Simple Tech Eco-Friendly External Hard Drive
We EcoStilettoistas get all excited about the little indulgences that we can take green, like lead-free lipstick or organic cotton denim, a beeswax votive or synthetic-free teddy bear. But those big-ticket items like electronics? Not so much. Maybe it’s because with the economy in the toilet, we try to forget about the fact that our laptops are getting a bit lazy or our televisions remain firmly analog in a rapidly digitizing world.
But a few weeks back, when our main computer crashed because we’d loaded 74.41 gigabytes of data onto our 74.41GB hard drive, the world of green electronics became infinitely more exciting.
And, sure enough, we quickly found that this brave new world is also going green. Case in point is the [re]drive from SimpleTech, an external hard drive that bills itself as “the world’s most eco-friendly.” How is it friendly? Well, first off it’s compatible with Macs and PCs and holds up to 500GB of data, which nicely solves our little information hoarding problem.
Now for the eco part: The case is made from bamboo locally grown at the SimpleTech manufacturing facility in San Mateo, CA so as to minimize transportation. It’s then processed with a chem-free, steam-press system that leaves seals it without varnish. The use of interchangeable parts, including a mirrored top and bottom, mirrored side panels and two identical fasteners, minimizes the energy and resources put into production. The aluminum in the case is 70% recycled and totally recyclable. And the box it comes in is made with post-consumer waste materials and features an instruction manual that’s printed on it, making inserts obsolete.
The power adapter is Energy Star Level 4, which counts for a 30% power savings over non-accredited adaptors, and the unit is fanless, to cut down on power—as well as noise. Simple Tech estimates the total power savings could equal up to 90 percent when compared to traditional external drives—or the equivalent of reducing approximately 475 lbs of carbon dioxide emissions over the life of the drive, at which point the drive is easily disassembled for recycling. Sweet!
