05. 7.2008
Hello Kitty has always been a lot of things to a lot of people: casually cute, adorably addictive, freakishly frightening, you name it. Sure, she's clawed her way past countless characters backed by Sanrio and somehow managed to get her mouthless mug stamped onto every product imaginable, but the demure feline is nothing if she's not environmentally responsible. Yes, friends, Ms. Kitty has officially achieved superstar status. She's finally met and teamed up with the hottest powerhouse known by everyone in the world: the sun.
The result of the dynamic duo's new partnership is this Hello Kitty solar charger ($160). The built-in 1200mAh lithium battery receives a full charge through six hours of sunlight (ah, teamwork) or an hour of outlet time (so much for loyalty) and can charge a variety of small electronics via USB. Cool, I mean, hot!
Via Crave.
Posted by Jenn
Category:
accessories
| devices
| eco
| novelty
Tags: hello kitty
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05. 5.2008
It really wouldn’t be stylish to be caught cranking this USB power charger to rev up your cell phone battery, but in all probability, that would be the last thing on your mind if the battery went lifeless during an important call.
This cute little power charger connects to cell phones, cameras or any device with a USB cord. All you have to do is crank the handle on the charger fto add those few minutes of extra battery time on the connected device. Precious and completely eco-friendly. The charger kit contains adapters to fit most cell phones (Motorola, Samsung, Nokia, and LG) and weighs a negligible 6 ounces. And at $39, it fits the wallet quite decently too. Available from National Geographic Online.
Via DVICE.com.
Posted by kanchana
Category:
devices
| eco
Tags: chargers
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04.28.2008
Back in 2000, Brazilian artist Carla Tennenbaum discovered that the packaging material EVA foam can not be recycled and was clogging up landfill sites. Disappointed, she decided to take action and recycle the foam herself. As only an artist could, she created a range of beautiful and unusual works of art and pieces of furniture, like the ottoman pictured below.
You can find out more and see the full range of Carla's works via her website, but you can see my favorite over the page. And if you're inspired, maybe you'll decide to make your own!
Continue reading "Foam! What is it good for? Making art and furniture, apparently"
Posted by diane
Category:
design
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| home
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04.24.2008
In my small attempt to help the environment, I am trying to turn down plastic bags when I go shopping in favour of using my own canvas bag.
But the trouble with my canvas bag is it doesn't fit comfortably over my shoulder, or fit neatly inside my bag, so I've been casting around for an alternative.
These RuMe (short for "reuse me") bags are definitely on the shortlist. They come in a variety of styles and colours and are water-resistant and machine-washable. They also fold up to the size of a cellphone so you can always keep one with you for emergency shopping situations. More importantly, a portion of the proceeds of every bag is donated to a charitable cause.
$28.50 from Delight.
Posted by diane
Category:
eco
Tags: bags
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04.18.2008
Did you know that the electricity required to keep a PC running overnight generates up to 51 lbs of CO2 every month, and the combined energy wasted by consumer electronics in standby mode is as high as 10% of all residential power consumption in developed countries*?
Of course you did. So join up and take the Give Your Computer a Rest challenge presented by DeviceVM and Carbon Rally, which gives people a place to sign up, spread the word and learn new ways to reduce their carbon footprint (CO2 emissions).
Carbon Rally harnesses the power of Internet communities and on-line gaming to "engage people in environmental action on a massive scale." Some of the challenges are a small as encouraging people to drink tap water vs. bottled water and avoiding disposable coffee cups The site regularly poses challenges entailing small lifestyle changes but ties it into hard science by publishing studies on the effect on greenhouse gas emissions. (So, for the doubters in your group, send them to the site for the data.)
Why is DeviceVM involved? Because their Splashtop software lets users access the Internet and key applications seconds after turning on their computers, so you can resist the temptation to keep your computer on because the next morning you have to wait for a traditional OS to boot up, cursing the entire time. (Splashtop is bundled with motherboards, desktops and notebooks by their manufacturers and is currently available on ASUS Motherboard.)
So far with this challenge 427 people have reduced CO2 emissions by 9.59 tons by completing this challenge. That's equal to turning off the electricity of 5 homes for about 1 month!
Come on, do your bit and take the challenge. It won't hurt a bit.
