There is an often used argument in the digital realm that going digital and thus replacing certain material products such as paper, books, magazines, CDs and so forth necessarily translates to the reduction of waste.
Unfortunately that argument is a bit simplistic. At the root of the problem is really the problem of excess consumption and thus leaving a much bigger footprint (or footprints) in the world than is necessary. Electronic gadgets don't solve this problem. The problem of the environment isn't one about digital/virtual versus material. It's the problem of excess consumption.
New York Times has an article today entitled
"Global Gadget Habit a Threat to Efficiency?" This begins to speak to the problem of excess consumption and linking that human behaviour to electronic goods which for a while now have been shielded from that connection, as if that connection was only to be made to other material goods such as paper, books, magazines, and so forth.