We assessed the Lenovo L2230x USB port replicator at our office and agree with Lenovo that this display allows the user to connect all peripherals such as mouse, keyboard, speakers, microphone, LAN access, whilst it extends the notebook display to a full HD format with only one USB connection between the notebook and the monitor.

This functionality really fits into the concept of “you and the planet” as it feels extremely handy to come to the office and with only one USB contact replicate a Notebook on a desktop monitor without the need for a docking  Lstation. We also value innovative displays such as the L2230x from an environmental perspective since it eliminates the need for additional office equipment (docking station) such that causes E-waste.

With a growing portfolio of environmentally-responsible PCs, worldwide PC maker Lenovo is widely recognized as a leader in sustainable product design – without compromising user demands for performance and cutting edge features. As verification, Lenovo has chosen the TCO Certified label as an international third party assurance of achievements.  Lenovo is now taking

The Lenovo M90z all in one desktop

its environmental commitment a step further with the recent release of the ThinkCentre M90z all-in-one desktop. TCO awarded the M90z the prestigious new TCO Certified Edge designation for its cutting edge eco- design, particularly by incorporating high amounts of post consumer recycled materials. TCO Certified Edge awards leading products that are pushing the boundaries of sustainability and high performance.

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No one knows what effect these chemicals have on us, on animals or the environment – especially not in this complicated mix, the “cocktail” of chemicals we are exposed to today. The Swedish film-maker Stefan Jarl recently made a documentary Submission – in defence of the unborn, featuring 23 professors from around the world. In the documentary Jarl seeks to find out just what problems these chemicals can cause, and the lingering effects they can have on unborn children. Have a look at a trailer for this interesting movie here  (the trailer is in English).

IT equipment contains plenty of different hazardous metals, chemicals and materials. Legislation has prohibited a few (the EU RoHS directive for instance) but there is so much more that needs to be done. Tonnes of E-waste are being burned in backyards in China or Africa, polluting both the environment and us – these chemicals are both persistent and bio-accumulative and travel far. One group of substances causing a lot of concerns is the halogenated, specifically the brominated and chlorinated. When the E-waste is burned under insufficient conditions – as a lot of the millions of tonnes of E-waste are today – hazardous dioxins, furans and other chemicals are released. These are then transferred to our food, water and finally, to us.

So what should we do? We can obviously not wait for our legislators to prohibit all potentially harmful substances. When it comes to IT equipment and the chemicals they contain there are several things we can do ourselves.

1. Buy eco labelled products! The TCO certification program prohibited brominated and chlorinated substances and materials and hazardous metals in the certified products 1995 – over 10 years before the European RoHS directive. And we have continuously added and toughened the requirements since then. 
2. Use your vacuum cleaner at home. A lot. It reduces the amount of brominated flame retardants, phthalates and other harmful substances flying around in your home.
3.  Have plenty of green plants at home. They also purify indoor air from harmful chemicals.
4. Leave your old electronics and all other hazardous waste for recycling – it reduces the amount of hazardous chemicals in the community in the long run.

TCO Development contributed to the conference by a presentation of a study of how local governments can work with greening their IT, under the title ” Green IT strategies in Swedish local authorities can save up to 700 million Euro per year”. The presentation was based on a recent study of 35 out of 280 Swedish local authorities, performed by Exido, Sweden.

Read more about this interesting conference on www.dunkerque.org
Read about ICLEI on http://iclei.org/;
about Sustainable Cities and Towns Campaign on http://www.sustainable-cities.eu/
Read more about Exido`s work on greening IT in Local Authorities on  http://www.exido.se/GronIT/

But consider this – the developing world also represents a large growth market for PCs and other consumer electronics. What happens to all those products at the end of their use ? In a new study published this week in the American Chemical Society’s semi-monthly journal Environmental Science & Technology, the authors claim that developing countries will produce at least twice as much electronic waste, or e-waste, as developed countries by 2030.

Go to the study here

According to facts the volcano does not emit any bigger amounts of CO2 itself. Probably it will even chill down the so far too high global temperature. Though how  will the damage from toxic emissions effect on humans and nature? Positive reactions are seen on the usage of video meetings instead of flying to each other on physical meetings.

Other tecnical innovations will prosper. So even if volcano eruptions are not typical examples, this one has clearly started product and service development towards virtual meetings.

As a third party certification program, we at TCO Certified have received many requests to comment on the current situation of false approvals in self-registration programs.  Our opinion is that these quality assurance problems are to be expected in a system where approval relies solely on information submitted by the manufacturers themselves .  For an eco-label to be a credible assurance to buyers,  independent verification of product features and claims is vital. This is how the TCO certification system has worked for almost 20 years.

TCO Certified is a third party certification (Type 1), as defined by the International Standards Organization. This means that all products bearing the label have been rigorously tested by an independent lab, according to internationally accredited test methods. Savvy buyers around the world acknowledge that a Type 1 eco-label is the best possible assurance that an IT product actually meets the requirements set forth by the label and lives up to claims made by the manufacturer.

As our society focuses more on being “green”, so do product vendors and manufacturers. In almost every product or service sector, there are environmental messages and claims put forth to attract buyers. The result is confusion for buyers as they try and decide who to trust, which product claims to believe.  This is another reason why third party, Type 1 eco-labels are more important than ever – providing an objective voice in making a green product choice easier.

 I know in my last blog I said that ‘not everyone is able to measure the power consumption of their TV’. Well I take it back…I’ve since heard of a product that allows everyone to do just that.
There are three ways to measure how much electricity something uses:
1. Buy a cheap, simple watt-hour meter to measure specific products
2. Buy & install a wired-in watt-hour meter to measure the whole home (15min job for an electrician)
3. Look at the complicated existing electric meter on the side of your house and use a simple calculation.

I recommend the first example, since it’s the least hassle…and these advices are all about saving you energy. The 3rd option may not be an option at all if you don’t have an updated digital readout device, but just one with a spinning disc.

Buy a cheap, simple watt-hour meter
A watt-hour meter is a little device that tells you how much electricity something uses, either at a given moment or over an extended period of time. Just plug the device into the meter, plug the meter into the wall, and read the display.

Go to the full announcement here.

Earth Hour will soon occur, on Saturday 27 of March from 8.30 pm, we are all recommended to shut down our lighting for one hour. A good recommendation is to practice an Earth Hour every day, during lunch or other convenient time. And do not forget also to switch off your computer.
Read how to activiate energy saving function on your computer.