Computers Go Green

Cutting a company’s budget can be difficult, especially when it comes down to slashing the electric bill. But powering a business’s computers may have just gotten a little cheaper.

Greeneye Technology, LLC, a manufacturer of green display technology based in Eagan, thinks it can help knock some money off of sky-high energy bills. The year-old firm makes all-in-one PCs and PCTVs, which combine a computer monitor and processor into one unit. Greeneye’s machines are more energy efficient than standard computers, and fit into many companies’ “green” initiatives. Greeneye CEO Alan Yousha says there’s a “tremendous response in the community . . . for green-based products.”

The PCs that Greeneye manufactures are comparable to any other computer on the market, and include the latest technology, Yousha says, noting that each PC comes ready for wireless Internet, and has CD-ROM and read-write DVD drives, eight USB ports, multi-card readers, and Intel Core 2 Duo processors. In the coming months, Greeneye will release units with Intel quad-core technology, working to keep up with the latest developments in the fast-changing PC market. Prices vary based on performance and size; the entry-level computers start at about $1,195.

Cutting Waste

Yousha says his company’s all-in-one units and digital signs are built from beginning to end with the environment in mind. He first became aware of the technology through private investors who brought it to his attention. After purchasing the technology from the inventor, an engineer in China who still does research for the company, Greeneye developed a brand for the green screens. The machines contain fewer materials than typical PCs, and that feature is one of the most significant reasons his products are green, Yousha says.

“Fewer parts to manufacture means a number of things,” he says. “First of all, that means fewer parts to recycle, [and] fewer parts necessary in terms of sourcing material. And sourcing material takes trucking and mining and fuel.” Yousha adds that the materials they do use are simple ones, such as aluminum, steel, and what he calls simple plastics, which can be reused in new products or recycled. This use of simpler materials equates to easier recycling at the end of a computer’s life, he says.

“The materials that are chosen as part of the process are specifically chosen for…the ease of recycling and for the ease of reuse,” says Yousha, explaining that this aspect of his products adds to their green appeal. He adds that energy efficiency is also important for the machines, and could be a savior for a business trying to make cuts in an operating budget.