free recycling of any computer product, regardless of brand, as long as you buy a new or refurbished computer or monitor from them directly.

The Electronic TakeBack Coalition Web site has a handy guide to manufacturer recycling programs, and a locator tool for nationwide recycling programs.

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Study: Girls equal to boys in math skills

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sixteen years after Barbie dolls declared, "Math class is tough!" girls are proving that, at math, they are just as tough as boys.
In the largest study of its kind, girls measured up to boys in math in every grade, from second through 11th. The research was released Thursday in the journal Science.

Parents and teachers persist in thinking boys are simply better at math, said Janet Hyde, the University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher who led the study. And girls, who grew up believing it, wound up avoiding harder math classes.

"It keeps girls and women out of a lot of careers, particularly high-prestige, lucrative careers in science and technology," Hyde said.

That's changing, albeit slowly. Women are now earning 48 percent of undergraduate college degrees in math; they still lag far behind in physics and engineering.

But in primary and secondary school, girls have caught up, with researchers attributing that advance to increasing numbers of girls taking advanced math classes such as calculus.

Hyde and her colleagues looked at annual math tests required by the No Child Left Behind education law in 2002. Ten states provided enough statistical information to review test scores by gender, allowing researchers to compare the performance of more than 7 million children.

The researchers found no difference in the scores of boys versus girls -- not even in high school, where previous studies have suggested girls lagged slightly behind in math.

"Girls have now achieved gender parity in performance on standardized math tests," Hyde said.

The stereotype that boys are better at math has been fueled, at least in part, by suggestions of biological differences in the way little boys and little girls learn. This idea is hotly disputed; former Harvard president Lawrence Summers was castigated in 2005 when he questioned the "intrinsic aptitude" of women for top-level math and science.

Hyde has challenged that idea, arguing in an earlier study that in cognition and in many other behaviors, the two sexes are more similar than they are different.

Studies 20 years ago showed girls and boys did equally well on math in elementary school, but girls fell behind in high school. The gap has been narrowing.

Joy Lee, a rising senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia, says she always felt confident about math, but remembers how it felt to walk into a science class full of boys. "Maybe I was a little bit apprehensive about being the only girl, but that didn't last for very long," said Lee, president of a school club that tries to get young girls interested in science and technology, along with engineering and math.

"I definitely do encourage other girls to pursue those interests and to not be scared to take those courses just because there are not very many girls or because they think they're not good enough to do it," Lee said.

Still, while there are fewer women in science and technology, there are more women in college. To Hyde and her colleagues, that helps explain why girls consistently score lower on the SAT: Far more girls take the test, and the group of college-bound students who take the test do not represent the population at large.

For the class of 2007, the latest figures available, boys scored an average of 533 on the math section of the SAT, compared with 499 for girls.

On the ACT, another test on which girls lag slightly, the gender gap disappeared in Colorado and Illinois once state officials required all students to take the test.

As Hyde and her colleagues looked across the test data, they found something they didn't expect: In most states they reviewed, and at most grade levels, there weren't any questions that involved complex problem-solving, the ability needed to succeed in high levels of science and math. If tests don't assess these reasoning skills, they may not be taught, putting American students at a disadvantage to students in other countries with more challenging tests, the researchers said.

That might be a glaring omission, said Stephen Camarata, a Vanderbilt University professor who has researched the issue but was not involved in the study.

"We need to know that, if our measures aren't capturing some aspect of math that's important," Camarata said. "Then we can decide whether there's an actual male or female advantage."

A panel of experts convened by the Education Department recommended that state tests be updated to emphasize critical thinking.

While some states already have fairly rigorous tests, "we can do a better job," said Kerri Briggs, the department's assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education.

"If we're going to be globally competitive, we need students who are able to do higher-level math skills," she said.

Back in 1992, Barbie stopped saying math was hard after Mattel received complaints from, among others, the American Association of University Women.

So far, while her current career choices include baby doctor and veterinarian -- and Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, too -- Barbie has not branched out into technology or engineering.

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Technology

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By the mid 20th century, humans had achieved a mastery of technology sufficient to leave the surface of the Earth for the first time and explore space.Technology is a broad concept that deals with a species' usage and knowledge of tools and crafts, and how it affects a species' ability to control and adapt to its environment. In human society, it is a consequence of science and engineering, although several technological advances predate the two concepts. Technology is a term with origins in the Greek "technologia", "τεχνολογία" — "techne", "τέχνη" ("craft") and "logia", "λογία" ("saying").[1] However, a strict definition is elusive; "technology" can refer to material objects of use to humanity, such as machines, hardware or utensils, but can also encompass broader themes, including systems, methods of organization, and techniques. The term can either be applied generally or to specific areas: examples include "construction technology", "medical technology", or "state-of-the-art technology".

The human race's use of technology began with the conversion of natural resources into simple tools. The prehistorical discovery of the ability to control fire increased the available sources of food and the invention of the wheel helped humans in travelling in and controlling their environment. Recent technological developments, including the printing press, the telephone, and the Internet, have lessened physical barriers to communication and allowed humans to interact on a global scale. However, not all technology has been used for peaceful purposes; the development of weapons of ever-increasing destructive power has progressed throughout history, from clubs to nuclear weapons.

Technology has affected society and its surroundings in a number of ways. In many societies, technology has helped develop more advanced economies (including today's global economy) and has allowed the rise of a leisure class. Many technological processes produce unwanted by-products, known as pollution, and deplete natural resources, to the detriment of the Earth and its environment. Various implementations of technology influence the values of a society and new technology often raises new ethical questions. Examples include the rise of the notion of efficiency in terms of human productivity, a term originally applied only to machines, and the challenge of traditional norms.

Philosophical debates have arisen over the present and future use of technology in society, with disagreements over whether technology improves the human condition or worsens it. Neo-Luddism, anarcho-primitivism, and similar movements criticise the pervasiveness of technology in the modern world, claiming that it harms the environment and alienates people; proponents of ideologies such as transhumanism and techno-progressivism view continued technological progress as beneficial to society and the human condition. Indeed, until recently, it was believed that the development of technology was restricted only to human beings, but recent scientific studies indicate that other primates and certain dolphin communities have developed simple tools and learned to pass their knowledge to other generations.

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