Steven Jobs –– An Environmentalist And A Computer Genius

Steven Jobs and iPhone: a genius and an environmentalist.

Steven Paul Jobs finally met up against a challenge at age 56 that he simply could not overcome – pancreatic cancer. Now that he is being consigned to the annuls of history, and we at Green Prophet are writers of clean technology and environmental issues, it’s a good time to pause and think about what this one individual has done to further both of these subjects, clean technology and making the world’s environment better.

Considered to be the “creator of the first practical personal computer,” his real contributions to both clean technology and the environment came much later with the creation of devices like the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. These devices alone, besides being extremely “user-friendly” and easy to carry around, have already resulted in the need for fewer personal computers, “lap tops” and other devices that require the use of more plastics, solvents and other chemicals, and metals that eventually find their way back into the earth when disposed of.

But perhaps Jobs’ greatest environmental contribution is to greatly reduce the need for paper in books, magazines and newspapers. His iPads, like their competitors such as the Kindle, enable people to have virtual libraries – “flip page” e-books in the memory storage of a device only 8 to 10 inches in length ( 20 – 25 cm) and 6-8 inches ( 15 – 20 cm) in width.

This may have caused reverberations within newspapers and book publishers, but in the end will result in saving perhaps millions of trees that go into making newsprint and book pages.

Like many other people who have made fortunes in the world of high technology, including former Microsoft head Bill Gates, Jobs has undoubtedly given large sums of money to causes that further our environment. But his devices that enable the use of virtual technology “in the palm of your hand” may go a lot further than many other efforts towards saving our forests.

Steven Jobs inspired many people during his relatively short lifetime of 56 years – the last 10 of which were involved in fighting the health issues that eventually felled him. His words of inspiration are still being shared by millions of people all over the globe.

One such bit of his wisdom came from an address he made at a graduation ceremony at Stanford University in 2005, when he was in the midst of his long and painful battle against a rare form of pancreatic cancer:

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma-which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

I think those words say it all. By the way, if you’re looking for links to other articles dealing with this great human being, you won’t find many – they’re not really needed.

Photo: Google Images

More and computers and their assistance in our personal environment:

Steve Jobs Tribute: A Legacy Environmentalists Can Learn From

Israel Researchers Create World’s First Brain to Computer Interaction

Turn Your iPad into an Interactive Cycling Sign With Sprocket App