Tags: cutting edge technology, eco display, environment, Innovation, international legislation, Post consumer plastic, Recycle carousel, recycling, TCO Edge, ThinkVision L2251x Wide
“An Optimist sees a possibility in every problem”
Do you like me wish for companies to manufacturer their products to meet more than just the minimum of what is environmentally legislated?
And like me do you also wish for manufacturers to go that extra mile and produce something special within environment & usability with a so called Cutting Edge technology?
Once in a while we get what we wish for when a company comes with an innovation that goes beyond international legislation and our own already tough TCO criteria and challenges other companies to follow-suit.
To highlight products that do this, we created an innovative award scheme called TCO Edge.
The first on our TCO Edge podium was: Lenovo with a computer display named ThinkVision L2251x Wide.
Why did this display get the award?
Well, as consumers many of us take our plastic to the recycle stations in the hope that it will actually be used to make new products and not be burnt or end up in land fills. This display is all about exploiting those efforts, by taking our old plastic to make new.
It’s carousel recycling at its best, since this display amazingly is held together using 65% Post Consumer Plastic. It’s not like creating a fleece jumper from a cocktail of plastic bottles, if it was it wouldn’t be cutting edge. A display’s plastic needs to be of a better quality, therefore it’s a more complicated process to obtain. Companies so far have only managed approx 25% PCP content.
We’ve now been shown what is possible and by putting our TCO Edge mark on this display we want to show you the easy choice if you want to put a top notch eco display on your Christmas wish list.
Together with a company like this we’re gradually breaking the chain of our usage of raw materials. Let’s hope other companies take up the challenge so that 65% will not be thought cutting edge but the norm when Christmas comes around again.
Tags: Anna-Karin Jönbrink, Ecocomputer, EU-directive, legislation, monitors, save energy, Swerea
-A new EU-directive will likely drive the market to lower the use of energy for computers and displays. After January 7, 2010 computers will be required to use less energy than today, says Anna-Karin Jönbrink, from Swerea the EU expert on computers and monitors and their environmental performance. If the computer manufacturer manages to meet the legislation it will be possible to save up to 30 percent of the energy used today. These savings will add up, as there are about 300 million computers and displays in Europe. Two important ways to lower the energy use for computers are a) changing our usage patterns so that we all switch off the computer when not in use. And b) increase the efficiency of the computer itself, for example by choosing a power supply unit with higher efficiency. Other important energy savers are for example LED in displays (light emitting diodes), a technology already in place in many displays. You can find more about this at ecocomputer.
Tags: combine usability and environmental aspects, design, environment, Green IT, sustainable IT, usability, World Usability Day
I think this heading captures the purpose of truly sustainable design and the theme for World Usability Day 2009.
Each year, World Usability Day is an opportunity to highlight achievements in user-centric design. On November 12 usability thought leaders, consumers , industry and researchers gathered at events in over 43 countries to discuss the latest innovations in usability design. Basically, the mission of the event is to “Make Life Easier”.
This year’s theme was “Designing for a Sustainable World”, and reflected the growing demand for “green” design in combination with highly functional products. In the United States, TCO Certified showcased a selection of TCO Certified notebook PCs at the event hosted by Sabre Holdings in Southlake, Texas. The event featured product exhibits, usability testing demos and a keynote presentation by renown design professor and author, Nathan Shedroff. You can view a copy of Nathan’s presentation below -a useful source for why usability and sustainability in design must go together.
Nathan’s message in short: “Don’t design things today that make tomorrow worse”
http://www.worldusabilityday.org/sites/worldusabilityday.org/themes/wud/resources/nathanshedroff.pdf
Tags: 2010 world cup, environment, Environment similarities, football, Green ICT, soccer, united nations climate challange 2009
“Wouldn’t it be nice if the hardest part was not taking part!”
Here’s a few similarities between two subjects close to my heart:
The Environment & Football (Soccer).
Sim1: The Planet is ball shaped!
Sim2: A football gets kicked around! The Planet is taking a kicking too!
Sim3: Supporters go through a faith crisis!
Here’s why I think Sim3 fits in:
Being an Englishman I know all about a faith crisis when England play a match. There are two groups of Englishmen: those that actively give their support and in return expect England to win every game and every tournament (anything else is a disaster) and the majority that are actively critical & pessimistic whilst still expecting England to win everything.
It‘s obvious even to a Millwall supporter that a team’s winning chances are greatly improved with the public’s cheers not jeers. It’s where they tip the scale by becoming match participants (1966 Wembley: home team won the World cup).
Compare that soccer feeling of hope & despair with how we view our planet’s prospects. We all know the challenge we face but we’re still not one team yet, we’re three: The Despairers, The Hopers and The Heroes (I hope there are heroes in Copenhagen today).
Unfortunately the Hero players remain in the minority whilst The Hopers cheer when things go well, but not too loud since it draws attention to there own inactions & The Depairers: critical of the whole business but inwardly as expectant as The Hopers.
To me we must realise that we need to become one team with one strategy to win the environmental challange. That we need to take every save as a warning to attack harder; every goal against us as a sign to defend harder and every goal we score as a motivation to score more. This way we can lift the teams that are doing their best and inspire teams that time waste into action.
This sums up what TCO Development has been achieving with ICT manufacturers since 1992. We are dedicated to helping the environment and I hope that our efforts inspire you to be a hero. If not so far, then I hope you make some changes in your green tactics by the time England beat Germany in the final of the 2010 world cup.
A final similarity between football and saving the environment is that spectator participation is encouraged, as long as you don’t kick the ball!
Stephen Fuller
Feel free to send in your own football & environment sims.
Tags: Audience, diagram, projector, Size, TCO Image Size
The room size, the width and length of the room, the size of the audience, the distance between the screen and the projector and where the projector will be placed are all important parameters to consider when choosing a projector that produces a TCO Image Size large enough. Use the diagram clic here to get the TCO Image Size you need.
Posted by Annika Overodder
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