I was surprised to read on TechSoup about the environmental impact that PCs have :

According to the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, manufacturing one desktop computer and monitor requires 530 pounds of fossil fuels, 48 pounds of chemicals, and 1.5 tons of water…  A report from United Nations University indicates that building a computer takes five times more energy than that computer will use throughout the rest of its life; therefore, extending the life of your PC by two years can make a huge difference in your organization’s overall environmental footprint.

Even if you’re not particularly concerned about the hole in the sky, I’m sure you will appreciate low-cost ways to get a little more life from your computers. 

Here’s a list of things you can do before you give up on it completely:

• Software Fixes – Maintenance tools, Virus prevention, Open source
• Role Change – Test machine, Spare parts, Thin client
• Hardware Upgrades – More RAM, New hard drive, SSDs?
• New OS – Less demanding open-source OS
• Refurbishing / Recycling / Donating

TechSoup’s excellent writeup has all the details, with ample links to online resources that can help you today!

Save the PC…  Save the world…