Environmental Good Guys: Going Green With The iPad

The new iPad

This week, Apple broke news of its highly-anticipated tablet computer called the iPad. While the iPad is expected to be a revolution in computing technology and touch screen interfaces, it is also a computer with a low carbon footprint.

First, there is the fact that the computer is small and lightweight. This means that not only is it easy to ship and more of the computers can fit on the trucks, thereby reducing the number of trips and the level of CO2 going into the air, it also takes less production and less materials to make the device. Old computers used to be a large tower and a screen that had many components in it. The Apple iPad is half an inch thick and only 10 inches wide. In the space where one desktop and monitor would fit, you can fit over a dozen iPads.

Second, the computer is also an e-book reader. E-books are environmentally-friendly because they take very little production, they can be reproduced millions of times with a low environmental-footprint and they save trees since no paper is used to make them, unlike traditional books. Each traditional book puts an estimated 60 pounds of CO2 in the atmosphere. E-books put in a fraction of that.

Third, the iPad is BPR-Free (fire retardent chemicals) and PVC-free in its casing. Its glass contains no arsenic in it and the LCD display is completely mercury-free. This means that if someone, unfortunately, throws it away instead of recycling it, it will not pollute the ground as much as traditional laptops and computers in the landfill.

Fourth, the computer uses less electrical power thanks to the amazing battery in the iPad that can hold a charge for 10 hours. In addition, the iPad can retain power for an entire month when in standby mode. Less charging means less electricity and that means less CO2 in the atmosphere.

Lastly, the aluminum casing of the iPad is highly recyclable, which makes it easier to return to the e-waste facility in a few years when the next big Apple iPad comes out and consumers star.

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