Most people are against exporting old computers to other countries, especially developing countries. There are plenty of organizations and people out there that are whole-heartedly against the idea of sending our old computers out of the country.
Exporting computers to developing countries isn’t always a bad thing. Sending our trash to them so they can just dump it in a landfill is obviously bad. Sending them useable machines to re-use doesn’t seem like a horrible idea.... read more
We're all familiar with Energy Star at this point. Anytime you go to the store to buy an appliance or electronic, you see plenty of products boasting their Energy Star certification.
A few months ago, Energy Star developed criteria for "highly efficient products" to be labeled Energy Star Most Efficient. The Most Efficient label will apply to Energy Star washing machines, heating equipment, cooling equipment, televisions, and refrigerators. This is a pilot program operating until the end of 2011. There is a possibility that the EPA will add more categories of appliances by the end of the year. ... read more
Based on recent EPA estimates, over one billion cell phones are sitting around houses nationwide, unused. Most will probably be thrown in the trash and end up in landfills, instead of being reused or recycled.
Back in May, the United Nations Environment Programme put out a report on recycling metals. It concluded that less than one-third of 60 metals studied have an end-of-life recycling rate above 50% and 34 are under 1%. The UN recommended boost waste management in developing economies and cease keeping old cell phones and other antiquated electronics lying around the house. Read the report here.... read more
Just when I thought it was safe to love technology, now this. Recent articles show that using e-readers (like Kindles or iPads) may harm the environment more than reading paper books. Since I fancy myself as a green consumer I did some eco-bean counting (better known as calculating your environmental footprint) to see whether I’d go green or brown if I bought an e-reader.... read more
Recently I have been doing a lot of research on all stuff solar – especially solar power for homes/businesses and solar water heating. But there are lots of products out there that don't require a major purchase in order to reduce your CO2 emissions. Some of them are a bit strange, but hey, I'll take it!
1. Solar Powered Bikini – Don't you hate it when your iPod and laptop run out of power at the beach? Dilemma solved. Student Andrew Schnieder designed the solar powered bikini with 1 USB input... just avoid the water.... read more
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) recently tested three of the most popular video game consoles to see which uses the least energy while in active mode.
The contenders? Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation 3, and Microsoft Xbox 360.
Verizon Wireless had a coming out party at CES 2011 for their new Home Monitoring and Control service. One of the applications included in the service will be home energy management. However, the intent is to offer complete home control and monitoring including lights, locks, webcams, security, home health, and of course thermostats and energy usage. One of the unique killer apps is the ability to view streaming webcam content from Verizon Wireless LTE-enabled handsets.... read more
iPadA survey by research firm Nielsen suggests that Apple's iPad is the number one item kids aged 6 to 12 are wishing for this holiday. 31 percent of kids in this age group are wishing for the device, compared with 18 percent of kids 13 and older.
Many leaders from various industries and geographies indicate that the emerging sustainable economy will be the biggest economic game changer in the next two decades. At West Coast Green conference in San Francisco last week, IBM Corporation announced new Smart Energy-Management and Sustainability Solutions for the enterprise.
The new technological offerings address energy efficiency and sustainable buildings in commercial settings and are part of IBM’s expanding collection of solutions that are designed for creating smarter urban infrastructures.... read more
Did you know that you can use your cell phone to help you keep your lifestyle green? Many phones now have "green" applications. I have a Droid, so I'm going to focus on that. More and more green apps are popping up for the Droid!
Here are 10 Droid apps to help you maintain your eco-friendly lifestyle:... read more
Green Tips - Get green living tips on your phone. A lot of them are ones you may already know, but sometimes it's good to have a reminder.
Eco Charger - The Eco Charger app lets you know when your phone is done charging, so you can unplug it and refrain from using unneeded electricity.
IAmGreen - This app helps reduce how much power you waste your phone. A tree is also planted whenever this app is downloaded!
We're all familiar with 
Based on recent EPA estimates, over one billion cell phones are sitting around houses nationwide, unused. Most will probably be thrown in the trash and end up in landfills, instead of being reused or recycled.
Just when I thought it was safe to love technology, now this. Recent articles show that using e-readers (like Kindles or iPads) may harm the environment more than reading paper books. Since I fancy myself as a green consumer I did some eco-bean counting (better known as calculating your environmental footprint) to see whether I’d go green or brown if I bought an e-reader.
