Although we tried for many years to resist, I have to admit that last Christmas we broke down and purchased a video game system for the family. And while we certainly don’t regret the move for many reasons (it is great family fun, the kids aren’t obsessed, and we can be more of the hang out house for friends), the little piece that we do regret is the fact that it is one more thing in the house that was commercially manufactured, uses energy and will some day reach the end of its life and require disposal.
There are some ways that we can minimize the impact that a video game system has on the planet, and will be doing as much as we can to follow responsible ideas in order to do this.
First of all, limiting the amount of time that the video game system is used is a start. This will require less energy and extend the life of the system. Our video game system is one option for entertainment. It is not the only option. On a nice fall day, the last thing we are doing is staying inside playing, anyway, so this isn’t a hard one to keep.
Unplugging they system when it isn’t in use also reduces the impact it has. You know that little red stand by light that is on? Well, of course electricity, or in the case of some systems, battery, is being used to power it. Use a surge protector and shut it off at the source.
Renting, checking games out from the library or buying games used is a great way to have play time without having the cycle of manufacture to disposal. If there are some games that you come back to over and over again, by all means buy them (used if you can), but consider borrowing games instead. This will save energy and money.
By the way, out of the big video game systems, the Wii uses less energy than the PS3 and Xbox 360, according to The Art Institute of Washington.
You can read more blog posts by Mary Ann Romans here!
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