Encourage standardisation, reduce waste, and save the world

Standardisation is a wonderful thing. Without standards, we wouldn't have telephones, tyres that fit our cars, electrical appliances that you can plug into the wall, batteries to fit anything, or in fact almost anything that you see in the modern world. The Internet was in fact so successful ONLY because it was based on standards that any computer, on any platform could access, and so it cut through all those Mac/PC/Desktop/Server and other device compatibility issues that used to exist, and therefore made electronic information much freer and accessible to anyone, on any device.

But although standardisation is all around us, there is still SO MUCH that could be standardised, and wherever you standardise, you generally reduce inefficiency, waste and cost. And if you can do that, you can help reduce the environmental mess that we have all contributed to, that has spoilt almost every corner of our precious world.

Let me give you a simple example of how standardisation could save consumers money, save businesses money, AND be good for the planet - all at the SAME TIME.

- Think about it - Every laptop, cellphone, camera, music player or portable device currently comes with it's own plug in charger when you purchase it. I just counted, and I personally have around 20 of these little black transformers lying around my house unused at present from old laptops, digital cameras, or devices that I can't find or can't remember what they are for.

- Imagine what a revolution it would be if ALL the electronics companies worldwide actually decided JUST to standardise on a power adapter, so that every time you wanted to charge something, you could easily borrow ANY charger - at your friends house for example. It's an environmental crime that there isn't a universal charger with a standard voltage for mobile phones, a universal charger for laptops that would work on any laptop, and so on. 

- The companies who make all the devices would all benefit, because they wouldn't need to produce all those millions of chargers every time they produce a new product - saving them money. Chargers could then be sold separately (a new revenue stream), so you'd just buy 2 chargers - for example - one for work, one for home, for your laptop. When you got a new laptop, you'd simply keep your existing chargers for home, car and work, and hopefully you'd get a discount on the new laptop too because it wouldn't have come with a charger.

- The planet would benefit, because far far fewer plastics and raw materials would be used in manufacturing things that are just thrown away, so resources would be conserved for other things, and less pollution and waste would reach landfills, meaning fewer heavy metals and poisons leeching into our water supplies.

- Other benefits would pop up as a result of the standardisation. For example - charging leads or ports could be provided at places like bus terminals and airports, and in every new car, so that you'd be able to recharge any device you had with you easily if it went flat by accident. Wouldn't it be nice to have a port on the bus that would re-charge your iPod and phone?

This is just one example I can think of where standardisation would produce a benefit for everyone, and the planet too. How about other ideas such as making standard components for every day items, so that not everything needs to be thrown out to be upgraded? I must have 10 old, unused cellphones lying around from years of being in business - imagine if I could re-use the cases of the phones, and just buy a new 'brain' for the phone much more cheaply in order to upgrade. Again - it would be cheaper for consumers, and produce vastly less waste. What about making standardised computer cases with easy to upgrade parts, so that anyone can upgrade to a new PC more cost-effectively without having to take the whole metal case to the dump?

Most people have no idea how much energy is required to actually manufacture the things we use. To make a plasma TV, literally hundreds of tons of rock are dug up to mine the raw materials. Humanity needs to start being smarter, by re-using things as much as possible so that things can be upgraded rather than continually manufactured and thrown out a few months later. Re-using things and standardisation will not only be good for our pockets and the environment, but I believe will become a vital part of combatting Global Warming in the years to come.