We are all concerned about the environment these days, and companies around the world are endeavoring to make products more environmentally friendly. So far though, the computer hardware industry has been way behind the curve, and there are fairly few energy efficient and eco friendly computers or computer peripherals on the market.

But Fabrik, a new data storage company, plans to change all that. The company has begun shipping and eco friendly computer hard drive, with low impact packaging made of easily renewable bamboo. Inside its unorthodox looking casing, the new hard drive has a standard 500 GB 7200 rpm drive. The exterior of the unit, however, is anything but standard. The cover is composed entirely from a thin sheet of bamboo, which helps to both protect and cool the hard drive inside.

Although the unit does use some aluminum accents to provide stability, only a minimal amount of the lightweight metal is incorporated into the design. The most striking feature of the exterior is of course the bamboo, which gives the Fabrik drive a distinctive, low-tech appearance, even though it’s internal mechanisms are state-of-the-art.

Bamboo is considered to be a truly renewable resource. Because bamboo is among the fastest growing of all plants, it can be re-grown in a matter of months. Other manufacturers plan to use the light weight plant to construct notebook computers, desktop monitors, and even keyboards. Even though a bamboo outer shell may give a computer peripheral the appearance of something out of “Gilligan’s Island,” it could prove to be the material of choice for a new, more environmentally conscious age.

Besides the eco friendly components used, Fabrik is also attempting to minimize packaging waste. The new drive is shipped using only a small strip of wrapped corrugated cardboard. In addition, most of the standard interior packaging (such as plastic shipping bags and paper manuals) has been completely eliminated. The drive itself sits securely inside a second corrugated cardboard frame, which is of course also made from recycled material.

With manufacturers globally attempting to minimize waste and produced eco-friendly products and packaging, it is only a matter of time until the computer industry catches up. Before long, we may see decidedly low-tech looking computers, laptops and peripherals in the shops. Bamboo could even replace plastic over the next few years as the cover material of choice for environmentally conscious computer manufacturers.

But will consumers accept eco friendly, plant based material used in a state-of-the-art electronics device? That is a question that cannot be answered yet, though all sources suggest that consumers are becoming more and more accepting of alternative designs and materials that minimize environmental impact.

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