Last April, most American families spent some time thinking about how to reduce their carbon footprints. Happily, the family computer can help by, for example, cutting down on the time spent commuting or comparison shopping, storing information that would once have been printed on paper, identifying sources for locally grown food (localharvest.org) and helping you figure out what a carbon foot print actually is whatsmycarbonfootprint.com).

On the other side of the ledger, computers and other high tech gadgets can also create environmental problems. Here are four ways to minimize the environmental impact created by the technology your family uses:

Buy wisely. Parents who won’t buy toys containing toxic chemicals must take a hard look at the electronics they purchase too. Unfortunately, the US lags behind the European Union which has tough new standards limiting the amount of cadmium, lead and other toxic materials that can go into computers and other high tech equipment. In this country, some companies have taken voluntary steps to reduce the toxic materials in their products.

To see how companies measure up on the Electronic Product Environmental Tool, visit www.EPEAT.net. (An even more demanding set of standards has been published by Greenpeace which also rates how companies are doing at www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/toxics/electronics/how-the-companies-line-up.) It’s also a good idea to check the energy efficiency of new computer equipment or, for that matter cordless phones, VCR’s and other tech equipment at www.energystar.gov.

Print less. Using less paper for unnecessary printing conserves, and trees are one of the best ways to offset the carbon dioxide that contributes to global warming. In addition to buying recycled paper, try these thrifty ideas from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory: Print on both sides of the paper. You can set your printer to do this automatically by going to Properties on the upper right side of the Print menu. Select “Features” and “Two-sided printing.” While making that change, save on ink by selecting “Draft” in the set-up menu.

Also, teach kids to format rough drafts with narrower margins and smaller type so more goes on each page. Preview final documents before printing so they won’t need to be printed more than once. And, when printing from websites, consider printing several pages on one sheet of paper. You can set your printer to do this by using the zoom function in the lower right corner of the Print menu.

Conserve kilowatts. Your parents probably lectured you about turning off lights. Today, you need to teach your kids to do the same thing with electronic gadgets. Unfortunately, it’s not always as easy as pressing the off button. Many gadgets stay in stand-by mode, consuming “phantom” power even when they aren’t really doing anything. Experts estimate that the average American home burns about 5 kilowatts of standby power an hour. That doesn’t sound like much, but globally it accounts for about 1% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions.

Enlist your kids in conserving some of this phantom power. To make a game of it, gather everyone around and study your electric bill. Look for the number of kilowatts per hour (KWH) your family uses each month. Now go to carbonify.com and plug that number into their carbon emissions calculator to figure out how much CO2 your family is producing each year.
Next, challenge your family to reduce that number. Start by going on an after-dark prowl around the house (kids love this). Look for everything that’s blinking and beaming even after the lights are out. Figure out whether these gadgets can be turned off or whether they need to be unplugged altogether. To make unplugging more convenient, use a power strip with an on off switch. Also, check the AC adapters for cell phones and other devices. If they are warm, they are drawing current and need to be unplugged.

Instead of having kids turn off the computer, set it to hibernate or power down during periods of inactivity, especially at night and during the day when no one is at home. (For a PC, go to My Computer, Control Panel, Power Options.) Not only will this save power but it can be a reminder to kids that they should get offline and go to bed! At the end of the month, open the next electric bill together and see how well you’ve done. For even more ideas about saving electricity, visit http://www.greenlivingtips.com/categories/energy/

Dispose carefully. Experts estimate that electronic gear makes up 70% of all hazardous waste. Much of that gear isn’t worn out or broken. It’s just been superceded by something newer or niftier. To minimize e-waste, think carefully about whether you can upgrade instead of replacing old equipment. When a device really has to go, try to find a new home for it on freecycle.org, a website that creates local connections between people who have stuff to donate and people who need that stuff.

If nobody wants your old equipment, you still have responsibilities. Some recycling programs ship old cellphones, computers and other devices overseas where children pick through the chemical-laden debris to salvage bits of copper and other materials. To find a responsible e-cycler, visit mygreenelectronics.org. An even more rigorous standard is enforced by the Basel Action Network which lists only e-stewards who take a “pledge of true stewardship.” (www.ban.org)

As Kermit the Frog famously said, “It’s not easy being green.” Still, more and more families are taking up the challenge. Maybe that’s because parents realize that however difficult it may be to make these earth-friendly changes today, it’s lot easier than asking our children to adjust to the ravages of climate change and other ecological imbalances in the future.

Carolyn Jabs, M.A., has been writing about families and computers since 1993. @ Copyright 2008. Carolyn Jabs. All rights reserved.