Photo via Coolest Gadgets
There's all kinds of
random junk out there that someone saw fit to slap a solar panel on and call it cool. Well. Sometimes it turns out adding a solar cell does make it cool, and sometimes it doesn't. We're a bit on the fence about which sides the Solar Powered Bird-B-Gone Bird Repeller falls. ...
Photo via Ubergizmo
We're all over smart power strips that allow you to
cut power to individual ports and cut phantom power loads. But we haven't yet seen one for USB devices...until now. ...
Photo: Flickr, CC
Digital Switch: Please Recycle Your Old Television
Last November, John wrote about the potential dangers of a
surge of toxic e-waste caused by the switch to digital TV (this affects people who get their signal over the air and don't have a digital converter box). Back then, the digital switch date was supposed to be February, but it was extended by lawmakers because people were not ready. Well, ready or not, today is the date. What will this mean for electronic-waste and the environment?...
Kyle Bean makes a statement about our electronics consumerism and disposable technology. Photo via Unplggd
It's a common complaint that technology advances so rapidly, new products hitting the shelves are outdated the second they arrive there. Before we even purchase a device, new versions and varied models are under production. Consumers are easily overwhelmed and confused with the differences in manufacturers' crowded product lines. We're especially experiencing that now in the
realm of netbooks and smart phones, but it's true for all consumer devices. However, we also see that
consumer whim has a lot of influence - perhaps all the influence - over how manufacturers introduce and carry on release of new gadgets. So, how do we exercise that clout to get manufacturers serious about creating heirloom devices that can adapt to new technology without all of the e-waste? Or is it even possible?...
Photo via House of Sims
Governor Schwarzenegger has announced plans for California high schools to start ditching textbooks in favor of digital media, starting with math and science books this August. The claim is that with so much information available in digital format, why waste precious little budget money on textbooks that just get outdated and tossed? There's a point, but is the switch nearly as green?...
Throw all this away?! There are electronics in there, let alone all that plastic!
UPDATE: Click through (and scroll down) to read the progress made on iRobot's recycling practices after they saw this post.
TreeHugger Graham Hill recently bought a refurbished Scooba from
iRobot. Upon arrival, the gadget didn't work. iRobot said they'd ship a new one, and while they've teamed up with
Call2Recycle for recycling the batteries, they said to just go ahead and toss the Scooba and charger. In fact, not only did they say to toss it, but that it is "safe" to do so. Wait...say what? Put electronics in the trash?! Instead of razzing the company about this very un-eco-friendly lack of electronics recycling policies, we've decided to help out by recommending possible solutions. Here are five ideas for what iRobot can do to green up their e-waste, and we also want to know what ideas you have so we can present them with a set of savvy solutions. ...
Image via
PCMag
Good Clean Tech, PC Magazine's blog, has announced the first netbook to make the grade for green according to the magazine.
PC Magazine is a very reliable source for quality reviews of nearly every computer hitting the market. Netbooks have been flying onto the market, but it is only just now that one finally earns the magazine's GreenTech seal of approval. Check out the new Fujitsu netbook and see why it made the ranks....
Wandering through the
Maker Fair expo, I came across this solar charger I hadn't heard of before. It's called GoBe, and looks like a great portable way to charge up some hefty devices, possibly even your laptop. ...
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a source, albeit a small one, for conflict minerals that end up in our electronics. While some companies, such as Nokia, have
shown their resolve in never using conflict minerals in their products, other companies have yet to be so transparent. Eve Ensler isn't sitting back about it. Not only are the minerals gathered through abusive means and slave labor, they're also gathered where rape is used as a weapon of war over the mines. Click through to hear Ensler speak at
D7 on the issue....
Dear Pablo: I know that it's better, from an environmental perspective, to shop online than driving to a store but what about other uses of the internet? What is the environmental impact of internet use?...
Photo via Christian Steen
Tech On reports that the e-paper market is set to grow at an astounding rate, from US$70 million in 2008 to US$2.1 billion in 2015 and US$7 billion by 2020. And about 50% of that market will be thanks to e-books and the push for e-readers. However, we also just noted that
consumer gadgets are taking up a whole lot of energy, offsetting efficiency efforts. That means it's time to start asking some sustainability questions. ...
Photo via: Bosch Rexroth
Renewable energy is currently at an all-time high as far as political focus and public goal orientation are concerned. At the same time, it is also facing one of its greatest challenges, a very unfavorable economic market. I spoke with Raj Boya from
Bosch Rexroth about the prospects of
wind energy as we move towards a greener future....
Photo Credit Emma Alter
No more wires and wall-warts! Powerkiss introduces a world without chargers. They build an induction charging module into furniture, and supply a small charging stick that attaches to your phone. It will be easier to use this in Europe, which is moving toward a charging standard; the charging stick could even be integrated into the phone. It doesn't produce enough power right now to do laptops, but as their energy requirements come down they may soon.
...
Photo via Boing Boing
JKKMobile has gotten ahold of one of the new ASUS Eee T91 netbooks.
Netbooks are all the rage right now (despite a first quarter drop in sales that also hit laptops), showing that people are hunting for small, cheap, and easy to use computers for on the go. But that doesn't mean netbooks should get into some of the bad habits some larger laptops have...like having a non-removable battery. ...
Photo Via MAKE
This fun project of making ear phones out of junked parts (and you'll be surprised to read just what was used) holds a much cooler lesson than simply how to turn random disposable items into a functional device. ...
Photo via: James Jordan
We all need to have goals. Goals help guide us and give us wings to reach new heights. Becoming green is not a natural process for everybody, and in fact, many of us could use a little help here and there. Maybe we are trying to reduce consumer spending,
red meat consumption, or
energy consumption. Whatever your environmental goal, they are actually no different than any other success program, and should be treated as such....
Image: GreenerBusiness
Reusing a portable projector, refitting a webcam with post-consumer waste, and using some of our favorite eco-materials like bamboo,
GreenerBusiness shows you how to make a multitouch interactive display that will interface with google maps, music and game software on your computer. Multitouch interactive screens, like the display in an iPod, are increasingly popular, but still quite expensive. Following the instructions in this video, you will learn about how the technology works and end up with your own large format multitouch display. Even if you are not motivated to make a do-it-yourself multitouch display table, you will enjoy the mellow and humorous narrative of the film-noir style video, linked below....
“Electronic billabong:” power strip supping up electrons. Photo via Flickr: by Stibbons
Electronic equipment, including cell phones, iPods, PCs, videogames, and plasma TVs have increased demand for residential energy use annually by 3.4 percent since 1990, according to the
International Energy Agency. This trend leads the IEA to estimate that personal electrical energy usage in homes should triple by 2030 worldwide, hence more carbon emissions from coal and natural gas plants. It noted this trend is undoing efforts toward energy-efficiency. ...
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on 07. 7.09
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