Environment
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Greenpeace report: PS3 contains hazardous chemicals
Environmental activist group Greenpeace released a video today to emphasize the need for greener manufacturing of today's game consoles. The three console manufacturers were found guilty of using various hazardous chemicals and materials, such aspolyvinyl chloride (PVC), phthalates, beryllium and bromine indicative ofbrominated flame retardants (BFRs).According to Greenpeace, "e-waste" is the fastest growing type of waste in the world, and game consoles contribute a significant portion to this problem. The organization emphasized that both the Xbox 360 and PS3 contain high levels of phthalates, one of which "is known to interfere with sexual development in mammals: including humans and, especially, males." Yikes!Things can get better, of course. PS3 uses "bromine-free" circuit boards. However, there are many steps for the console manufacturers to take before they can be classified as "green."
Player vs. Everything: Age of Conan closed beta impressions
Everyone and their brother seems to be writing about Age of Conan over the last few days, but hopefully you're hungry for a little more. I've spent the last day and a half trying out different classes and playing through the various starting missions, and I'm ready to serve up some impressions. If you want the quick and dirty version, I'm really impressed with what Funcom has done. This game is worth your money. I'll try to talk about the aspects of the game that I haven't seen discussed much yet, as well as the stuff that everyone is talking about. It's also important to note that I've been playing with the closed beta client -- not the open beta one. There is a serious difference. I should mention that when I wrote Friday's article, I hadn't yet played the game and I was basing my arguments largely on the claims of people who had had bad experiences with the open beta client. I still stand by my arguments about making games with outlandish system requirements, but I think Age of Conan will run just fine on many systems. Keeping all of that in mind, here's what I think of the game.
Tetris licensee sets out to save the Earth
We're thinking it's not a coincidence that VentureBeat's Dean Takahashi chose Earth Day to publish an interview with Henk Rogers about his efforts to save the environment. You may remember Rogers as the visionary who first noticed an unassuming game called Tetris at a trade show and went on a crusade to get the game licensed outside of Russia. If you're not familiar with his story, we must insist you track down a copy of David Sheff's excellent book Game Over and read all about it. Go ahead ... we'll wait.Done reading? Well, then you might be interested to know that Rogers is now using the money he made selling the Tetris license to do nothing less than getting the world completely off of carbon-based energy. After accomplishing that modest goal, Rogers says he hopes to realize the vision of his company's upcoming Blue Mars MMO by actually terraforming part of the red planet. Say what you will, you have to admit, the guy's ambitious.
Retail usage of clamshell packaging may be shucked
We've all suffered an injury or two at the hands of a hermetically-sealed package containing a shiny new controller or other accessory, but did you know that 6,500 people visited the emergency room with a plastic packaging-related injury in 2004? That's not all -- these "clamshell" packages are often made of environmentally-unsound non-recycled plastics (which are increasingly expensive to produce due to rising petroleum costs), and are the largest contributer to various worldwide terrorist organizations?Okay, that last part was a lie, but there are plenty of reasons to dislike this hand-lacerating form of consumer packaging -- luckily, a recent CNET article revealed that some experts in the packaging industry think that clamshell usage may be on its way out, for the reasons listed above. Retailers still prefer the shoplifter-deterring containers, but consumer frustration and cheaper alternatives may signal the end of the mollusk-inspired packages in the coming years. Our gnarled, decrepit hands are very relieved. [Via Kotaku]
Greenpeace: Nintendo is nonresponsive
In an interview with Gamasutra, Greenpeace's Zeina Al-Hajj discussed the relative greenness of the major consoles and their companies. Nintendo still manages to rate below Sony and Microsoft despite having a console that uses far less electricity and standard (and thus more easily recyclable) parts. The reason? Nintendo has no stated policy about hardware recycling. Both Sony and Microsoft have made efforts in that area, but Nintendo has said absolutely nothing about the disposal of old consoles. "What is available right now," Al-Hajj said, "is that Nintendo is committed to the environment, so they recycle in their offices. Okay. Good work guys, but that's not the issue. The issue is the responsibility to their product."Nintendo is the only console manufacturer out of the three not to engage in communication with Greenpeace. Al-Hajj said that they have attempted conversation with the company multiple times, while both Sony and Microsoft are already in talks.We know that the first impulse for any gamer is to attack and ridicule Greenpeace for saying bad things about Nintendo, but, if nothing else, this interview makes Greenpeace's claims seem more sensible. This is far from tree-hugging or Would it really hurt Nintendo that much to at least talk about recycling, or offer some opinions on reducing energy consumption?
