Recyclable plastics, bamboo cases and reduced power consumption all go along way to making computers more environmentally friendly. According to this article, Dell, HP and other companies have taken big steps to making better for the environment. However, as Forrester Research analyst Christopher Mines says, probably the best thing would be to extend the lifespan of a computer. Technojunk certainly does not help our planet.

“H-P and Dell are making credible strides, but remember that these guys have PCs to sell this month, this quarter,” he said. “The greenest thing the PC companies could do would be to lengthen the lifecycle and warranty of their products, making PCs more upgradeable and modular — so they don’t have to be purchased and thrown away so often.”

That said, one should still not deride energy efficiency.