green tech

HP's New LCD Monitor Earns PC Mag's 'GreenTech Seal of Approval'

jplatt — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0400

PC Magazine has given its coveted "GreenTech Approved" seal to its first LCD monitor: the HP LP2275w.

The LP2275w is, of course, ENERGY STAR rated, which you should consider first when buying any new electronics. It also has an EPEAT Silver ranking, which means that it has a low environmental impact.

The monitor uses 52 watts of power when it's operating, and just 3 watts of power during sleep mode -- a very important energy-saving feature.

PC Mag's GreenTech seal ranks devices on energy usage, recyclability, and green certifications.

You can read a full review of this new monitor (which lists at $349) here.

Another Way to Recycle Electronics: Radio Shack

jplatt — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0400

Great news -- yet another retailer is jumping into the "we'll recycle your old electronics for you" bandwagon.

This time it's RadioShack, one of the most ubiquitous electronics chains in the country. Through The Shack's new trade-in program, you can bring products or accessories to their stores or mail them in, and you'll get a gift card with a small dollar value in return.

The program accepts MP3 players, cell phones, cameras, gaming consoles, and even laptops. (Laptops, HDTVs and a few other items can only be traded in through their website.)

Here's what happens: you present your item for trade-in, Radio Shack makes you an offer, and you accept the offer to get your gift card.

If you do the trade online, you'll get to print out a pre-paid postage label, so the whole program is free to you.

There's no word on the website about how your old electronics will be recycled or re-used, but since the one major requirement for your trade is that the products are in working order and can turn on, it appears the old devices will be refurbished and resold.

Give it a try. I'm sure there's a Radio Shack right around the corner from you.

PepsiCo Introduces Greener Vending Machines

jplatt — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0400

Soda giant PepsiCo announced recently that it will soon deploy a small number of “green” vending machines that will "significantly cut pollution compared to standard vending machines."

The new machines -- which employ Greenpeace's Greenfreeze technology -- not only require 15% less energy than traditional vending machines, they do not use fluorocarbons or "F-gases," "greenhouse gases hundreds to thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide that are one of the major causes of global warming and are currently used in almost all U.S. refrigerators and air conditioners."

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, F-gases are currently responsible for 17 percent of global warming.

Now, Pepsi is only introducing 30 of these machines to start, since the Greenfreeze technology doesn't yet have EPA approval. But they do hope to roll them out around the world, where the company has a between 4 and 5 million vending machines and coolers.

You can read more about PepsiCo's environmental sustainability initiatives here.

Greenpeace Grades Electronics Makers on e-Waste

jplatt — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0400

Greenpeace has once again released its Guide to Greener Electronics, this time focusing on e-waste. Nokia and Samsung took the top slots, while HP, Lenovo and Dell were all penalized for failing to follow through on promises to phase out vinyl plastic (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) from their products by the end of the year.

Greenpeace did praise the company for the products they sell that don't have those chemicals, or use less of them, but took them to task for delaying their promise to stop using them altogether.

Apple also got praise for minimizing its use of PVCs and BFRs, a move Greenpeace says every company should be able to emulate, and Philips, which made huge strides in its battle against e-waste:

The Guide to Greener Electronics star this time goes to Philips -- and the 47,000 people who sent emails to the company!

The Dutch electronics giant reacted to our e-waste campaign with a dramatic about-turn on recycling and take-back. They've jumped from 15th to 4th place in one go. Following public pressure, the company has significantly improved its position on taking financial responsibility for the recycling of its products when they become e-waste.

You can download the entire report here.

The previous verison of the Greenpeace report, published in December 2008, focused on companies' climate leadership.

California Launches Green-Tech Job Training Program

jplatt — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0400

Are you young, living in California and ready to take the plunge to work in a green-tech career? Then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has a program for you.

This summer, the Governor will launch the California Green Corps, a 20-month pilot program to teach youths between 16 and 24 to work in the state's growing green-tech industries.

Participants will receive training to become "construction workers, cost estimators, energy analysts, computer technicians, salespersons, scientists, engineers" and many other careers.

The program will be funded with $10 million of the state's federal stimulus money. Another $10 million will come from private sector donations.

Why the focus on training? One estimate says that California will create an astounding 83,000 new green jobs in the next two years, and the state needs training workers to fill those jobs.

The Green Corps will start placing youths in job-training programs this summer. There's no word yet on how to sign up for it, but you can read all about it here and register to receive more information when it becomes available.

AT&T's U-verse TV Gets Green Certification

jplatt — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 09:00:00 -0500

Subscribers to AT&T's U-verse digital TV service got good news this week: all of AT&T's set-top boxes (the devices that empower the Internet-based TV service) exceed the energy requirements of the U.S.'s ENERGY STAR program, meaning they use less electricity than competing products and therefore save subscribers a few bucks a year.

The news comes with the announcement that all new U-verse set-top boxes will officially carry the ENERGY STAR logo.

According to AT&T, the fact that they're providing TV services over Internet lines makes the service much more energy-efficient:

"Because of the inherent benefits of advanced Internet Protocol (IP) technology, U-verse TV customers IP-based set-top boxes are more energy-efficient than other digital set-top boxes. AT&T U-verse receivers conform to energy efficiency requirements that are 36 percent more stringent than cable set-top box requirements. The improved efficiency is achieved, in part, because IP receivers don’t have tuners."

