wates posts on CNET

Greenpeace: Dell, HP, and Lenovo not green enough

Struggling with the economic downturn, the biggest names in PC makers seem to lag on staying clean.

In the March issue of the Guide to Greener Electronics, released Tuesday, Greenpeace decided to knock a point off of Dell's, HP's, and Lenovo's green scores for procrastinating their commitment to eliminate toxic substances from their products by the end of 2009.

The toxic substances in question include vinyl plastic (widely known as PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs). Lenovo has delayed its deadline by one year, while HP and Dell have yet to set a new timeline.

The NGO praised Apple and Acer for being the only ones firmly committed to phase out these substances. Apple has already met its commitment to have all of its products free of PVC and BFRs by the end of 2008. This is with one exception, which is a technical challenge: getting certified PVC-free power cords.

To Greenpeace, Apple is now the example for other PC makers to follow. "If Apple can find the solutions, there should be no reason why the other leading PC companies cannot," said Casey Harrell, Greenpeace International toxics campaigner. "All of them should have at least one toxic-free line of products on the market by the end of this year." … Read more

Give your old gadgets new life

Think before you toss your broken cell phone in the garbage.

And your old CRT television or desktop monitor, for that matter. Three million tons of electronic waste go into landfills every year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and much of what's thrown away is either in good condition or at least fixable.

Many options are available from manufacturers like Hewlett-Packard and Dell and retailers like Staples that voluntarily take back broken-down tech and recycle or refurbish it.

If that's too tough to figure out, there are third-party companies that are dying for your old tech toys. … Read more