| Given all the dated computers, cell phones, printers and other used electronics that we all have piled up in our closets, we know that the greenest gadget is the one you don’t buy. But according to the electronics industry, the average American will spend more money on new electronics this year than any previous year. And despite the surge in “green” advertising by many electronics makers, consumers have no sure way to know when these claims are valid, and when they’re just more corporate greenwashing. So our colleagues at the Center for Environmental Health (CEH), a partner group in the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, have compiled some helpful resources for buying electronics this holiday season including the 2010 Holiday Shopping Guide for Finding Greener Electronics. They’ve put the latest report card grades from the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, alongside the latest scores from Greenpeace, to give you a sense of what the top electronics companies are doing – and what they are not doing – in the areas of chemicals, energy and e-waste takeback and recycling. The 2010 Holiday Shopping Guide for Finding Greener Electronics is a handy tool that shoppers can use this season to support electronics companies that are doing better on greening their products. The guide includes a list of specific products that you can buy on the market today that are “free” of the problematic substances, brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic. Plus, we’ve included a link to the Natural Resources Defense Council’s (NRDC) list of the top 200 energy efficient televisions. More resources from CEH In addition to the Holiday Shopping Guide, CEH’s website offers concrete steps people can take at home, at work, or at school to improve the sustainability of their electronics. And this holiday season you might want to consider making an even greener choice and purchase a remanufactured product. Or enter CEH’s contest to win a refurbished laptop (with a case signed by the cast of the hit TV show “Private Practice”) and you won’t have to buy a thing! Thanks. Barbara Kyle |
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Electronics TakeBack Coalition, 60 29th Street #230, San Francisco, CA 94110 Follow ETBC on Twitter and Facebook: The Electronics TakeBack Coalition is a project of the Tides Center. |
