Luna's Blog

May 31, 2008

This is the seventh in a series of articles on Green Astrology, originally published in NCGR Enews, May 31, 2008.

It’s Mercury Retrograde time again!

As Mercury dances backwards through the sign of Gemini, I find myself staring at piles of computer cords, memory sticks and software disks on my desk. My old laptop computer gave up the ghost six weeks ago. I’ve been reinstalling software and copying my backup files onto my new machine since it arrived.

The rapid pace of technological change can be daunting; every week it seems like there’s something new to learn. But technology understood and used well can make our lives so much easier, and greener!

Reduce Paper, Save Trees

Taking advantage of new technologies is also a great way to reduce paperwork and other clutter. Many banks, utilities and other businesses offer paperless solutions; contact companies individually to find out your options.

Recycle Ewaste

Finding ways to recycle old electronic equipment can be fun! My three-year-old daughter loves playing with her parents’ hand-me-down gadgets – she has a briefcase full of old cell phones and PDAs (she’s got Mercury in her first house). She’s also happily made mobiles out of old CDs, and sculptures out of cassette tapes.

If the equipment is still in usable condition, local charities like Goodwill accept donations of used computer equipment, which may be refurbished and resold.

For unusable items, in order to keep equipment out of local landfills, many cities have a municipal e-waste recycling program. Computer manufacturers such as Dell also have recycling programs, and many large retailers are beginning to accept things like used cell phones.  If you can’t find a local ewaste recycler, GreenDisk is a company in Washington state that accepts a range of recyclables.

Rejuvenate Communications

New media technologies are a wonderful asset for astrologers when communicating with friends and clients. Inspired by the technology workshop at the recent UAC conference, I began investigating what’s available.

I set up my own page on the social networking site MySpace, and moved this blog to WordPress.  Voice-over-IP providers like Skype allow you to chat with or call others with the service for free.

Have fun exploring!