Environmental Impact of the Ubiquitous Microchip

TimWeigel writes "The Japan Times is reporting the results of a study by the United Nations University on the environmental impact of michrochip production. We've already seen the impact of disposal practices, but is the manufacturing more environmentally friendly? Turns out it ain't necessarily so - according to the study, producing and using a 32MB DRAM chip weighing 2 grams requires 32 kg of water, 1.6 kg of fossil fuels, 700 g of elemental gases, and 72 g of other chemicals, many of which are hazardous. I'm no environmentalist, but this looks like it might add up to more bad news when you consider that these things are cranked out by the millions each year." Update: 01/26 16:31 GMT by J : Yep, it's a dupe.

Comments

Printers...

[skermit]

This was a coincidental article to read when I was browsing the morning circulars today looking for printer cartridge replacements. Why bother with $35+ a piece cartridges (one for black and one for color) when I can just get a NEW printer for $60, trashing the old printer and adding about a cubic foot of trash, and god knows how much in invested energy/resources. At least they're starting to recycle cartridges now, but if they're going to remain this expensive, why bother? In the interest of Gaia, I think I'll bite the bullet and buy the cartridges... Damned social conscience...