Today, Monday, April 22, 2024 is Earth Day, a day that highlights the importance of doing our part to help protect the planet. Held since 1970 with a different theme each year, the commitment is to reduce the production of plastics by 60% over the next 16 years. Every bit counts and there are small changes and decisions you can make in everyday life that can contribute to bettering our planet, particularly when it comes to tech.

Buy Sustainable Products

When you’re buying new tech, whether it’s a new smartphone, smartwatch, TV, appliance, speakers, headphones, computer peripherals, or virtually any device, it’s worth looking into sustainable options. These are ones made using recycled materials, or processes designed to reduce the carbon footprint. There are so many tech brands making a concerted effort to focus on sustainable practices. I mentioned several of them in the article on companies that give back to the environment, but sustainable practices are being adopted across the board.

For example, Kensington’s latest line of backpacks, briefcases, and laptop cases (as well as mice and keyboards) are made using ocean-bound plastic bottles, as are Targus’ new EcoSmart laptop bags and backpacks, as well as the ErgoFlip EcoSmart mouse.

If you choose an aluminum Apple Watch Series 9 with a certain textile band, the purchase is 100% certified carbon neutral. Apple has also eliminated all its leather band options.

The Skullcandy EcoBuds true wireless earbuds are made using less plastic and heavy metals and come in 100% recyclable packaging.

You can also focus on brands that meet certain guidelines, like ENERGY STAR, or products that simply employ features that make them environmentally friendly. This could be smartphones that last longer and thus need to be charged less often, headphones or speakers that have solar powered charging capabilities, or even refillable ink printers.

Among the many advantages with cartridge-free printers like the Epson EcoTank Supertank and HP Smart Tank printers is the fact that they are overall better for the environment. That’s because they use refillable ink reservoirs versus replaceable cartridges. The ink only needs to be refilled every few years, on average, versus getting a new cartridge every few months or 4-6 times per year.

The list goes on. Do your research and choose the brand and specific product accordingly, keeping sustainability in mind.

Buy From Sustainable Brands

Along with offering sustainable products and making manufacturing process commitments for the future, some companies go above and beyond with their sustainability efforts.

Rakuten Kobo, for example, not only makes earth-friendly e-readers that help reduce paper and uses eco-conscious materials in its manufacturing, the company has made its latest eReaders, the Kobo Clara BW, Clara Colour, and Libra Colour, repairable so that you can extend the life of the product versus buying a new one. Kobo also handles direct shipments to help reduce carbon emissions and has partnered with the Coastal First Nations-Great Bear Initiative on the Great Bear Forest Carbon Project. The organization’s work has helped protect Western Red Cedars from logging and the habitat of leatherback turtles, grey whales, and Stellar sea lions. The company has also partnered with community-led tree planting project TIST to cover areas within Kenya and offers an eRecycling mail-in option for non-functioning older units.

One of the most known tech companies to focus on sustainability across the board is House of Marley. The brand manufactures all of its products using sustainable materials like its own REWIND (weaved from recycled materials including reclaimed organic cotton, hemp, and PET) and REGRIND fabric (silicone made by reclaiming and upcycling post-process and post-consumer silicone scraps that would be otherwise discarded) and bamboo. House of Marley also runs Project Marley and the One Tree Planted initiative, which supports global reforestation and the Surfrider Foundation for ocean preservation.

Re-use Boxes and Other Items

Visit social sites like Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest for great home hack videos that show you how to make clever plant pots out of old mason jars or fashion an old lamp shade into a beautiful décor piece. The less you throw into the garbage, the better. So many food items come in glass or plastic jars, for example, that can be re-used for other purposes. Mini glass yogurt jars can be cleaned and used to hold paint for kids. That empty plastic jar of salad dressing can be used in your crafting area, or even for storing loose nails and screws in the garage. There’s always a way to re-use something.

