Computer giant Dell may be the next gadget firm to be hauled into the tech 'hall of shame' when it comes to green credentials, now Apple is temporarily off the hook having been deemed 'greener than Greenpeace thinks'. (Although, of course, it is always possible that the pro-Mac lobby have spread the rumours just to get their point across again; they can be a devious bunch!)
But conspiracy theories aside, Dell last week announced its plans for a greener future at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, with the unveiling of a tree-planting scheme designed to offset the damage caused to the environment by computers, which I think is rather honest of them, but then I am a PC nut myself... Users in the UK and the rest of the world will be able to do their bit for the environment by taking part in the scheme, which is in collaboration with The Conservation Fund and the Carbonfund.org, from April. Dell also took the opportunity to launch a new website highlighting its efforts to look after the planet at CES.
[via ITPro]
The environmental impact of digital lifestyles looks likely to be big news this year, after Nick Carr pointed out at the end of 2006 that Second Life's avatars each consume as much electricity as a corporeal Brazilian (http://qurl.com/2ws3l); and Wired (http://qurl.com/h5ltg) looked at the huge electricity demands of Google's (and other) server farms. Interesting move by Dell there.