Proper GreenPunk Tools
Author: Cesar Torres
Let’s review, in case you are new to the GreenPunk site:
GreenPunk: a technophilic specific movement centered on characters using and being affected by the use of DIY renewable resources, recycling and repurposing. GreenPunk would emphasize the ability of the individual – and his or her responsibility – for positive ecological and social change.
First, let me tell you a short story. Last fall, bought a new DVD player that at my budget, felt like state of the art. A shiny black Toshiba that was going to max out the images and sounds onto my television for a long, long time.
The DVD player died last month; it didn’t even last longer than 9 months. It cost originally about 100 dollars. Getting an estimate and fixing it would actually cost probably double of what I paid. Unlike appliances from our parents’ generation, these new devices are essentially disposable. Now I have to find out who I or where I can donate my shiny black DVD player.
I bought a new player today. I tried to find the cheapest DVD player possible at Target. 40 bucks, this time a metallic grey, and it does all the stuff the old one did. Now, when it dies and my heart turns even more brittle than before, my pocketbook won’t feel so bad. But what about the materials and the parts of these devices? Are they useless? Why do we think it’s just okay to throw stuff out so easily?
Ah, the agonies of the developed world.
The point of my story is not to tout my techno-fetishes. It is this: As writers, GreenPunk writers, what are our responsibilities to make sure that the tools of our trade are also reusable and renewable? Should we work only online, avoiding printouts on paper and ink consumption? Should we seek used computers to type out our essays and short stories for this Web site? Should we promote writing software, tools and computers that comply with green and sustainable practices? I’d love to start a discussion in the comments below on these topics. Writing is no longer a process that comes from notebooks and typewriters and reams of bond paper. Well, that’s being too hyperbolic. Many of us, I included, still write on paper. But should we be thinking harder about not using paper? Should we use our technologies to not only write interesting words and stories, but to also push further the ideas of GreenPunk?
You. Tell. Me.
Cesar Torres is a Chicago writer. His blog “Urraca” chronicles his process and efforts in publishing. He writes fantasy, science fiction and other speculative fiction; He also blogs about bugs, birds and music.
Posted in
Personally, I have for a long time already avoided using paper and ink. This started for reasons of necessary personal frugality, but I have become completely used to doing all my work on the screen. My magazine, M-BRANE SF, generates no paper or ink wastage at all (save for print copies ordered by readers, but that’s not wasteful), because I do all my slush-reading on screen and even our publication agreements are electronic documents. There is no physical “filing cabinet” in my workspace. It is an adaptation that is not immediately easy if you are used to editing print-outs. But it gets more natural after a while and I love not screwing around with ink and paper jams and all the clutter on my desk that results from print-outs. It does happen once in a while that I want a print-out so that I can see a lot of pages at once more easily–I did this with my novel work-in-progress a while back because I had a lot of segments out of order and thought being able to spread it over the floor would help. It didn’t really help that much…and the printer ran out of ink.
I rarely print any of my work anymore. With longer works (novellas, novels) I do because it’s easier for me mentally to have the pages physically spread out, making margin notes, etc. Other than that, I never print. Markets that still require a physical submission are annoying.
That said, writing green makes sense on a practical level for writers with laptops — we almost go on this Quixotic quest to save every ounce of precious battery life. That means no CDs/DVDs (physically spinning up a disk requires juice), adjusting screen brightness, etc.
Also, I occasionally do outlining/note taking on my iPhone. Shutting off wifi/bluetooth when you don’t need it can save battery life.