How Open Source Software Helps the Environment

If occured to me this afternoon that open source software is better for the environment than closed source software. I did some googling and couldn't find any articles about this concept, so I decided to write my own.

Unfortunately, because it's finals week, this will be brief. So, here are the top three reasons that open source software helps the environment.

1. Open source software saves packaging. That's less plastic and less paper being wasted.

2. Open source software uses less power. The minimum hardware requirements for running Linux are dramatically lower than for Windows. Running on older, slower hardware means dramatically lower power consumption (40-60%).

3. Open source software extends the lifetime of a computer. Windows users are forced to upgrade their computers prematurely because of the bloated demands of the operating system. Installing Linux can extend the life of a computer by several years. Longer lived computers means fewer computers in the trash, which means fewer toxic components sold to deadly landfills in Africa.

Can anybody else think of other ways that open source software benefits the environment? I'm thinking about expanding on these ideas in an article this summer.