Ask HN: Techies: What do you do to limit environmental impact of your work?
What do you and your colleagues do to limit the environmental impact induced by your products? For example, do you take into consideration how said product will be recycled in the future? Do you focus solely on product costs, or do you try to use more expensive, but sustainably sourced materials? In electronics, a number of relatively rare elements are required -- do you try to, or do you know of research that is, seek(ing) out renewable substitutes? Are you unaware of the impact you or your products have on the environment?
If you happen to not take the environment into consideration during your product lifecycle, do you think the next Zuck or Musk is going to be able to back-pedal and reverse climate change?
I'd like to gauge where other techies land on this subject. We're in such an influential position in that we can literally place ourselves in peoples' pockets, and truly are creeping into every corner of the general populations' lives. Our craft is extremely topical, and unfortunately, "magical" to many and we therefore have a responsibility to look out for the greater good. What are we doing to conserve our planet, and its resources?