On the tech side, back in 2020, Samsung came up with clever eco-packaging for certain products like The Serif TVs. It’s made of eco-friendly corrugated cardboard and the boxes have a dot matrix design on the sides to help with easily (and evenly) cutting them to assemble and re-fashion into items you can use. Think a small end table for the kids’ playroom that they can decorate, a handy magazine rack, or a cute cat house. A QR code inside directs you to a manual online with guides and ideas for what you can make.

Recycle Old Gadgets & Gear

It’s so important to recycle old gadgets and gear versus throwing them into the garbage. Items like batteries can stay in landfills for up to 100 years. Instead, find drop-off locations and events in your local area, gather up all the old batteries you have been keeping in drawers, and drop them off. Retailers like Best Buy and Staples usually have drop-off boxes in their stores. Check the Call2Recycle website for drop-off locations near you. In some cities, municipal waste management offers a specific day or two each year when you can separate and leave batteries and other electronic waste curbside. Plot these in your calendar and take advantage of them.

For items in working order, or even ones that aren’t but can be fixed or stripped for parts, look into ways to donate your old tech. From schools to charities and shelters, that computer that runs too slowly for your liking might be life-changing for someone who doesn’t have one at all. Post an item for free online and look for someone in need who you feel good about giving it to (be wary, of course, of scammers who will take it and re-sell it). Have them send a shipping label so they only pay postage and send it off as a sign of goodwill.

Just make sure to erase all personal data and reset devices like smartphones and computers before giving them away, selling them, or even dropping them off for recycling.

Buy/Sell Used Electronics

It’s known as the circular economy, the way to offset the environmental drawbacks of our throwaway culture. Rather than keep devices for decades, people buy, discard, and buy new again in a few years, sometimes annually. The rate of progression leads to a consistent hamster wheel need to keep up. But there are always people who will appreciate something a generation or two old.

If you’re one of those people who buys a new phone or smartwatch or laptop every year or two, sell your used electronics. You can make money towards the next device, and someone looking to save a few bucks will benefit from your desire to upgrade.

If you’re the person always on the hunt for a good deal, buying used from a private seller or refurbished from a retailer can be beneficial. You save money, get a more premium product than you might have otherwise been able to afford, and you’re helping the planet by keeping the product in rotation. Make sure to properly inspect a used product you’re buying privately and only purchase from reputable retailers that verify the product is in perfect working condition before selling it. Amazon has an entire section on its website called Amazon Renewed that features used, renewed products that have been tested to be in perfect working condition.

Reduce Phantom Energy Usage in The Home

One small thing you can do is take stock of the devices you keep plugged in 24/7 at home that don’t have to be. Phantom power, more commonly known as standby power, is the power being drained from these devices even when they’re not plugged into the cords or turned on. Don’t think you are a guilty party? It’s true that no one is going to unplug their TV, oven, microwave, and lamps every day. But think of your coffee machine, your phone and laptop charger, your printer, blender, kids’ toys, electric toothbrush, and so on. Some devices stay plugged in to recharge, like a robot vacuum. But simply pulling out the cord can reduce phantom power usage. Over time, this could also result in a small but noticeable reduction in your electricity bills.

Some of the latest tech devices are designed to go into standby or sleep modes when they aren’t actively in use, which helps reduce phantom power even if they remain plugged in. ENERGY STAR devices are also rated to use less energy when in standby mode. But as long as gadgets are plugged in, they are still drawing some power.

Bottom Line

The most important thing about making your own personal pledge on Earth Day is to stick with it. Select one (or more) of these strategies and set a goal for yourself this year. It might be to gather up all the old batteries in the house and drop them off to your local recycling depot, or to set two dates in the year when this becomes a to-do list task. Maybe it’s finally upgrading your kitchen appliances to ENERGY STAR rated ones or switching out all the incandescent bulbs in your home to LED by changing over one room every month (LED bulbs are more expensive but last longer). Perhaps you encourage the entire family to gather all your old devices and find somewhere they can be donated. You’ll feel great after doing your part to help the environment.

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