How To Save The Environment As A Gamer

So, Earth Day has arrived and I decided to put together a few tips just for gamers on how to reduce your carbon footprint while sitting in your computer chair.

Save Your Energy

 Make sure your Laptop has Energy Saver. This will cut down on the use of electricity. If you also got solar panels on your roof, you're so set.

The Battery Usage

If you use a wireless mouse, buy rechargeable batteries. Buying massive amounts of batteries then throwing them out won't make Mother Nature happy. But if you already have regular batteries that you need to get rid of, you could take them to a recycling center.

Turn Off What You Don't Need

When playing, make sure you don't forget to turn out lights or TVs in other rooms that you are not using.

Recycle Your Computer

If your computer is still working, but just not as good. Consider giving it to someone who can use it like a younger sibling or relative. But if you really need to scrap it, you should recycle your computer at a store like Staples. They'll even pay you for it.

Throwing your computer out with the garbage is not really safe since people can steal your personal information off the computer if it's not wiped properly. You can even break down it into parts and let other people have it, so they can create new computers as long as the parts are still good.

Remember you can also recycle your printer ink!

Unplug What You Don't Need

If you leave your computer plugged in all day while not being used, it STILL drains electricity. They call it the vampire effect. No I'm not kidding. If unplugging everything is too much for you (it is for me), buy the Belkin Conserve Energy Saving Outlets or heck, any UL-certified strip plugs. They will shut off the power or stop the drain for you.

Don't Throw Out Your Bottles

A lot of us sit at our desks, eat our lunch and drink from a plastic or paper bottle/cup that's filled with delicious tasting liquids. Then you throw it all out in the garbage bin. NOOOOOO! Walk 10 feet and dump the bottle in the recycle box... PLEASE? It's good exercise for you.

A Better Light

Since you're sitting in your computer chair with a lamp on, make sure the light bulb is an energy saver bulb. Yep, I'm serious.

Convert Snail Mail Into Emails

Make sure all of your bills are being sent to your Email, not to your house mailbox. Less paper, less waste! I mean, really, those poor trees...

Be Proactive

Be active in joining online clubs or groups that support in clean energy, reducing your carbon footprint, recycling, etc. There are many petitions online as well that you could sign that gives feedback to companies  to encourage them to also reduce their carbon footprint. You can also email, tweet, facebook the companies directly asking them to reduce pollution and to invest in clean energy. Do it nicely! Being polite goes a long way.

Not only that, you can send your own congressman, representative and even the President of the United States an email or an tweet saying you support clean energy or anything else you want to say in support of a healthy Earth.

Do not forget that there are many endangered animals on this planet that needs your support as well. The Western Black Rhino just became extinct a few weeks ago for instance. If you want them to stick around, you need to stand up for them. It's your planet after all.

Hope the few tips I provided helped you to make sure that you're doing your best to reduce your carbon footprint as a gamer. If you know of more tips, let us know in the comments below.