while digital is carved in green plastic plate
so digital is greener.
you have nothing better to write about?
Which is Greener: Paper or Digital? The Answer May Surprise You
Even though my brain is infused with a little too many toner particles, the Doc assumes that anything we can do to reduce paper consumption is good for the planet. But what about the significant impact of digital waste?
For a fascinating read, take a look at this interview with Don Carli, the Doc’s good friend and Executive Vice President of SustainCommWorld LLC and Senior Research Fellow with the Institute for Sustainable Communication. Here’s a few highlights from Don:
“Other than pushing the ‘cool’ factor, one of the main selling points being made by marketers of eReaders is that they are greener than print. It is little surprise that the common view held by consumers who don’t know the backstory is that going digital means going green and saving trees. Many are in for a rude awakening. When subjected to ‘cradle-to-cradle’ life cycle analysis, eReading is not nearly as green as many naively assume it is.”
“There is no question that print media could do a better job of managing the sustainability of its supply chains and waste streams, but it’s a misguided notion to assume that digital media is categorically greener. Computers, eReaders, and cell phones don’t grow on trees and their spiraling requirement for energy is unsustainable.”
“Making a computer typically requires the mining and refining of dozens of minerals and metals including gold, silver, and palladium as well as extensive use of plastics and hydrocarbon solvents. To function, digital devices require a constant flow of electrons that predominately come from the combustion of coal, and at the end of their all-too-short useful lives electronics have become the single largest stream of toxic waste created by man. Until recently, there was little, if any, voluntary disclosure of the lifecycle ‘backstory’ of digital media.”
“Sadly, print has come to be seen as a wasteful, inefficient and environmentally destructive medium, despite the fact that much of print media is based on comparatively benign and renewable materials. In addition, print has incredible potential to be a far more sustainable medium than it is today… and a truly digital medium as well. Despite its importance to business, government and society, print has been cast in the role of a dark old devil in decline. Digital media has been cast as the bright young savior on the rise.”
“Ironically the future of digital media and eBook readers is likely to be based on flexible polymer electronics manufactured using printing presses rather than silicon semiconductor fabrication technologies. In fact, the next generation of eReaders will most likely be digital AND be printed.”
There is a lot more from Don that the Doc guarantees will stimulate your neural economy.
More from “The DocuMentor”
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Doc
ZDNet introduces Doc (The DocuMentor), sponsored by RICOH. Through his blog, Doc will educate you about Document Management. So who is Doc? Doc is something of an enigma. He was born to a Russian ballerina and a German electrical engineer who some believe was running covert operations for shadowy corporate interests. Doc grew up in various locations in the United States, although no one seems to know precisely where, least of all Doc. His early schooling was unremarkable except for the time he was caught trying to replace all the mimeograph machines with high-tech color copiers that had mysteriously disappeared from a shipment to Albania. At MIT, he made a name for himself by transforming a large printer into a robot that hunts and eats Roombas. Professionally, he reportedly has seen the insides of more brands, versions, and generations of printer and printer-related hardware than almost anyone. Some say his obsession with paper, printing, and mechanical movement was either started by, or evidenced by, a traumatic childhood episode when he crawled inside an old Xerox 2400 and tried to print himself.
Anyway, Doc has hands on experience with stuff like printer maintenance and fleet management, but his mastery of document management leaves no stone unturned. Important issues like sustainability, security, and regulatory compliance are top of mind for Doc, as are other business technology needs like networking and IT services, making him a true blue IT renaissance man.
