Microsoft is concerned about the current state of the environment (see their electric vehicle program as one example) and wants you to take notice in their latest endeavor. The boys in Redmond have recently launched a new website to help customers “make environmentally friendly PC decisions.”
According to Microsoft’s Green Blog, the manufacturing process of a PC can account for up to two thirds of a PC’s total environmental footprint. When making a brand new Ultrabook, tablet, or other type of PC, a lot of raw materials, energy, and water are needed.
Microsoft wants to help consumers and IT professionals make easier purchasing conditions when shopping for machines that are environmentally friendly. The website discusses the maze of options when buying, using, and disposing PCs in a green manner.
Three upfront tips Microsoft states for the green program:
- Buy smart: Purchase only certified PCs that have been manufactured in more environmentally sustainable ways.
- Use smart: Understand various power options so your PC uses energy more efficiently.
- Dispose safely: Dispose of used electronics so they can be reused and recycled and cause minimal harm to the environment.
If you wish to venture deeper into the website you can learn more about environmentally friendly PCs and how to deal with their use and disposal. Visitors can learn more about green IT standards including EPEAT, e-Stewards, WEEELabex, Energy Star, and R2 Solutions.
Users who read the site through can then take the “Greener IT Challenge”; the test consists of multiple-choice questions and allows those who pass to download a “Greener IT” certificate for recognition.
Microsoft reminds users that in fiscal year 2013, they had recycled over 37,000 PCs. The company’s IT department has helped lower energy consumption by 32 percent, lowered the amount of CO2 emissions given off, and saved money as a result of green energy practices.
Head over to “The Greener IT” challenge today and check out how you can help the environment.
Source: Microsoft Green Blog
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