*according to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Posted by Evan
Category:
computers
| eco
Tags: carbon emissions
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04.17.2008
It turns out that this mobile game, Silverbackers, has everything to do with gorilla conservation. Go to the site to download the game and learn about these awesome creatures living in the forests of Central Africa - their population totals just over 700. Here's the interesting part: these gorillas are endangered because they live in a habitat rich in Coltan, a mineral used for the production of cell phones. What better way to bring attention to this problem than through our cell phones?
Read more about the history of Silverbackers at textually.org.
Posted by Hoyun
Category:
cell phones
| current affairs
| eco
| gaming
| on the web
Tags: conservation
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04.11.2008
If you've been doing your part for the environment by transitioning from regular light bulbs to energy-saving fluorescent lght bulbs, you might be interested to know that you can get energy-saving light bulbs that do more than just provide light. Kitchen Contraptions spotted this 15 watt ionic bulb, which produces 60 watts of ight and contains an ionizer that cleans the air around the bulb. The claim is that the ionic technology picks up airborne particles that contaminate your room and cause odors. The bulb provides 10,000 hours of lighting, 10 times longer than standard light bulbs.
There's been controversy over the last few years about whether ionic air purifiers are effective. You might recall the lawsuit filed by Sharper Image against the publisher of Consumer Reports, claiming product disparagement relating to negative reviews of Sharper Image's Ionic Breeze Quadra air purifiers (the suit was dismissed), and the class action suit against Sharper Image by consumers (which was settled in 2007).
Putting aside the debate over how effect ionic air purifiers are, it's an interesting idea to make air purification a secondary function of a light bulb, since you have at least one bulb in every room of a house.
Sold for $14.99 each at Amazon.
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Posted by lydia
Category:
eco
| home
Tags: lighting
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04. 2.2008
How unique an idea would it be if you could juice up your cell phone just by cranking it up manually? Sound too good to be true? Maybe not – if the concept for the Bamboo phone by Dutch designer Gert-Jan van Breugel makes it to production.
The Bamboo cell phone, one of the finalists at the 2008 Greener Gadgets Design Competition, leaves no stone unturned in being eco-friendly. The most striking feature being: by keying it up for around 3 minutes, you can generate enough charge on your phone to take you through one call (call duration not specified). Which to me, is really exciting – apart from the fact that I do not have to carry my charger around at all times, it can also be a lovely power-saving mechanism.
The cell phone case itself is made up of 100% bio-degradable materials such as corn and bamboo, which means, if the phone is thrown into a compost (without the battery, antenna and printboard), it will decompose completely in a few weeks. With all this, the phone doesn’t compromise on looks either; if given a few options on the color, you'll love to show off its sleek design. A sure winner, this one.
Via Inhabitat.
Posted by kanchana
Category:
cell phones
| design
| eco
Tags: bamboo biodegradable
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04. 1.2008
We've covered Bamboo products here at Popgadget before: from laptops to clothing.
Now online food magazine Chow reports that the newest and best way to store bread is in a specially-designed bag made from bamboo fabric, a naturally sustainable textile which is water-absorbent and great at repelling bacteria, meaning your bread should stay fresher longer. Plus, it's much better for the environment to have a re-usable bag and as much as I love Nigella Lawson, I'm not shelling out $100 for her bread bin.
The bamboo bags are available in two styles, Loaf Pouch (above) or Baguette Quiver (don't you just love the word 'quiver'?), pictured over the page.
Continue reading "Bamboo bag may be best place for your bread"
Posted by diane
Category:
eco
| home
Tags: bags bamboo
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03.31.2008
If you're like me, you have no idea if you're maintaining proper tire pressure in your car tires in between trips to the shop. This self-inflating tire, developed in the Czech Republic, takes this out of your hands by inflating automatically through a device called a peristaltic pump which inflates the tire as it turns, keeping it at a constant, safe pressure level. This technology, if adopted widely, will not only make the roads safer, but will have a positive environmental impact by way of savings on fuel (cars with under-inflated tires use more fuel), resulting in a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, and an increase in the lifespan of tires. Read more here.
Via smart stuff and gizmag
Posted by lydia
Category:
cars
| eco
Tags: tires
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