Tomorrow, June 12, is D Day. That is, it is the day that all television signals switch from analog to digital. While people have had plenty of time to prepare themselves for the switch, a recent news report noted that about 3 million Americans still haven’t secured a digital-conversion box for their television or signed up for some kind of paid television service.

I’m sure this changeover from analog to digital isn’t great news for anyone on a budget, who is used to getting TV for free. These folks have three options to ensure that they can continue to watch TV from June 12, 2009 on:

1. Get a new TV that receives a digital signal
2. Sign up for cable or satellite TV
3. Get a digital-conversation box for their existing TV

Now plenty of people have opted for #3 and then got one of those coupons for a digital-conversion box. Only problem? They discovered there was a waiting list to actually receive one.

Here’s what I’m worried about? What’s going to happen to all of those analog TVs if people opt for #1? That’s why I hope that folks don’t just toss their TV in the trash after D-Day and instead consider one of these green ideas:

1. Hold on to your old TV and then recycle it during a household hazardous waste collection day. Most communities have these recycling collection days for old electronics, which are then safely recycled (or so one hopes). To find out when one is happening where you live, contact your local government or log onto Earth 911. You can plug in the name of the item you want to recycle and your zip code, and Earth 911 will point you to someplace nearby.
2. Ask a retailer to recycle your old TV for you when you buy a new TV. Many stores already offer recycling programs for electronics, but the catch is that they won’t take that old piece of equipment off of your hands unless you’re buying something new. However, thanks to the EPA’s TV Recycling Challenge, people who own TVs made by Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, Sharp and Toshiba may have an easier time recycling these brands.
3. Donate your TV to a school or college. Whenever a camera crew has come to my home to film me for a TV segment, they always have a small TV in tow. By hooking this TV up to their camera, the camera person has a real-time look at what he or she is filming. I would imagine, then that students in broadcast journalism programs have similar setups. And who knows? With budget cuts these days, these programs may not be able to invest in new equipment (like TV sets) and may gladly accept your donation. Similarly, drama departments might be able to use an old TV on a theater set.

How are you planning to handle things on D-Day? For us, it will be just another day since we already subscribe to digital cable. But I imagine for millions of Americans, June 12th will become an entertainment nightmare.