[IAEP] Which is better for the environment recycling computers or LTSP?

[Caroline Meeks]

Answer - Our vision of Sugar on a Stick!  :)

First off, I think on this list we probably agree that whats most important
for our planets health is educated kids that grow into adults that can
develop and implement and make good polical decisions around future
environmentally friendly technology and find peaceful solutions to the
worlds problems because war does incredible environmental damage.  On this
list, our means to achieve this goal is ubiquous access to Sugar, not just
for an hour in the computer lab, but access that allows hours of time to
explore individual interests and to create artifacts you can be proud of.

But we can still think about environmental efficiency.  I think Sugar on a
Stick, especially the way we are going technically where you can use either
LTSP or a stand alone computer with the same stick is a very green solution.

LTSP saves electricity.
Extending the life of old computers keeps them out of landfills and saves
the power and resources used to make a new computer.

At the Gardner School the computer lab is used pretty much all day and all
afternoon. Call it conservatively 8 hours a day, the school is actually open
7am to 5pm at least.  There is 180 school days plus 30 days of 8am-5pm.  So
lets say 210 days x 8 hours = 1680 hours/year.

If a kid has a computer at home they will use it less then 8hours a day
because they are mostly out of the house. Does anyone have any data on how
many hours per day kids use their XOs outside of school? I'm going to make a
guess at an average of 10 hours per week x 52 weeks per year.  So that is
520 hours/year.

Thus energy effieciecy is 3 times more important in the school computers
then for the computers the kids use at home.  If a school is in a warm
climate and is air conditioned it becomes even more important.

Thus as a school gets money for new computers, first it should goto LTSP for
high usage computer labs and move older computers in kids homes and low
usage areas.

-- 
Caroline Meeks
Solution Grove
Caroline at SolutionGrove.com

617-500-3488 - Office
505-213-3268 - Fax
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