Electronic waste is a big environmental issue, and we’ve covered numerous ways that both electronics companies and consumers can reduce the amount of e-waste headed for landfills. While most recent efforts focus on reuse and/or recycling (which are both important), Israeli site FixYa harnesses "crowd power" (ie, social media) to help people fix their electronics rather than disposing of them. The main motivation behind FixYa was the increasing lack of technical support provided for consumer electronics, but Yaniv Ben Saadon told us that there’s a green element to the site’s mission:

By allowing more and more consumers to successfully operate and mend their products, FixYa decreases the number of products that are discarded and eventually pollute our environment. Although globalization and competition drive the average consumption of consumer products to increase over time, the usability of these products decreases as they become more technologically advanced and challenging to operate. Moreover, since manufacturers are under growing pressure to release their products to their markets, often these products are mass produced before they are properly designed. The result is that the products we buy are cheaper than they were before, yet more challenging to operate.

From gaming systems to washing machines, FixYa’s user have already provided a wide range of "fix-it" advice. Ben Saadon shared with us some of the most popular problems, and the highest-ranked solutions, addressed on the site.

1. A Clacking Xbox with Three Flashing Red Lights

User Carl26 walks a panicked gamer through the process of fixing this problem with the GPU memory.

2. Another Flashing Light… on a Kenmore Dish Washer

Expert qqwweer shows how to reset the light.

3. Ipod Keeps Displaying "Do Not Disconnect"

User Yung offers four different approaches to this problem.

4. Sansa MP3 Player Won’t Turn On

User chrism provides a really simple solution to this really aggravating problem.

5. DVD Player’s P-SCAN Split-Screen Keeps Coming On

User spyder99 shows that sometimes a solution is as easy as flipping a switch… if you know where that switch is located.

These are just a few examples of how FixYa’s brand of social media provides solutions for users’ pocketbooks and the envionment. Ben Saadon notes

Through the collaboration of a community of consumers, FixYa encourages its users to learn from the experience of others on how to properly use and fix their products. The result is that more and more consumers are able to successfully operate their existing products rather than replace them with newer ones, and thus help to reduce the number of products that ended up polluting our environment.

And, if throwing your problem out to the community isn’t your style, FixYa also features a massive collection of manuals and troubleshooting guides.

My Xbox 360 is a little hungry when plugged in. According to tests, it consumes roughly 160 watts of power at any given time. This pales in comparison to the Sony Playstation 3 (which racks up 380 watts) but it's still a hog compared to previous consoles. Thankfully, beyond the occassional DVD and some epic battles of Gears of War the power hasn't been on that often. Still, it could be a greener experience.

That might all soon change. Sure Halo 3 is right around the corner, but even more intriguing is a new global warming-themed contest sponsored by Microsoft and Games For Change that seeks to encourage people to create a game based on climate change. The worldwide competition will inspire gamers to come up with a concept that not only entertains, but also inspires. From the release,

"The current generation of gamers is among the most socially conscious in history," said Suzanne Seggerman, co-founder and president of Games for Change. "We know from experience that young people are looking for ways to help make the world a better place, and who better to support this effort than an industry leader like Microsoft?"

Once the winner had been selected, the game will be available for download over Microsoft's very popular Xbox Live service. So, the question is: what type of game would you develop? Would you have Al Gore donning a cape (with open collar sport coat attire, of course) while fighting carbon polluters and gaining powerups by eating organic apples and pears? Would the final boss fight involve political leaders or a massive triple smoke-stack coal plant? Would you be given Oscars for completing a certain level in a timely fashion? The ideas are endless — and you can bet I'll be here to give a full review once the winner is selected.

For more details on the contest, click here.

Thanks to Hippyshopper for showing me the light…