Images via Yanko Design
Now this could top any greenie gadgeteer's holiday wish list. It is a gorgeous little wooden radio that - to top off its loveliness - is solar powered. ...
Look, TreeHuggers, a fun widget! Put your
kid on our cover. Or your
cat. Or your
dog. Or your
weird witch doll. Go crazy
here.
And that's just one part of our brand new climate package. In fact, the November/December issue of
Mother Jones is full of important stories to read in the lead-up to Copenhagen.
Editors-in-Chief Monika Bauerlein and Clara Jeffery
wonder what we'll tell our kids when they wonder why it took us so long to start fixing the climate. Kevin Drum writes about how
Big Ag got everything it asked for in the climate bill--and then it came back for more. And residents in one small California town ask, You want to pump
how much carbon
under our yards? Much more inside the issue.
Over at the
Blue Marble blog,
Julia Whitty lists the
five preventable health problems that shrink our lifespans the most. And speaking of unhealthy and preventable, Fiji Water might have been
burning its trash, releasing carcinogens into the air of its
beleaguered island home. Meanwhile, India gears up to go
nuclear. Cool or scary?
Lastly, some good gadget news: Soon you'll be able to charge your cell phone using
any kind of light. Windowless cube workers rejoice. ...
Photo: Apple Inc.
This Guy Says Yes, But It's More Complicated Than That...
ShareA blogger recently claimed that his new Mac Mini would be paying for itself within two years because his power bill had been slashed by half (see the screen grab below). His headline ("Free Apple Mac Mini. No Strings Attached!") was of course sensationalistic, but there is an important truth behind it: People too often forget to look at the total cost of ownership (TCO) when they're buying computers and other electronics, and making them more aware of it is a good opportunity to encourage good green practices....
Image via: Earthtechling
The sleek design of the
Regen ReNu offers customers a solar panel charger, that looks like well a solar panel, but also looks like it would blend into the background of a modern, chic, loft apartment. Styled similar to many iProduct docking stations, the Regen ReNu can recharge a variety of electronic gadgets and get several charges off of one battery. But will it be
available in time for the holiday rush?...
Images via Ecouterre
It's about time we see a piece of solar clothing that you'll
want to wear. The
Zegna Ecotech Solar Jacket looks slick, stylish, has a good cut, inconspicuous solar cells that (almost) don't look like a bad reference to the 80s. And, it's made from recycled plastic! ...
Images via LG
The latest entry into the market of cell phones with embedded solar cells is the POP from LG. The slick phone - very similar to the LG Dare - boasts an optional battery cover that is a solar cell, letting users charge up the battery with sunlight. ...
Image via Greener Computing
(re)blog ripped into this week's episode of
The Amazing Race, and rightly so. In one of the challenges, contestants were to hunker down in a e-waste dump and - in the rough, panicked manner that the contestants usually have during challenges - disassemble discarded electronics, exposing themselves and everyone working in the dump on a daily basis to dangerous toxins. Rather than treating it as a frightening lesson in how terrible these e-waste dumps are for people and the environment, the challenge was labeled by the show as a primer in electronics recycling. They got more than just that wrong.
...
Images courtesy of ecoATM and AMagill
Could gadget recycling get easier than this? In a similar vein as ATM-like change machines, where you bring your bucket-o-coins, dump them in and out pops a far more convenient currency,
EcoATM wants to buy back your old cell phones with this cool kiosk. Insert cell phone, withdraw currency. ...
Credit: Photos courtesy of Al & Ed's Autosound
The all-electric Tesla Roadster is a green car without the dinky green look (Sorry Toyota Prius).
Some audiophiles at
Al & Ed's Autosound in West Hollywood, California, decided the Tesla needed a non-dinky radio system, too.
So they've have revamped the $100,000 Roadster, refurbishing the interior and installing a new sound system. ...
Image via Greenpeace
Greenpeace has released its latest iteration of the electronics guide ranking manufacturers on the sustainability of their products and processes. Turns out there was a reason for HP to get a little huffy about
Greenpeace tagging their roof - they had a nearly PVC- and BFR-free computer up their sleeve. Greenpeace is rewarding them with higher points in their new gadget guide, as well as Apple, which
just released carbon footprint data on their website. Check out where they rank along with other big name manufacturers, and see who is still languishing at the bottom of the list. ...
An EAR on the reef in Kimbe Bay. Credit: Mark Eakin, NOAA via Nature Conservancy
Putting EARs in the water among the bustling life of coral reefs could help us monitor the health of coral reefs around the worlds. EAR is an
Ecological Acoustic Recorder, a device developed by NOAA and the University of Hawaii, listens in on the sounds of coral reefs and helps determine the overall health and changing status of reefs. It looks to be a promising technology, and the first one to be deployed in the
Coral Triangle has just been installed. ...
Ship leaving Bay Area. Image via: Derell_Licht on Flickr. com
With more countries tightening down on their e-waste disposal and exporting regulations and requirements, and with communities in the US requiring special disposal of E-Waste, but no follow-through on where it should go, US State Department officials are having to give trash another look, reports the
New York Times. With more e-waste being collected in communities, will the US finally sign the Basel Convention?...
Images via NTT DOCOMO
There is just something about a wood case that gives electronics an heirloom feeling. Perhaps if cell phones were a bit warmer, a little heavier, a little earthier, people might keep them longer than the
average 18 months before upgrading again. NTT DOCOMO might be wondering the same thing, as the company has introduced two prototype cell phones encased in waste wood. ...
Image via Apple
Yesterday, Apple updated more information about the environmental impacts of its products on its website, bringing a little more transparency to consumers. That added information includes life cycle analysis of greenhouse gas emissions for its products. Yesterday we were just noting how
carbon footprint measurements can be sticky business because it all depends on how far down the supply chain, how broad across the business operations, and how far into future impact a business decides to measure. Apple's information, however, is relatively impressive. ...
Yesterday we talked about the hubbub surrounding
California's move to ban from store shelves any televisions that don't meet particular energy efficiency requirements. The move signals a growing consciousness around electronics and that to be both economically practical and environmentally friendly, they need to lay off the juice. But as energy efficiency was once the "green" angle for TV manufacturers in selling their wares, there seems to already be a new wave just starting to form that will take the place of energy efficiency. Behold, the first television with Carbon Footprint Verification. ...
It's still early morning in California and I have coffee on the brain, so I have to point out this WMF1 One-Cup Coffee Maker. See, there's a conundrum for those folks who don't want to get their coffee via cone filter or French press. A coffee pot is the solution, except that you have to make a minimum of about four cups of coffee for the smallest coffee maker readily available in stores. That's where one-cup coffee makers come in handy. Except this particular one has a conundrum all its own. ...
We might just cry if your pile looks anything like this. Credit Gizmodo
Do you still rock out to a walkman or walk down the street with a boom-box slung over your shoulder? Buy your tapes from thrift stores and electronics second-hand? Still gabbing away on a cell phone from the mid-90s? Has your computer lasted for years on end like Trevor's
ten year old Powerbook? Or have you replaced/
ecycled them all with the iPhone? Prove it! We want to see photos of all your electronics in a pile -- you might have more than you think -- how many? Click through for details and if you haven't already -- view this week's
slideshow:
Readers' Best Refashioned Clothing Projects. ...
We'll be working on better category archives soon. In the meantime, take a look at the
if you really want to dig around, or use the search box at the top of the page.
on 11. 5.09
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