Trading Atoms for Bits
The most basic way to make materials more ecologically friendly is to simply use less of them. Digital technology, for example, allows us to put songs, books, magazines, newspapers, TV shows, movies, most any kind of media, onto increasingly smaller computer chips. By trading in the atoms of the books, CDs, DVDs, glossy magazines, and newsprint for the bits of digital files, we save using countless resources–the trees for the paper, the plastic for the packaging, the fuel used for shipping, and the energy used to operate brick and mortar retail outlets. While beneficial in terms of dematerialization, digitization of culture is not entirely ecologically benign. As we consume ever more digital media, the amount of technological hardware we use to access that media steadily increases. And the heavy metals and toxic chemicals that go into constructing computers, mp3 players, and cell phones–which may include lead, mercury, bromine, and chromium–present significant disposal and recycling challenges. More and cheaper gadgets are an inevitable market response to consumer desire for these products, and there is as of yet no comprehensive strategy for dealing with this e-waste.
[emphasis mine](via Locally-Produced Cars, Biomimicry, and Mushroom-Based Packaging: 8 of the Most Exciting Developments in Material Sustainability | Slideshows)