No, I’m not
some old hippie or off-the grid survivalist. I’m a big city guy who really
likes modern technology, especially computers. But when does the heavy
application of technology become overkill? The more I started poking around,
the more I found others thinking along the same lines. It’s too early to
pronounce this a trend, but there are budding signs.
The
existence and popularity of Low-tech Magazine is one. It’s great place to
start, filled with fun, thoughtful
articles on wind-up laptops, wooden bridges, floating trash islands, etc. Even more radical is its sister pub, No Tech Magazine.
Room phones and voicemail systems are fading away
now that the vast majority of students depend on their cellphones. … Many
colleges are rebuilding computers instead of buying new ones, limiting the
purchase and use of campus vehicles.
Cornell College, in Mount
Vernon, Iowa,
estimates that it saved $40,000 by not replacing old voicemail equipment. … The
University of Washington communications
department faculty did away with landlines, saving $1,100 a month.
At Susquehanna University in
Selinsgrove, Pa., the contest resulted in almost $3,000 saved as students
competed in turning off lights and unplugging chargers and printers. Students
in participating dorms got 25 percent of the savings, $730, for pizza parties
and other programs.
Dickinson College held a “virtual swim meet” with
Bryn Mawr College, in Pennsylvania, about 112 miles away. Each team swam in its
home pool, then compared times to determine the winners. Estimated savings on
bus travel: $900.
Savings are modest, to be sure. Nonetheless, they’re savings. I’d take
them, my company would take them, and I bet yours would too. In these times
every bit helps.
