Yesterday was Blog Action Day 09. As usual I missed the deadline, so I’m only publishing this article today. The topic this year is Climate Change, and while it’s a bit different from what we normally cover at myMacBUZZ, I promise that there is a connection.

In May 2007, Steve Jobs publicly announced a change in Apple’s environmental policy, a move that would make the company ‘A Greener Apple‘. At that time he unveiled plans to reduce toxins in their manufacturing processes, and later in 2008 committed to minimising their carbon footprint.

Today, Apple produces some of the greenest, most eco-friendly electronics in the market. They’ve have begun to report greenhouse gas emissions on the complete life-cycle of their products, instead of just during the manufacturing process. And you can really see how far Apple has come in their green initiative.

The picture above compares the packaging size of my iBook (2004), MacBook (2007) and unibody MacBook (2008). The reduction in packaging is very obvious, meaning that Apple reduces their carbon footprint in packaging and shipping.

Apple has also designed their products to be extremely energy efficient. The chart above compares the carbon dioxide emissions of their latest products against older models and an everyday lightbulb. This reduction is huge for preventing climate change. Clearly Apple is working hard to become greener.

Many of us don’t consider the environmental impact of our products when we purchase them. It’s not really our problem. But unfortunately, humanity’s impact on the environment and climate change is very real, and our kids will be the ones who suffer the impact the most. Already we can feel the increasing heat every day. The proof is in the receding glaciers.

Source: NASA – View a larger version

I for one am glad to know that every time I invest in a new Apple product, care has been taken not only in the design, features and manufacturing of the product, but also in the decisions about its environmental impact. There’s really no better feeling to be typing on my awesome, came-from-the-future MacBook, and knowing that I’m helping to support a company that cares as much about the environment as I do.

If you want to learn more about how Apple reduces its environmental impact and yet create awesome products at the same time, check out this video of their MacBook manufacturing process. The environment impact part starts about 5:25 into the video.

Also be sure to check out Apple’s new Environment website.