Talkback Most Recent of 119 Talkback(s)
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ljenux-2304376600766755823441610560426527th Oct 2009 -
RE: Which is Greener: Paper or Digital? The Answer May Surprise You
Thank you for the information. hermes men bags hermes shoulder bags hermes birbin
3shao19th Sep -
RE: Which is Greener: Paper or Digital? The Answer May Surprise You
"Which is greener, paper or digital". This assumes that all digital users are using an E-reader for reading. Many people are still using Computers or Smartphones for at least SOME of their reading (thereby reducing the waste of many trees). Just look at the number of magazines (Computer Especially) which have gone electronic (I no longer receive any IT magazines). I know the title for this article probably was "invented" by some editor (which frustrates me immensely when editors chose controversial titles ,just to get people to read articles that are often less controversial). I agree that e-readers are probably pretty wasteful as they are pretty much a "one-trick-pony". Netbook and Laptop vendors need to work with content providers to make those devices more e-reader friendly. Especially when a device has reached the end of it's useful "cutting edge" functionality for internet, video, etc... The Netbooks and Laptops should be be "re-purposed" to prolong their useful life as environmentally friendly e-readers.
jkohut28th Oct 2009 -
Desktops & Laptops are less green than eBook readers
Desktops and laptops use far more energy than ebook readers. They use far more plastics and metals, requiring more non-renewable resources than ebook readers. And smartphones are as bad as ebook readers (but with smaller screens - I don't know how people can use them to read books; they hurt my eyes). The saving grace is that they are more powerful, and they're multi-purpose. Don't get me wrong, I'm a techno-geek and love high-tech gadgets, including desktops and laptops, ebook readers, and even smartphones. But, I have no illusions that they are green devices (I worked in the semiconductor industry for nearly two decades).
Paper, on the other hand, can be made from many different pulp-producing sources, not just trees, and those sources are all renewable. Some of the manufacturing processes are not environmentally friendly, but that could change, and is much improved today, compared to several decades ago. Paper books and publications are also much more durable (I have books in my library that are more than 100 years old, and are still perfectly readable - try that with your smartphone, just 20 years from now; I bet it won't even power up), and paper can be recycled more easily and completely, than any of the aforementioned electronic devices; and require no energy to read (other than your own mental energy).
I think the rush to completely replace paper publications with electronic versions is premature and misguided.
BTW, one well-placed EMP can wipe out all your electronic devices, rendering your electronic libraries null and void (unless, of course, you're in the habit of storing them in a lead lined container).
Cheers.
reagan013th Mar 2010 -
Well....
Once I have a reading device (PC, Droid,
eReader), I have covered the bulk of the non-
green, particularly since I get all my power
from renewable resources (we actually have a
choice of three different all-renewable power
companies in South Jersey).
It's kind of like a hybrid car... it's worse up
front, but as you go on, you're wasting less
than going the other route. My footprint will
be considerably different if I'm replaying two
magazines a month with an eReader, versus a
daily newspaper and several dozen magazines a
month, say, on my SmartPhone (which I'm likely
to have anyway).
The ultimate right direction is "design for
destruction"... new devices should be designed
with recycling in mind. And increasingly, they
are.
dave@...22nd Mar 2010 -
Actually Hybrids are not all that green
If you spend a lot of time in downtown traffic, like a taxi, an argument can be made for hybrids. But if you travel on highways at highway speeds, hybrids are actually worse for the environment. A tramp steamer in one crossing of the Pacific pollutes more than 90,000 cars. The batteries in the hybrid come across on these ships, and then need to be shipped back to be recycled since we do not have facilities in North America (NIMBY). As an example, you could drive a new Golf TDI for 16,000k before it was equal to the manufacturing starting carbon footprint of a Prius. When you consider the 5 year life span of the batteries, unless you plan on driving your Prius 500,000km in those 5 years you are probably doing much more harm to the environment than good.