Earth Hour and WoW
Tonight the world will be celebrating Earth Hour, with individuals, cities and businesses turning off and unplugging as many of their electronics and lights as possible. How can you get involved when you have a scheduled raid, or when this is the only time for you to play today? You need not feel pressured to unplug everything. Turn out as many lights as you can throughout your home, unplug the electronics and appliances in rooms you are not using, and consult Well Fed Buff for the perfect lights-out snack you can prepare before 8:00 p.m. This event is important, not because it will change the entire world, but because it will send a message. Not only will we have the opportunity to think about our impact, and learn about just how much power the world did save in that one dark hour, but businesses and governments will realize just how serious people are today about the environment. Gamers should be a part of that message. Lately, we have been garnering a poor reputation for ourselves, and not because we might all turn into mass murderers from staring all day violent images.
Nintendo still dead last in Greenpeace electronics rankings
Since Nintendo's big goose-egg ranking in environmental friendliness from the activists at Greenpeace last November, we've been on pins and needles waiting to see if the Big N could improve its standing. Well, we're happy to announce that Nintendo has indeed done better this time around, improving to a massive 0.3/10 in Greenpeace's latest rankings.The number -- which is a full four points below closest competitors Philips -- doesn't tell the whole story, though. Greenpeace itself notes that, since their last ranking, Nintendo has introduced a plan to reduce PVCs in its packaging and posted links to EPA and eCycling programs on its web site. Yet these "tiny improvements," as Greenpeace puts it, didn't even rank the company a single point increase in the corresponding Greenpeace rating categories. Is it us, or is there a scoring bug in the game Greenpeace is playing here?
Greenpeace: Nintendo still not eco-friendly
Greenpeace is at it again, as their latest report sees Nintendo still scraping the bottom of the barrel and falling in last place as the most ecologically unfriendly company surveyed. But it's not all bad, as Nintendo did improve over their last survey results. They went from a 0 to a 0.3 on Greenpeace's small, yet incredibly scientific, chart there.Actually, we're kind of sad, to be honest. No, we're not sad about Greenpeace grilling Nintendo or whatever, we're just sad we didn't get another ridiculously bad video to laugh at. Oh well, we're sure Greenpeace won't be leaving Nintendo alone anytime soon, so there's always hope!
Japanese plastic dirt is half as dense as real dirt, over 100 times more plastic
We've seen quite a few efforts to use gardens and terrariums in cities to order to bring down overall CO2 emissions and reduce temperatures, but Tokyo's earthquake-prone location means that structures there have to meet strict load requirements -- so a company called Suntory Ltd., has developed a synthetic dirt substitute called Pafcal it says weighs less than half as much as real soil. The fake dirt, which is made of urethane, can reduce the internal temperature of a building with a roof garden up to 10 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit). Of course, there's considerable irony in trying to save the planet by covering concrete buildings in fake plastic dirt, but then again, such a solution is about as Japanese as it gets, no?
