The advent of “green” computer design

Some fundamental changes are beginning to take place in the computer industry. These changes are not about MIPS or megabytes. They are about manufacturers beginning to look for the ways to make their products more recyclable. This process is known as “green” computer design.

Study help Digrammes have the potential to capture a lot of information on a single page. They help to show the conceptual links between ideas and allows to add additional material without the need to crowd the page. While drawing diagrammes - use lines, colours, branches, arrows or some other ways of showing connections between ideas; - leave lots of space to highlight things, add information or add questions and words; - write down key ideas in capitals as they are easier to read in a diagramme and explanatory notes in lower case.

One reason driving green design is the fact that computer manufacturing and consumption are growing rapidly and is becoming a significant cause for environmental concern.

Green computer design addresses a number of primary issues: reducing the resources consumed and the waste generated when producing computers or components; developing cleaner manufacturing processes; minimizing the energy and other resources that computers consume and enabling computers and components to be used (and thereby stay out of the waste steam) longer.

The computer industry must overcome a variety

of economic, technical, and organizational difficulties before green design can become commonplace.

Manufacturers will have to spend time and money to retrain designers, engineers, and assembly workers to perform environmentally friendly computer design and manufacturing. However, the influence can be made less serious because computer companies generally provide employees with regular retraining anyway to keep up with other new design and manufacturing practices.

One of the most promising “green” techniques, de-manufacturing, currently

faces a variety of problems that make it impractical on a large scale in many cases. For example, the cost of labor required to disassemble, sort, and transport recovered components can be much higher than the price of simply purchasing new components. Researchers are looking for ways to overcome this problem.

(Abridged and adapted from Business Xpansion Journal,“Recycling old computers?”, R. Duran)

 

Get real

Search home pages of the leading computer companies and environment websites to get more information on possible solutions to e-waste problem. Report back to the class and discuss what you have found.

 

Writing

You are planning to buy a new computer but don’t know what to do with the old one. Write an e-mail message to one of the electronic equipment manufacturers asking for information on company’s takeback policies.

 

From:   To:   Subject: Old computer treatment

Dear Sir/Madam,   I am mailing this via the “Contact Us” link on your website to (1) ………………… ….………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………. …………………………………………………………………………………………....   I bought my old PC (2) ………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………….... Could you give me more information about (3)………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………………. …………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………….... ………………………………………………………………………………………….... I hope you will (4) ……………………………………………………………………   I look forward to hearing from you soon.   Yours faithfully, (5)……………………

 

(1) explain the purpose of your e-mail

(2) provide basic information on your PC and its components, when and where you bought it, decide whether they are still working or not

(3) ask for information on the items the company takes back, delivery, package and prices

(4) express your gratitude for the help

(5) sign the letter

 

In the Realm of Science

1. Check the pronunciation and the meaning of the words below. Which of them are chemical elements? Which are compounds? Write down the symbols for the elements and formulas for the compounds.

nitric acid HNO3	cadmium Cd	sulphur S
nitrogen oxide NO2	calcium Ca	phosphine PH5
hydrochloric acid HCl	mercury Hg	carbon dioxide CO2
hydrocarbons XHCO3	dioxide XO2

 

2. Work in pairs. Take turns to read and note down these elements and compounds:

 

Unit 2 Progress Monitoring In this unit you have worked on the following vocabulary related to the topic “Negative influence of electronic equipment on the environment” environmental hazards   to consume energy   landfill/damp sites   to release poisonous gases   incineration   to encourage/to urge e-recycling   disposal of electronic equipment   to donate/to reuse electronic equipment   to produce/to generate e-waste   to reduce/to limit computer dumping   liquid   to refurbish/to restore/to repair e-devices   environmentally friendly/safe   to recycle e-waste/industrial waste   to use up natural resources   to increase/decrease the amount of harmful chemical substances   a compound   to be short of     Tick (V) the points you are confident about and cross (X) the ones you need to revise.

 

 

Unit 3 Review

 

1. Join the sentences in two ways, with or without which/that.

a) A lot of rubbish is floating in the sea. It is a real danger to health.

b) The problem of soil erosion is discussed in this chapter. It has occurred ever

since the man began destroy forests.

c) Nuclear energy comes from the energy stored within the nuclei of atoms.

They are the basic building blocks of all matter.

d) The best things in life such as water and air are free. We often take it for

granted.

e) The manufacture of one PC requires 28kg of liquid chemicals. All liquid

chemicals have to be neutralized by a further 11 kg of sodium hydroxide.

f) An average PC consumes 100 watts of electricity when switched on but not

in use. 100 watts of electricity is equivalent to a bright light bulb.

g) New machines use no more than 30 watts. They are given the Energy Star

Logo.

h) In 1993 the USA introduced the Energy Star Logo. The ESL eliminated the

need to build 10 extra power stations.

i) In the USA computers use 5 % of commercial power. By 2010 the use of

commercial power by computers could rise to 15 %, or 100 billion kilowatt-hours per year.

j) Some factories had developed manufacturing processes. This processes

considerably cut the amount of wastes produced.

 

2. Join the sentences with to, in order (not) to, so that or for.

a) European countries formed a work group. The purpose of the work group is to work out the measures that will limit computer dumping.

b) Old computers can be used in schools and colleges. They must be dismantled and adapted.

c) Manufacturers are encouraged to make a lot of changes to their products. New products need to be more easily recycled.

d) Hewlett-Packard takes back old computers, faxes, printers, etc. It disassembles the office equipment, reconditions its components.

e) Hewlett-Packard disassembles old computing equipment, reconditions its subassemblies. They are used as spare parts for customer’s existing equipment.

f) Manufacturers spend a lot of time and money for various retraining programmes. They need to retrain designers, engineers and assembly workers to perform environmentally friendly computer design and manufacturing.

 

3. Explain the difference between these pairs:

litter - waste

break down - dismantle

refurbish - repair

recycle - process

effect - affect

chemical element - chemical compound

 

4. Do the crossword to write the word in bold.

 

1. the reduction of the layer of natural gases that protects the earth from

dangerous ultraviolet radiation

2. the reduction of the territory that a plant or animal lives and grows best in

3. a process when different kinds of animals and plants disappear

4. floods, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, etc.

5. a result of atmospheric contamination when industrial gases and

chemicals mix with water in the air

6. harmful chemicals and gases from factories, machines, traffic fumes that

enter the air to make it dirty

7. a general increase in the temperature of the world caused by harmful chemicals and gases from cars and factories

8. harmful chemicals, waste materials from factories, houses etc that enter the land and damage the things that live or grow there

9. gases from factories, machines, traffic fumes etc that form a layer around the earth and keep the heat it

10. devices and/or their components that are no longer useful

11. a process when too many trees are cut down in an area, so that the environment is badly damaged

 

5. Read these sayings. Comment on the one you like most.

Ø “The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

Ø “Modern technology owes ecology an apology.” Alan M. Eddison

Ø “We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.” Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732

Ø “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” Native American Proverb

 

Each one teach one

Write down a short vocabulary list (10 items) on the topic “Environment”.

Compare your lists. Cross out the items you have on both lists and explain the

meaning of the rest of the words and phrases.

 

Writing

Look at the pictures and with a partner discuss the environmental problems they illustrate. Write a paragraph of about 150 words to describe the picture you have chosen.

 

 

 

 

“Given so much time, the “impossible” becomes possible, the possible probable and the probable virtually certain. One has only to wait: time itself performs miracles.”

George Wald

Learning Objectives