If you’re like most geeks I know you think acquiring new gadgets will help you get laid. You may or may not be right.

To you, the gadget sitting by your bedside equates to a deer head mounted on your wall. It’s your trophy -- a symbol of your financial prowess (or your credit card company’s perception of it).  

So, how green is this new toy of yours? The answer is as complicated as, well… women.

If you use an e-reader like a Kindle to replace all of your newspaper and book purchases, you could be saving about one tree per year. You would have to e-read roughly two newspapers per day and 20 books per year to save an entire tree, though. Granted, you wouldn’t be contributing to the paper industry’s carbon dioxide emissions or solid waste production if you ditched the paper versions of your purchases.

Before you get too excited about all of the green points you're scoring, you have to consider the energy source providing the electricity for your beloved gadget. If your electricity is powered by coal or another dirty source, you’re still contributing to the problem. The question is: how much are you contributing versus saving? This isn’t an easy calculation, and the answer is not readily apparent.

Here’s something unexpected to consider, though. If you get your news online, a Kindle could be a greener choice. Using an e-reader for 30 minutes uses about as much energy as using your computer for 10. It may or may not be greener than print, but it definitely uses less energy than your home computer.  

If you do go the e-reader route, there are things you can do to lessen the environmental impact of your purchase. Don’t replace it with the newest model and color just because you can. And for the love of god, don’t throw your old one out when you’re done with it. Amazon has a recycling program for old Kindles as well as Kindle batteries.

If you want more info on the subject, check out this link.