The Environmental Benefits of the Digital Revolution

As pollution from manufacturing and toxic contamination continues to exacerbate global warming, people are increasingly looking for alternative solutions for their daily needs. Rapid development in the tech sector has allowed us to transition some of our more wasteful practices toward more efficient, digital solutions that can eventually make a significant beneficial impact on the environment.

With the digitalization of cameras, reading devices like the Samsung Nook tablet, and thermometers, innovations in technology are driving quantifiable change toward resolving pollution and carbon emissions. Here are some of the environmental benefits of the digital revolution.

Digital Cameras

Digital cameras have grown in popularity due to the significantly easier process of saving and sharing photos. Traditional means of processing film still has a certain romanticized allure but the practical reality for many people is that the process is painstakingly slow and far from cost-effective. With digital cameras integrated to every smartphone and mobile device, traditional photography seems to be going the way of the dinosaur. Aside from the financial and convenience elements of digital photography, you might not have realized it has a significant environmental benefit as well.

Analog cameras of the past required the use of negatives and hazardous processing chemicals to develop the final product. After a photographer was done with the process, unused negatives were often disposed of and the chemicals poured out. According to Earth Times, “Most film is made of plastic coated with silver halide salts. This stuff doesn’t biodegrade and the silver salts aren’t good for the environment. Plus, the additional packaging materials like the film canisters, and cardboard packaging also end up in the dump. Then, there are the chemicals associated with processing film.

Developing film requires the use of several highly toxic chemicals that can harm humans and the environment including; acids, metol, and Hydroquinone. Laws are in place requiring film processing centers to properly dispose of the chemicals.” Thankfully, the majority of photographers have already embraced the digital revolution and such waste is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. Just as photographers have advanced their craft beyond its original form, readers have moved beyond the paper book to Nook tablets

Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook Digital Readers

As we all learned from The Lorax, cutting down trees in excess is environmentally damaging and ultimately harming us. While reading books, magazines, and newspapers is an essential way to maintain one’s cognitive health and stay up to date on the events of the world, the traditional methods of print publishing are untenable if we have any concern for the environment.

According to the Ecology Global Network, “world consumption of paper has grown 400 percent in the last 40 years. Now nearly 4 billion trees or 35 percent of the total trees cut around the world are used in paper industries on every continent.” Technology has given us an alternative with the advent of digital readers like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook. By reading on a digital platform, we conserve all of the paper and related materials needed to print each book. Instead, readers can readily download eBooks with a single click and easily transport hundreds of titles wherever they go.

The estimates vary according to source, but according to The Telegraph, it only requires around 23-40 eBooks to recover the amount of materials used to build the average reading tablet device. So after only a year or so of use, the reader can significantly reduce the waste of print publication. As growing numbers of readers start to adopt eReaders as their primary medium to receive written information, the switch can make a huge impact in the world’s environment.

Digital Thermometer

By now, we’ve probably all heard about the dangers of over indulging in sushi and putting oneself at risk of contracting mercury poisoning. However, you might not have considered the environmental impact of your simple thermometer.

If you have an older mercury thermometer in your home, you could be putting yourself and the environment at risk. To safely dispose of the thermometer, contact your local EPA and find out how. The Environmental Protection Agency encourages everyone to transition to digital thermometers in an effort to eliminate the risk of mercury contamination, stating, “Mercury use in products can lead to releases to the environment through the manufacturing of the products; via spills and breakage; and during the recycling, collection and disposal of mercury-containing products.

As part of a broader initiative to reduce the use of mercury in products, EPA is working with stakeholders to reduce the use of mercury-containing non-fever thermometers in industrial and commercial settings.” Digital alternatives are significantly safer for both yourself and the environment, and are relatively similar in pricing to traditional mercury-based thermometers.

For an extra measure of environmental consciousness, choose a solar powered digital thermometer from your local pharmacy and eliminate the need for batteries. From digital cameras and digital thermometers to digital readers like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook, digitalization is helping reduce environmental damage one device at a time.

Image source: Wikimedia

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