52 Weeks to Make the World a Better Place: Week 34 - Don't treat technology as fashion

There's a tendency today to treat technology as disposable: we change mobile 'phones like clothing; we buy new kitchen equipment every time we redecorate; and we upgrade the PC by simply buying new. Yet it takes huge amounts of resource to produce this kind of technology. And loads more to dispose of our discarded items properly - that or environmental stress from not bothering. Consider technological purchases carefully: will you ever really use all those new features on the next-generation mobile 'phones? Choose kitchen equipment that'll fit well with a variety of styles and colour schemes. And think about upgrading the PC piecemeal, only replacing the parts that are truly letting the side down. Having more disposable income isn't a licence to squander resource: remember there's more than just financial cost.