914four27th Apr 2010 -
Actually Hybrids are not all that green
Actually, my 2000 Honda Insight is based on different technology than
the Prius...it cannot run on the electric motor alone, and gets MUCH,
MUCH better mileage on the freeway than in town--70+ freeway vs 50+
town mpg. The batteries are now 10 years old and are still performing
with no problems. The only repairs it has needed in ten years have been
three recalls on electronic parts that Honda issued over the years. Other
than that, it has required routine maintenance only. I have replaced the
a/c compressor and valves, etc, in every other car we have owned (TWICE
on our VW Jetta, in 7 years!) while the Insight a/c still runs cold without
ever even charging it in ten years! I have never regretted buying it.
skygoer3rd May 2010 -
RE: Which is Greener: Paper or Digital? The Answer May Surprise You
This reasoning is flawed. People who prefer the digital method ALREADY have the digital means. People who currently don't have a computer or ebook will not just go out to buy such electronic equipment and cancel their print subscriptions. If I already have a computer, I can be green by opting to buy on-line subscription and read on the screen. Isn't that green? Of course, a cradle-to-cradle life cycle analysis favors paper but with or without reading, people buy their computers anyway.
kn_bui@...28th Oct 2009 -
RE: Which is Greener: Paper or Digital? The Answer May Surprise You
Maybe.
Not everyone is a nerd who has a computer for the sake of having a computer. If the world doesn't go paperless then there would be less need to have a computer.
less PC/cloud reliance == fewer computers == less mining AND less energy spent both building and maintaining them.
The hole I see is possible advances in the future towards renewable energy sources such as solar or wind. That would leave mining which would be solved if biocomputers becomes a consumer reality and nano-technology advances.
Dave Keays28th Oct 2009 -
Not everyone who has computer is a nerd
How many people own a computer for the sake of having a computer? Everyone who I know owns a computer owns one out of necessity. Sure, mankind would still survive without computers just like it could without planes and cars and medical equipment ... My argument is that since millions around the world ALREADY own computers and millions more surely will (only a small minority will just for the sake of having one), we might as well turn to the digital method and save the trees. Now, we just need to recycle the equipment or figure out a way to use green parts in the equipment.kn_bui@...29th Oct 2009 -
Saving the trees
by polluting the air to create electricity to run the computers. Just having the computer isn't the only issue. Running the computer does additional damage to the environment.
az_nemesis29th Jan 2010 -
Not inherently
My electric supplier gets electricity from
solar, wind, and small hydroelectric... 100%
renewable and very low environment impact.
Using that existing device, which I'm going to
need anyway, takes a bit of extra power to use
as a reader... but it's not inherently
polluting. Of course, a dedicated reading
device is going to use much less power, but
it's also yet another device one has to
manufacture... there will be a trade-off, based
on the amount of digital reading one does per
month.
Of course, I do pay extra (about $25 per month)
for this electrical supplier (Community
Energy), I drive a 2003 Prius, and I also have
25 acres of forested land.. my aggregate carbon
footprint is smaller than usual. For many,
these are choices they're not making, which has
a far larger impact than paper vs. digital
today.dave@...22nd Mar 2010 -
Energy use of computers
And for 8 months of the year, my computer (which was rescued from the garbage) helps to heat my home. And during the day it is powered by a solar array on my roof. Now, what is greener?
I will read my newspapers and other short term material electronic and read my long term items such as reference books that I plan to keep a long time on paper. Most of my books came from the Goodwill, rummage sales, etc.
mjrichter@...25th Mar 2010 -
That's not as clear cut as you make it.
Millions of machines are pushed yearly. People buy
new cell phones all the time. The article is
pointing out that paper is more friendly over it's
life cycle than the tech device you're using, and
you're going to be buying at least as many tech
devices. Most people who can afford it upgrade or
buy a new machine every 2 years on average. That's
a LOT of consumption.
evilkillerwhale@...18th Apr 2010 -
missed the point
Point is those things will be done.
I can't play computer games or surf the 'Net on paper. I require a computer.
So the computer is already created.
So we have a life-cycle comparison of using a computer I already own to read news/books or continuing to print.
The winner is:
Books for stuff I want to keep.
Computers for stuff I dont want to keep.
EBooks lose out until the tech cost makes them printable & recyclable - as they're a limited specialist item, which the licensing costs from greedy RIAA-like printers will probably kill anyway.
mist42nz30th Oct 2009
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