Tips on improving the sustainability of the technology you use
How to reduce battery drain
Remove any apps you don't use
These can still consume energy in the background.
Reduce the number of tabs you have open
These consume a lot of memory, slowing down your device and draining your battery.
Turn non-essential functionality off if you're not using them
Turn devices and screens off when not in use
Even electronics on standby will consume electricity. This is also relevant to other devices in the home such as stereos and TV’s.
How to extend battery lifetime
Limit maximum charging to 80-85%
Try not to let the battery drop below 20%
This will strain the battery.
How to extend device lifespan
Optimise your device to reduce performance demands
Consider upgrading your RAM before buying a new device
Uninstall old apps you no longer use
Stop non-vital apps from automatically running on startup
Although this is useful for applications that need to be running, it can often slow the device down if there are multiple unnecessary applications running. After removing/uninstalling any applications, try to check the applications running at startup and disable any that you recognise but do not need to be running. If you do not recognise them, research them to see if they can be disabled without affecting the device. Do not diable anything that you do not recognise as they may be related to the Operating System.
Refresh your old device with ChromeOS Flex
ChromeOS needs less memory and reduces battery use by ~20%, making old devices run faster and smoother for longer.
Avoid buying from new over and over
Investigate the cost of repair
Especially for replacement batteries as these are much more sustainable than buying replacement new devices. The most sustainable device is the one you already own.
Buy right, buy once. Buy wrong, buy twice
Do your research and find the best quality device for your budget.
Buy remanufactured from Studentstore
Remanufactured laptops produce only 6.34% of the CO2 emissions that new ones create.
Sharing is caring
Donate a device to someone in need
Educate others about sustainability practices
Factory reset wipes all residual data and personal information, so your details are safe from whoever you donate to.
Consider how online services cost carbon
An email attachment has 12x the carbon footprint of a linked file
Dont send large files via email, especially to multiple people. Instead use Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox or iCloud to host and share files. This is because it only stores a single copy which is accessed by all, rather than multiple copies in people’s inboxes.
Take advantage of manufacturer schemes
Drop off your old tech for proper recycling
Lenovo, Apple and others have a requirement to take back old tech and ensure that it is recycled. This can be hit and miss so make sure to ask questions to make sure that this is not just ending up as a landfill, Make sure they use a UK refurbisher who is fully certified for data management and UK recycling *but make sure you have removed and reset ay device that may hold any information about you, including email addresses, personal details, banking and passwords.