An Affordable Green Computer

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A new company is touting itself as the "first environmentally responsible computer without the hassle and high price."

Zonbu, which claims to have received the highest certification possible from the Green Electronics Council's EPEAT tool, according to a recent article in The New York Times, "consumes just one-tenth the power of a typical desktop machine," uses a fraction of the chemicals and fossil fuels consumed by conventional desktop PCs, and offers a free take-back service when you're ready to upgrade.

Zonbu's entry-level PCs are $249, and come loaded with a Linux-based operating system, plus open-source software like Mozilla Firefox and OpenOffice, along with online backup and automatic update features. An additional monthly subscription fee (plans start at $12.95 a month) includes added online storage beyond the free 2 GB, and includes a $150 hardware rebate. Although you need a fast Internet connection to fully utilize these plans, they make Zonbu quite affordable, considering the computer's low wattage and free security updates.

While Zonbu is marketed more toward personal rather than organizational use, its attractive price, total cost of ownership, and use of open-source software — which itself has become increasingly stable and prevalent — may eventually make it an attractive option for nonprofits and corporations, too. While this low-cost approach has tried and failed in the past, Zonbu's many merits may make traditional PC manufacturers think twice about their product offerings.

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