With the growing concern for environmentally friendly solutions for just about everything we use every day, I thought it would be worthwhile to consider how to be more earth friendly when planning your touch screen computer kiosk exhibits.
Is it really possible to reduce the carbon footprint of your “new” kiosk? Well, I believe so, and here are some things to consider.
Re-use: Probably the best thing you can do for the environment is to re-use something instead of replacing it with new. That goes for cars, household items, and office supplies, so why not computer-based exhibits? Used computers are readily available. Corporations and individuals are constantly upgrading their systems and would love to spare the landfill from the added waste. Although there will be some work involved in preparing the computer for use, once set up properly you should get good use out of a used system. Most of our point2explore software products will run well on older, used computer systems. As far as the kiosk housing goes (the case, or furniture part), there are also a couple of things to consider. You may be able to find a used kiosk from museums, corporations, or on-line sources. If you are not trying to match other exhibit elements or if the design doesn’t concern you, this may be a good solution. You can also forego the furniture element and use a panel PC which can be mounted on the wall or placed on a table or shelf, saving the building materials all together.
Save energy: Although I don’t recommend that you set up the computers in your exhibit so that they are in “power save” mode, there are a couple of things you can do to save electricity. First, make sure that you plug in only the hardware components that you are actually using (i.e. do not connect speakers if your program does not use sound). Second, turn the system off completely when not in use (at night, etc.). Third, if you are using an LCD screen, set the screen brightness only as bright as you really need for your venue.
Why don’t we recommend “power save” mode? In order for your educational touch screen kiosk to actually educate your audience, it needs to be readily accessible. Power Save mode on your computer will turn off hardware components to save energy. This sounds great until your visitors try to use the system and it doesn’t react quickly because it has to “turn on” before it can respond. This delay can cause frustration.
Educate: This one can certainly do the most for our planet. Why not develop a program to educate your visitors on how to live a “greener” life? Think about how much of a difference your visitors could make if they were made aware of how easy it is to live “greener.” The electricity used in your kiosk would be well “invested” into promoting greener lives on our beautiful planet. Many of our point2explore touch screen games can easily be customized to educate your visitors about green living.
If you have any questions or comments on green kiosks, please take a moment to post a comment here by clicking the “Comments” link below. We’d love to hear from you!!
Chris Meyer
President
CD Meyer, Inc./point2explore
point2explore is product line of customizable touch screen kiosk programs including interactive games and informational programs. point2explore products are currently running in over 70 museums and have been used in corporate events across the country. Visit our web site at www.point2explore.com.