Ecobutton aims to reduce PC power consumption, not as much as power button
While it won't reduce your carbon footprint as much as something like, say, the HumanCar, the folks behind the Ecobutton seem to think their new device will do its small part nonetheless, even if it's actual necessity may be somewhat in question. Apparently, the device will let you switch your PC to "ecomode" at the press of a button, although exactly what that is and how it differs from your usual sleep or hibernation mode is a bit of a mystery. The button seemingly does something to your PC, however, as the FAQ warns that some older computers and certain HP PCs may have trouble reactivating due to BIOS issues. No word as to when they'll be available directly to consumer just yet, but those looking to turn 'em into a business opportunity can order some now from "recognized promotional gift distributors" for between $12 and $18 apiece depending on the quantity.[Via OhGizmo]
The corntop lives: Fujitsu showing off mostly-biodegradable notebook
We're not exactly sure what became of that biodegradable laptop being touted by NEC all the way back in 2004, but the concept of corn-based notebook casings is far from dead, with Fujitsu showing off just such a machine at this year's CES. According to Inhabitat, "the main component is polylactic acid, also known as PLA, a resin that comes from the fermentation of the raw biomass from plants," although a small amount of nasty fossil fuels must still be mixed in to create a housing with the proper structural integrity. Fortunately, once the rig is ready for the great gadget heaven in the sky, the plastic can be separated from the PLA so that the latter material can be left to safely biodegrade. No word yet on when we'll see these edible inedible lappies hit the market, so for now we'll have to continue kicking Mother Nature's ass with our biannual tech upgrades.[Via, and image courtesy of, Inhabitat]
Panasonic, Sharp, and Toshiba form recycling partnership
We surprisingly haven't heard a ton about green(er) tech at this year's CES, but there's still some news going down -- and Panasonic, Sharp and Toshiba have just announced that they've formed a new joint venture, the sexily named Electronics Manufacturers Recycling Management Company, to handle collection and recycling of their products in the US. MRM seems to have formed in response to some new stringent regulations recently passed in Minnesota, as well as similar regs that are about to go on the books in Connecticut, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, and Washington, but the idea is to provide recycling programs to state and local governments and other manufacturers -- and to that end, MRM already has deals with Hitachi, JVC, Mitsubishi, Philips, Pioneer, Sanyo, and Syntax-Brillian. MRM's managed to collect and handle 750 tons of old gear in its first five months in Minnesota, a feat the company credits to its strategy of making electronics disposal convenient to consumers -- sounds like an idea whose time has come.
NYPD to trial all-electric scooters next month
New York's finest will also be some of New York's greenest next month, when the NYPD begins field testing four all-electric scooters from Rhode Island-based Vectrix USA. Although twice as expensive as the gas-powered Piaggio scooters that the department currently uses -- and with a fraction of their range -- the Vectrix offers police three attractive benefits: reduced fuel costs, lowered vehicle emissions, and, more practically, the element of surprise -- the scooters' nearly-silent engines should allow two-wheeled cops to approach suspects with more discretion. Sounds like a winner to us, as long as officers don't try pulling some eminent domain crap on our outlet at Starbucks when they need to juice up.[Via Autoblog Green]
Are MMOs Captain Planet approved?
Saving the world is something that most have us as gamers have grown rather accustomed to over the years. Almost since the beginning, game designers have used the risk of global destruction as a tool to more completely involve players in the seriousness of a given game narrative. Whether we're preventing our world from being sucked into a demonic alternate dimension, devoured by a horde of merciless alien predators, or being blown up by a clown-faced madman, the stakes are nearly always high. MMOs certainly never bow from using world destruction as a plot-device; it's usually at the center of the end-game.So what then do we make of a post by Tony Walsh on his Clickable Culture blog earlier this month that questions the extent to which MMOs are contributing to the destruction of the very planet most of us inhabit every day? He cites some statistics that estimate the carbon footprint of your typical computer server, such as the ones that power most MMOs, is as big as a gas-guzzling SUV. When you consider the sheer amount of power it must take to keep the servers for World of Warcraft alone running, you start to get an idea of the magnitude of the discussion. Walsh suggests that the best compromise for those who are green at heart is to simply not play MMOs at all.While I have to grant that I had never considered the environmental impact of MMOs before, I disagree with his point that the best option is to cut ourselves off. If we took that approach to power use, we'd scarcely have justification to turn on the heat, let alone power on our computer. I don't doubt that we'll see a "green" MMO that uses carbon-neutral power in the future, I don't think it's something we should worry too much about in the meantime.
Sony offering $100 off BRAVIAs for your unwanted television
Promotions like this are far from revolutionary, but with piles of wrapping paper and cardboard boxes about to consume any remaining free space in your home, we figured you may as well get $100 back for that ancient TV sitting on the junk pile. Effectively immediately, anyone that drops off an old television for recycling (locations listed here) will receive a $100 coupon towards the purchase of a BRAVIA HDTV. Unfortunately, the coupon is only valid at Sony Style stores, at SonyStyle.com or through Sony's telesales office, and any non-Sony dropped off will lower the coupon's value by "$25 - $50." So yeah, we appreciate the effort here, but the terms and conditions aren't exactly the most desirable.
