Sustainable electronics: Wireless systems with minimal environmental impact

Global warming, greenhouse gas emissions and e-waste are all major issues world-wide. Antennas are now a very common component in most consumer electronic devices (eg computers, telephones, toys, etc) in addition to wireless sensor networks and RFID systems used for product management and animal husbandry. In moving to RoHS and WEEE compliant systems, antenna engineers must consider new design methods and materials in antenna mass-manufacturing. Of course, minimal system energy use requires radiation efficiency and perhaps, electronic beam steering. This paper reports on the design and manufacture of antenna systems which greatly reduce the ldquocarbon footprintrdquo of wireless systems.