When you were growing up, your entire family probably had less technology in the house than you currently own as an individual. I could sit here and detail the carbon footprint of a family from the 1950s or 60s versus a family of this century, but ultimately the conclusion would be: With technological advancement comes adoption, and we are total tech whores.

But now we know that our precious devices, the ones we can’t live without, suck up energy, and we have to make an effort to live green. So how do we reconcile the two?

First off, do you really need to upgrade your phone or computer every year, or every two years for that matter? I know it’s hard to not let consumerism take over when those shiny objects, covered in buttons that need to be pushed, are presented to us. But it’s important to recognize our techlust and put on the brakes.

However, if you’ve had the same laptop since high school, I can understand that a new system may be in order.  It can be depressing to think that your PC has the same power level as the latest domestic appliance, and the only thing that sucks more than your PC is a vacuum cleaner, literally.

So recycle that bad boy at a local facility—you can or find one online—or donate it to a worthy charity. Several manufacturers, such as Dell and Apple, have their own recycling programs.

Once that junker PC is in good hands, it’s time to invest in a clean machine. You could go for some Gilligan’s Island contraption made of coconuts and powered by the sun, but chances are you’ll wander down to Best Buy or Apple or surf the internet to find your new computer. Before making any purchase, take a look at your hardware and see if there is a Solid State Drive (SSD) inside.

SSDs are flash-based replacements to traditional hard drives, and they are available in the Apple MacBook Air, in any Dell, in several Lenovos, as well as other manufacturers. More importantly, SSDs are environmentally friendly because they only consume a third of the power that a hard drive consumes (0.5 W versus 1.5 W). Sure, it seems like a small difference, but over time the combined annual savings is around $175.

SSDs also lack moving parts. This means there are no weird hamster noises whenever you access your files, no heat pulsating on your lap, and faster performance.

Don’t be shy of SSDs! Their flash-based cousins are already in your digital camera and phone. Take them a step further with your PC so that you can sport the greenest tech on the block.

(image by velorowdy via flickr)

Maura is a cynic, much to Madge’s dismay, but is still doing her best to promote the sunny way of life. She spends her days strapped to a desk promoting other things, and enjoys cooking, technology, romping through museums, and various grain juices fermented to perfection. She lives in the East Village with her boyfriend and cat.