IBM, others develop GreenCert greenhouse gas meter
It's already developed a "gas gauge" for its servers, and a greener means of recycling silicon, but IBM now looks to be taking its increasing environmental awareness to an even larger scale, with it, Enterprise Information Management, and Evergreen Energy developing a greenhouse gas meter that promises to measure the carbon output of various industries and devices, according to IDG. Dubbed GreenCert, the software employs a whole mess of IBM tools including various WebSphere applications, along with an "engine" designed by the folks at C-Lock in order to take a snapshot of a particular company's carbon footprint. It then does it's thing again after the company's taken measures to reduce its carbon emissions, giving them proof of their reductions which they can use to get carbon emission credits that can be traded on the carbon market. The software won't be available in its final form until sometime in the first half of 2008, however, but those looking to get a jump on things can apparently get a beta version from C-Lock right now.
Greenpeace is out of their mind
Following the initial report from Greenpeace regarding Nintendo's apparent lack of care toward the environment in their business practices, some took the time to actually comb through the report, citing that a lot of the negative marks were due to Greenpeace just handing them out at their discretion. Now, after a few weeks of silence, Greenpeace has come up with some compelling evidence regarding Nintendo's affect on the environment: a parody cartoon.Greenpeace must have some great writers at the company, because the comedy in this cartoon is the kind of stuff that should be extracted and worn as jewelry. It's pure gold, we tell you! But, as hilarious as it is (for all of the wrong reasons, mind you), it's completely ridiculous. From Mario farting out a small brown mushroom (for serious, he does) to the Kratos saying he's the "friggin' God of War," this whole thing will make you cringe. Odd how they only focus on consoles and not handhelds, however. We guess the PSP and DS don't cause any kind of pollution or whatever else they claim is bad to the environment when they're being manufactured.See also: Nintendo (finally) responds to initial report[Thanks to Shaun for the GT link; via Joystiq]
Greenpeace targets game industry
After gaining some traction by calling Nintendo out a couple weeks ago for being a massive environmental offender, eco-terrorist environmentally conscious group Greenpeace is calling for reforms across the game industry. Greenpeace says that console manufacturers are "lagging way behind" mobile phone and PC makers in reducing their "toxic load" in the last year. The group goes on to say that game consoles have many of the same parts as PCs, meaning the manufacturers can do "a lot more."The console manufacturers have yet to respond to the Greenpeace allegations. The campaign gives a list of toxic materials used in manufacturing and introduces issues such as Chinese and Indian workers in production facilities facing risk of exposure to chemicals. Greenpeace has also created a 90-second video aimed at gamers in which iconic characters compete for greener consoles -- when we find an embeddable version we'll place it after the break for those ethically opposed to giving Greenpeace traffic.[Thanks Ron for finding the vid]
Is Greenpeace's report bogus?
Ars Technica seems to be crying foul over Greenpeace's latest findings regarding Nintendo's eco-conscious actions. Turns out, "Penalty points can be deducted" if Greenpeace sees fit. Why would they deduct points? They're taken "from overall scores if Greenpeace finds a company lying, practicing double standards or other corporate misconduct."Ars Technica seems to think that Nintendo's score is based entirely on a mission statement via Nintendo's website and less on an in-depth look at the company's practices. So, it's likely that Nintendo isn't as bad on the environment as they've been made out to be.
Toshiba hops on bandwagon, plants Carbon Zero Scheme
Considering that (practically) every other mega-corp on the planet is doing something related to environmental conservatism, Toshiba is making sure it's not left behind. Consequently, the outfit has crafted the Carbon Zero Scheme, which allows customers (or philanthropists) to donate £1.18 ($2.43) in exchange for Toshiba "offsetting the lifetime carbon footprint of one's laptop." Interestingly, you don't actually have to purchase a new machine in order to participate, so you can still squash the guilt you're currently feeling as you gaze at the LCD of your five-month old, non-offset lappie. For each donation, the company will plant trees in a dedicated area in Cumbria, and you can supposedly rest easy knowing that you've done a small part to look after Mother Earth.[Via RegHardware]
