Recycling of electronics

Used electronics gadgets have some value left in them and there are number of companies offering to buy used electronics.

There's no question that smartphones have become a major investment for consumers. And with the pace of innovation accelerating, it seems like the minute you buy one smartphone, a newer and better one has been released. Reselling old devices to help pay for new ones is a great idea, but as I just pointed out, consumers must beware. A whole new industry has popped up to help people unload their old devices for cash, but as with all "gold rushes" there are often some less reputable establishments mixed in with legitimate ones.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-57318211-266/dont-get-scammed-when-selling-your-old-iphone-ask-maggie/

http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/cash-for-iphonescom-sparks-nevada-c496171.html

http://cashforiphones.com

http://blog.gazelle.com/posts/the-trashiest-iphone-case-ever/

http://www.gazelle.com/

For most products resale value is pretty low but for Apple products it is higher as there is demand for old Apple iPhone and Apple computers.

Eco datacenter dream by HP

Internet companies are learning that small towns are often great places to set up data centers. They have lots of land, cheap energy, low-cost labor, and something that may be a secret weapon in the race toward internet nirvana: cow dung.

http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2011/11/the-data-center-of-the-future/all/1

Energy is a limited resource and CO2 causes climate change.
http://enveconomics.blogspot.com/2011/07/green-it.html

Datacenters consume a lot of energy and many companies are trying to innovate new ways to save energy.

The dung-fired data center is closer than even Patel first thought. There are lots of places where they’d work, he says. You don’t need to build any special generators or equipment, and cows are everywhere. “We found many sites where it is totally doable today,” he says, “You can go anywhere from South Dakota to Wisconsin to Virginia. Even between Chicago and Indiana there are lots of dairy farms.”

http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2011/11/the-data-center-of-the-future/all/1

Green IT

Governments around the world are wrestling with the challenge of how to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The current preferred approaches are to impose carbon taxes and implement various forms of cap and trade, which effectively is a hidden tax. However another approach to help reduce carbon emission is to “reward” those directly who reduce their carbon footprint. The concept is very similar to the "Cap and Dividend" except rather than providing a tax credit, the consumer is offered a variety of free low carbon services and products. One possible reward system is to provide homeowners with free fiber to the home or free wireless products and other electronic services such as ebooks and eMovies if they agree to pay a premium on their energy consumption which will encourage them to reduce emissions by turning down the thermostat or using public transportation. Not only does the consumer benefit, but this business model also provides new revenue opportunities for network operators, optical equipment manufacturers, and eCommerce application providers.

 http://green-broadband.blogspot.com/