So far, only DirecTV set-top boxes share AT&T's ENERGY STAR distinction. Now if only we can get more cable companies into the act.

Motorola Introduces First Phone Made From Recycled Water Bottles

jplatt — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 09:00:00 -0500

At last week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Motorola introduced its new MOTO™ W233 Renew phone -- what it billed as "the world’s first mobile phone made using plastics comprised of recycled water bottles."

Of course, the entire phone isn't made of recycled plastic -- they're only really talking about the exterior. The guts of the phone -- the parts that make it work -- are still all metals that need to be carefully recycled when the phone is at the enf of its lifecycle.

But still, there's more good news. As Motorola writes, "Not only is the plastic housing of Renew made from plastics comprised of recycled water bottles and 100 percent recyclable, but it is also the world’s first carbon neutral phone. Through an alliance with Carbonfund.org, Motorola offsets the carbon dioxide required to manufacture, distribute and operate the phone through investments in renewable energy sources and reforestation. The phone has earned Carbonfund.org’s CarbonFree® Product Certification after an extensive product life-cycle assessment."

The phone comes in smaller-than-usual packaging, which is made entirely of post-consumer waste. It also comes with an envelope so you can mail your old phone in for free recycling.

The W233 Renew will be available from T-Mobile later this quarter.

When is a Lightbulb Worth $120? When It Lasts for 10 Years

jplatt — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 09:00:00 -0500

First came CFLs, and they were declared good. Then came LEDs, and they were declared better. Now comes GeoBulb, a super-efficient LED lightbulb that manufacturer C. Crane Company says will last for ten years.

GeoGulb (which is still patent-pending and under limited production) uses just 8 watts of power while producing more light than an old 60-watt bulb.

Crane says the bulbs will last for three years if they're left on 24 hours a day, or 10 years if they are used just 8 hours a day.

What makes the GeoBulb different? The trick, says C. Crane, is creating components for the bulb which last as long as the LEDs themselves.

Will it work? Is it worth the price? Let's check in again around 2019 and see how they're doing.

Dell to Cut 20 Million Pounds of Packaging

jplatt — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:00:00 -0500

I just ordered a new Dell laptop, and I was pleased to find that it came in a box barely bigger than the computer itself. This seems to tie in nicely with Dell Computers' recent announcement that it will cut its desktop and laptop packaging by 10% over the next four years, a move it says will save both 20 million pounds of packaging materials and more than $8 million.

In addition, Dell says it will increase the amount of "sustainable content" in its cushioning and corrugate packaging by 40%, and "ensure that 75% of packaging components are curbside recyclable by 2012."

Dell says its plan will help to save 150,000 trees over the next four years -- trees that that would otherwise have become cardboard packages -- and in 2009 recycle 33 million milk jugs to to become High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) thermal-formed cushions.

“We’re challenging every technology company to join us in implementing a global green packaging strategy,” said Tod Arbogast, director of Sustainable Business at Dell. “In doing so, we will drive extraordinary environmental and cost savings for our businesses and customers while setting a new efficiency model for other industries to follow.”

Let's hope they do!

Six Simple New Years Resolutions for Greener Electronics

jplatt — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 09:00:36 -0500

Hey, it's a New Year! And with it comes all of those little vows we always make -- lose 5 pounds, call your mom more often, get a promotion ... and live a greener life.

Well, here are five easy (and important) promises you can make to yourself to improve your footprint by greening your electronics and other devices.

1. Ditch the disposable batteries. There's simply no reason to use disposables any more. They only reason they're still for sale everywhere is because so many stores make so much money on them. But every battery that gets thrown out leaches toxic chemicals into the environment. Break the chain. Go completely rechargeable. It's an easy step, and you won't regret it.

2. Go off the grid -- at least a little bit. Rechargeable batteries are great, but they still suck power off the electric grid. Break that chain, too. Buy devices with solar chargers (like flashlights), or pick up a solar charger (such as the fantastic Solio). Leave the solar charger in your window, then use it to power your iPod, cell phone or other portable devices. Instant green karma.

3. Pull the plug. When you're not using your electronic devices, turn them off. Better yet, unplug them or turn off their surge protectors. TVs, DVD players, computers, printers, game consoles and dozens of other devices keep using power even when they're "off." This stand-by mode can account for 10% of your power use. Slash and burn, baby.

4. Be a Star. When buying new electronics or appliances, look for the Energy Star logo. This signifies that you're buying an energy-efficient device, which can save you anywhere from 10-30% on energy usage. A no-brainer.

5. Recycle your old electronics properly. If you're replacing something, or getting rid of something that no longer works, don't just toss it in the trash. Take it to a recycling center where it will be disposed of properly. Electronics contain too many toxic materials for them to be disposed of improperly, so make sure you do the right thing.

6. Finally, fully, break the incandescent chain. I still have two lamps and two outdoor light fixtures that oddly enough won't work with CFL bulbs. It's time to get rid of them. Even though changing the lamps will create some waste, the energy savings from being able to use CFL bulbs will be worth it.

Looking for more specifics on any of the ideas above? Scroll through the Green Tech archives. You'll find plenty of examples and ideas to help you live a greener life.

Happy 2009, my eco-friendly friends!