Sometimes saving the environment means doing so from an office, but many environmental warriors are out in the elements and their equipment needs to be able to survive whatever the outside world brings.

Laptops

Environmental scientists need data to find out what is happening to the environment. To gather this data, they need to go out into the field and enter it into their laptops. Typical office or home laptops will not cut it in that environment because they are too delicate and easily destroyed. If the laptop goes, its data goes with it.

For a dependable machine, environmental scientists need a ruggedized laptop that will be able to safely transport the gathered information back to the office where it can be analyzed.

The types of information gathered by someone in one of the many green fields could be samples of environmental conditions in a certain area such as obtaining air, water, or soil samples to check for pollution. Typically, an environmental scientist will visit the same area over a period of time and take the same samples.

Once entered into the computer and analyzed, the data will show whether the pollution levels of that area are increasing or declining and help the scientist make reports and decisions on what actions need to be taken.

Cameras

Environmentalists searching for endangered or new species of plants, animals or insects also need equipment they can count on. Sometimes the investigative work is being done in very unfriendly conditions. It could just as well be the jungle as the desert or the Antarctic. It could even be underwater.

However, when scientists learn of a possible sighting of a species formerly thought to be endangered or extinct, they need to go investigate and try to gather proof. The same goes for a claim of something no one has seen before.

Wildlife is notoriously hard to find. This means a lot of waiting around or walking. Just one mishap with a normal camera such as being dropped into water or falling from a height will ruin any evidence collected and prevent any new evidence from being gathered.

Environmentalists in search of elusive species need a rugged camera they can count on.

Footwear

Naturally, all environmentalists need to balance their need for data collection with possible further harm to the planet. They also need to be as comfortable as possible while doing this so they will not be put in danger of injuries or physical damage from inferior or improper footwear.

There is currently a vast array of cruelty-free and environmentally sound footwear to choose from. The best ones are made almost entirely from recycled or biodegradable materials.

Although rubber in its natural state is waterproof and biodegradable, it is also not great as footwear. It changes from hard to sticky depending on the weather and cracks and starts to decompose after a period of wear. This is great for the environment but bad for the wearer.

Mr. Goodyear, of tire fame, discovered that a process called vulcanization preserved the rubber and kept it unaffected by changes in different temperatures. It also stopped it from breaking down. This was good news for the wearer but bad news for the environment.

Fortunately, rubber boots can be recycled and turned into new rubber boots as some companies are now beginning to do.

Due to new technology and practices, environmental warriors can gather the information they need with reliable equipment and comfortable guilt-free footwear. Although the problem of electronics waste, known as e-waste, is not as easy to solve, at least more rugged electronics will have a longer life than their more flimsy counterparts, allowing more time for better recycling practices to be developed.