EarthTalk is a weekly installment from E/The Environmental Magazine.

Dear EarthTalk: My old computer finally bit the dust and I am in the market for a replacement. Are there any particularly “green” computers for sale these days?

Thanks in part to pressure from non-profits like Greenpeace International—which has published quarterly versions of its landmark “Guide to Greener Electronics” since 2006—computer makers now understand that consumers care about the environmental footprints of the products they use.

The latest version of Greenpeace’s guide gives high marks to Toshiba, Lenovo, Sony and Dell for increasing the recyclability of their computers and reducing toxic components and so-called “e-waste” (refuse from discarded electronic devices and components). The group also credits Apple, HP and Fujitsu for making strides toward greener products and manufacturing processes, but emphasizes that even such top ranked companies have lots of room for improvement when it comes to the environment.

PC Magazine, the leading computer publication for consumer and business users, recently assessed dozens of personal computers according to environmental standards it developed in-house based on energy efficiency, recyclability and the toxicity of components. The publication also factored in various “green” certification schemes such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s EnergyStar program, the European Union’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive, Taiwan’s Greenmark and the computer industry’s own Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT).

The top choices for green desktop computers, according to PC, are Apple’s Mac Mini, Zonbu’s Desktop Mini, HP Compaq’s 2710p and dc7800, Lenovo’s ThinkCentre a61e, and Dell’s OptiPlex 755. As for laptops, the greenest current models include Dell’s Latitude D630, the Everex Zonbu, Fujitsu’s LifeBook S6510, and Toshiba’s Tecra A9-S9013.

Perhaps more important than the green-ness of your new computer is what you do with the old one. Stuffing it into the trash or setting it out for curbside pick-up may be the worst thing you can do with an outdated computer, as heavy metals and other toxins inevitably get free and get into surrounding soils and water. If the machine still works, donate it to a local school that can put it to use, or to Goodwill or the Salvation Army, either of which can re-sell it to help fund their programs. Another option is to donate it to the National Cristina Foundation, which places outdated technology with needy non-profits.

Once you’ve gotten rid of an old computer and outfitted yourself with a spiffy new green one, you might just want to score a few green accessories. Brooklyn, New York’s Verdant Computing, which bills itself as a purveyor of “the greenest computer products on the web,” sells remanufactured ink and toner cartridges, laptop cases made from recycled plastic, GreenDisk CDs packaged in recycled plastic jewel cases, solar-powered MP3 accessories, energy-saving printers and even a software program, GreenPrint, which modifies the print programs on your computer to economize on paper and ink/toner use. Verdant also has most products shipped to consumers directly from the manufacturers to save re-shipping.

CONTACTS: Greenpeace International, www.greenpeace.org; PC Magazine, www.pcmag.com; National Cristina Foundation, www.cristina.org; Verdant Computing, www.verdantcomputing.com

GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881 USA; submit it at EarthTalk; or e-mail us. Read past columns at our archives.

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Just a quick little head’s up…if you live in or around Los Angeles and believe we should all have universal health care, you might want to attend the giant rally that is planned for Saturday, August 11th in downtown.

The rally is in support of Senate Bill 840, titled “The California Universal Healthcare Act”, authored by Senator Sheila Kuehl. From One Care Now.org:

The bill creates one plan and one public trust fund which pays all health care bills and collects all the monies already being spent on health care and insurance plans, which is called a “single payer” system. When enacted, SB 840 replaces all health premiums, taxes, deductibles and co-payments now paid by employers, employees and individuals with one affordable premium paid to the public trust fund to save $8 billion dollars in the first year alone and over $350 billion over a ten year period.

I would be attending but with family in town, I don’t think we can convince them to attend with us. For more info, check out One Care Now.org.

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I have the utmost respect for Firefighters…anyone who would give their life or safety in order to help someone else deserves all the praise and thanks we can muster. And these NYC Firefighters have something to say about “America’s Mayor”, Rudy Giuliani…”He’s not the hero of 9/11.” - Deputy Chief Jim Riches, FDNY. And from the International Association of Firefighters: “Rudy has used the horrible events of September 11 to create a persona that is an elaborate fabrication,” says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. “He is nothing more than a shameless self-promoter.”

Ouch.

Seems Rudy’s actions on 9/11 and his following “hero” persona do not match up with reality, so the IAFF have made a video featuring some of the NYC Fire Fighters talking about the urban legend of Mr. Giuliani and it is a “must watch” as soon as you can see it. But before you go watch it, I leave you with this quote from Al Regenhard, Detective Sergeant, NYPD (ret.):

“Giuliani told the 9/11 Commission that some firefighters got killed because they ignored the order to evacuate. That’s despicable.”

These politicians need to be held accountable for their actions, not praised for things they do just in the name of politics and greed.

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I don’t even know what to say, really, other than I am not really surprised by this at all. From The NY Times, and be sure to read the last 3 sentences:

Former Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona told a Congressional committee today that top officials in the Bush administration repeatedly tried to weaken or suppress important public health reports because of political considerations.

Dr. Carmona, who served as surgeon general from 2002 to 2006, said White House officials would not allow him to speak or issue reports about stem cells, emergency contraception, sex education, or prison, mental and global health issues because of political concerns. Top administration officials delayed for years and attempted to “water down” a landmark report on secondhand tobacco smoke, he said in sworn testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

He was ordered to mention President Bush three times on every page of every speech he gave, Dr. Carmona said. He was asked to make speeches to support Republican political candidates and to attend political briefings, at least one of which included Karl Rove, the president’s senior political adviser, he said.

And administration officials even discouraged him from attending the Special Olympics because, he said, of that charitable organization’s longtime ties to the Kennedy family.

“I was specifically told by a senior person, ‘Why would you want to help those people?’ ” Dr. Carmona said.

The Special Olympics is one of the nation’s premier charitable organizations to benefit disabled people.

Jeez…

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Without further ado…seems that SiCKO has some people worried over at Blue Cross. Some choice quotes from the memo?

“If popular, the movie will have a negative impact on our image in this community.”

“You would have to be dead to be unaffected by Moore’s movie, he is an effective storyteller.”

There are a lot more I could put in here, but it’s a PDF of an email and you cannot copy and paste…plus, you should go read it! Interesting little memo (well, not that little…4 pages long) to read over some coffee this morning. Check it out at MM’s site.

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It seems only fitting that the nurses themselves have to lead the charge instead of our government, but as of yesterday a coalition of nurses have started a campaign to hand out information to moviegoers about the state of our health care system and what we all can do about it. From CalNurse.org:

“Planning to spark a fundamental change in national healthcare politics, an unprecedented national coalition of nurses and doctors organizations today announced plans to rally around the openings of Michael Moore’s “SiCKO” June 29 to press the campaign for single-payer healthcare, guaranteeing comprehensive, quality healthcare with an expanded and improved Medicare for all.”

After seeing the movie, I can tell you that this is not your typical Michael Moore movie…even though I happen to like the typical Michael Moore movie. This one really digs deep into the troubles inside the American health care system and shows us just what goes on in this country, which is something that most of us (luckily) never experience. So instead of wasting your money on the latest CGI blockbuster, drop a few bucks on this one and see what I am talking about. You will not be disappointed and the movie will both make you laugh and make you cry. Just the way our government has treated the 9/11 workers is incredibly shameful, never mind the stories of regular old Americans torn apart by our government and our health care industry. Our system is corrupt and dangerous and something has to be done about it. Kudos to the nurses and doctors for starting up this Scrubs For SICKO campaign, I hope it does some good.

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