Green Options » macbook

Driving Unsustainability: How GM planned for obsolescence

John Ivanko — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:27:01 +0000

I’m coming to the conclusion that there’s very little that’s sustainable about the company known as GM.

It’s frustrating and sad, because I was raised in the auto city and had family members who worked in the industry. I even spent a summer at the GM Tech Center (working for then EDS as an intern at the time). I’m perplexed by the company’s name which most of us recognize only as a vehicle company. But it wasn’t always this way.

There was a time when GM was diversified, and innovative. I was amazed by the poor decision making at GM when it recalled and promptly crushed their all-electric EV1s after bringing them to market in 1996. I drove an EV1 in California; it rocked! The company used to also make refrigerators starting in the 1920s under the Frigidaire brand and airplane components during WWII (my grandfather was an engineer who worked on a few).

So when, exactly, did the General Motors Corporation stop becoming a “generalist” industrial powerhouse making motors and instead, devote all its energies to making only motors in transportation vehicles and to lesser extent, but profitable one, vehicles for the military — you know, Humvees and the like?

New Macbook Pro Falls Short of Steve Jobs’ Green Promise

Alex Felsinger — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:22:52 +0000

In October, Steve Jobs issued this statement in response to Greenpeace’s call to stop using toxic PVC plastic and brominated flame retardants:

Last year we announced the unprecedented goal of eliminating polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) from Apple products by the end of 2008. I’m proud to report that all of Apple’s new product designs are on track to meet our 2008 year-end goal.

As it turns out, Macworld came around and this promise has been broken. And Greenpeace is pissed.

Apple Demonstrates Energy-Efficient MacBook Battery at MacWorld

Ariel Schwartz — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 04:44:17 +0000

Steve Jobs’ absence hasn’t prevented exciting things from happening at this week’s MacWorld Expo in San Francisco. This morning, Apple unveiled the new 17 inch MacBook Pro, complete with a new energy efficient lithium-polymer battery.

Zaproot: Apple Macbook Goes Green?

Ariel Schwartz — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 01:21:41 +0000

This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post.

This week at Zaproot: Apple greens it up with the new innovative MacBook. Glamour plus camping equals Glamping. Check out the weird in Totally Useless Crap.

Apple MacBook Goes Green for Greenpeace

Jerry James Stone — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:36:10 +0000

Apple finally listens to Greenpeace. The iPhone maker is rumored to release their next-gen MacBook with eco-friendly aluminum.

AppleInsider claims that the next version of Apple’s MacBook is ready to start production stateside, and that the iPhone maker has upgraded the laptop eco wise. The notebook’s plastic parts have been replaced by more eco-friendly aluminum. This news comes on the heels of announcing a greener iPod Nano last month - which also comes in green! This is a nice step forward considering the bad marks Apple has gotten in the past by Greenpeace.

Image source: Brianfit from Flickr