The Greenhorn Tooting her Green Horn... pick an Apple

I am a greenhorn on staff. 

I am also green-minded. I have been doing my part to try and lower my carbon footprint for years now. I recycle, even taking things home with me from other places to throw in my own recycling bin. I have brought my canvas bags into every store I purchase things from, in an effort to extinguish paper and (especially) plastic bags from my life. I joined a Coop where I buy local and globally-responsible products. I have been buying products that are fair-trade, organic and/or biodegradable whenever I can. I started shopping at the resale store. You get the picture. Basically, I have tried to live green whenever and wherever I can.

But, I find I have been neglectful in a few departments. Thankfully one of these departments has been covered as an employee at Plain Black Corporation. Upon delivery of my new MacBook Pro, I became an even more eco-friendly and responsible person! I am more than pleased. And at the same time, I am little frustrated at my naivety. Why didn't I think the tool I use each day at work should be considered when going green?

And being one who loves all things green, I applaud JT for putting a such a green initiative in place for PB employees. He enacted this initiative with each employee who works by MacBook Pro. I was excited to find out that the choice of a MacBook Pro as a work tool was not only wise on the design front but on the green front as well. So for those of you looking to replace your laptop, I ask you to take Apple's green ideology into consideration when making your next purchase.

For those of you looking to live la vida verde, you'll want to make note of a few things the people at Apple have put into play. The MacBook model is deemed “highly recyclable” and even more energy efficient. Some of the finer green points include:

Arsenic-free glass
Brominated flame retardant-free
Mercury-free
PVC-free
Reduced packaging
Highly recyclable aluminum and glass enclosures

This PB greenhorn applauds Apple. They have truly stepped up. Not only have they made the MacBook family of products free of arsenic, PVC, mercury and brominated flame retardant but they have followed through by making this commitment in the production of other products as well, including every iPod, and iPhone 3G as well as the Apple LED Cinema Display.

In addition to making sure that the parts they use to make a MacBook are manufactured in an eco-responsible way, Apple has built the laptop with fewer parts in general. Sweetening the deal, the MacBook's unibody is recyclable aluminum. Then they pack these eco-conscious machines in less packaging (than previous generations). This means less paper used and smaller boxes. Smaller boxes mean less room to transport. This equates to less fuel to transport product.

The energy efficiency doesn't end there. The new MacBook Pro, when turned on, uses one third the power of a single light bulb and LED-backlit display uses 30% less power than conventional LCD displays. Put those things together and the MacBook Pro has ENERGY STAR certification by the EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy.

I am not looking to be an infomercial for Apple here, but I was so pleased with the standards to which Apple manufactures many of their products, I wanted to share the news with other green fans. 
So an Apple each day can take [some of] your carbon footprint away!

Take a look at Apple's Environmental Status Report by Clicking here.