Green options for recharging your electronics

Energizer’s new Recharge batteries are faster and longer lasting than other rechargeables.

As the electronics in our homes proliferate, so does the need to keep them charged. Invariably, you or others in your household need to recharge that smart phone, iPad, tablet, Xbox, mp3 or DVD player or other favorite “toy”, and there are never enough electrical outlets to go around.

Recharging leads to batteries that all too often end up in landfills and/or electricity that gets wasted when the device is fully charged but the charger stays on. There are greener ways to go.

Compact fluorescents can cause cancer?

I’ve written a number of articles about the shortfalls and risks of compact fluorescent light bulbs. These include that CFL’s are expensive and, unless you’re willing to spend beaucoup bucks, they won’t deliver the kind of higher wattage we’ve come to expect from incandescents. Another concern is that CFL’s contain mercury, a highly toxic substance in itself, and if a bulb breaks, this poses a real hazard.

Darden – a green leader in the restaurant industry

News reports tout Walmart’s apparent focus on sustainability. In the food service industry, however, Darden Restaurants Inc. is taking giant strides to be in the forefront of sustainability. And they’re leaving companies like Walmart in the dust.

Darden is the parent company of popular restaurants Olive Garden, Red Lobster and Longhorn Steakhouse, as well as The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Eddie V’s, Bahama Breeze and Yard House restaurants. Five years ago, spurred on by requests from many of its over 185,000 employees, Darden Restaurants launched widespread sustainability efforts.

Spray-on LED’s on wallpaper could be in our future

Walt Disney said : “if you can dream it, you can do it.”

Researcher and doctoral graduate Gul Armin wrote his thesis on how it’s possible to grow white LEDs, made from zinc oxide and a conducting polymer, directly on paper. He also shows how they can be printed onto wallpaper.

LED bulbs brighten up with SWITCH

SWITCH Lighting's new LED builb draws a line in the sand with other LED's

Recently, SWITCH Lighting gave me a personal demonstration of their new LED bulbs, and it convinced me that incandescent light bulbs’ days are numbered with this new technology coming out next month.

Right now we have to choose between compact florescent bulbs (CFLs), which contain a measure of toxic mercury, and expensive, not-quite-bright-enough light-emitting diodes (LEDs). SWITCH Lighting’s new LED bulbs, however, draw a line in the sand from any other bulb I’ve tried.

To find out how strikingly bright and affordable these new LED bulbs are, see the full article at http://bit.ly/wQr1Jy.

“Urban Future” – where urban mobility isn’t a straight line

Urban Future sees cars and pedestrians safely sharing the same road

While the lines between science and science fiction are constantly being blurred, those between sidewalks and urban streets haven’t been.  At this year’s Design Miami/ international design show, one display showed this too is an idea that’s about to change.

Painless Green – an easy resource for a greener lifestyle

Adding solar panels is just one way to reduce your energy use and live green

Having a green lifestyle doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. This recurring theme is evident throughout Shel Horowitz’s e-book: “Painless Green: 111 Tips to Help the Environment, Lower Your Carbon Footprint, Cut Your Budget, and Improve Your Quality of Life-With No Negative Impact on Your Lifestyle“.

IKEA will no longer carry incandescent light bulbs

As the phase out of incandescent bulbs begins, home furnishing giant  IKEA announced they will no longer carry the soon-to-be-outdated incandescent light bulbs in any of their U.S. stores, becoming the first US retailer to do so.

Green Gadgets for your home

 This is a guest post by Danielle Brycz from Verde Lifestyles, an online eco-friendly home décor store.

When I think of green technology for the home, my mind jumps to energy saving devices and appliances. 　But there’s so much more!

Most of the products we use have eco-friendly alternatives. Take your daily routine. You wake up, hit your alarm clock, turn on your bedside lamp. Then you shower with a low-flow showerhead, blow-dry your hair, eat breakfast, and are out the door with your backpack or briefcase.

Besides conserving water and turning off your lights when not using them, did you consider greener options the last time you made a purchase? It’s just a matter of making small changes.

Here are some great green gadgets for the home you might not have considered.

The MiniWiz solar light

 

 

Solar Powered Lamp

 

MiniWiz’s indoor/outdoor lamp – introduced at 2009’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) – uses solar technology to provide light. Their SolarBulb can be attached to any plastic bottle. Its LED light automatically turns on when dark and is water-resistant. You can fill the water bottle when it’s windy. Though not currently available for sale, it will be priced around $25.

Naturally- Powered Clocks 

 

A handsome bamboo clock powered by dirt

There’s an adorable clock from Bedol that’s powered by water and a little lemon juice. This mixture charges the clock for up to 6-8 weeks!

 

Another favorite is a dirt-powered clock by designer Marieke Staps.　Its copper and zinc electrodes go directly into the soil for a natural source of energy. Not only is the power renewable, the clock’s made of bamboo, making it one of the most eco-friendly clocks I’ve come across. Another bonus is you can use any type of plant to power the clock!

The ECO 8000 Blow Dryer

While its hard to believe, this Barbar dryer cuts both your drying time and energy consumption in half! 　Plus its ceramic heating components protect you from radiation. The cover doesn’t appear to be sustainable, but it’s a step in the right direction!

Naturally-powered Bags 

 

NoonStyle's stylish solar Messenger Bag

The Voltaic solar panel backpack has been on my wish list for a long time. It will charge all your devices, even rechargeable batteries. (Not all at once of course.) Fully charged in 6-8 hours, it comes with an adaptor to charge at home or in the car. Another bonus: the wire channels bring power to the shoulder straps for easy use and there’s a plug for headphones. 　It’s a little more expensive than your average backpack, but well worth it.

 

If you’d rather have a messenger bag than a backpack, the NoonStyle Solar Messenger Bag  is for you. Same concept, different style. Though stylish, a big drawback is it’s almost double the price of the Voltaic backpack.

 

The solar grill - an eco-friendly way to cook

Solar Powered Grill

 

Developed by Tammock Trading, the Solar Grill is the first of its kind. Made of concave metal coated with a mirror, it focuses the sun’s rays to cook your food. While not practical for cloudy days, on sunny days it’s powerful enough to burn your food!　For $240, this nifty grill’s great for camping or the beach. Compared to other eco-friendly grills, this product takes it to the max!

These are some of my favorite eco-friendly products. Feel free to share yours!

Danielle Brycz, Verde Lifestyles

Royal Caribbean makes environmental headway

I have to admit when I first read about this, my first take was “what’s the big deal on 4%!” But there’s more “juice” to this than I originally thought.

In their 2008 Stewardship Report, Royal Caribbean Cruises. Ltd. announced they had reduced fuel consumption by four percent, NOx (nitrogen oxide) emissions by three percent, and water consumption by six percent. BUT they’ve also reduced refrigerant loss by 33 percent and solid waste generation by 32 percent!  Much more impressive accomplishments, don’t you think?

The Celebrity Solstice - the first cruise ship with solar panels and a "green" roof

As part of their environmental commitment, Royal Caribbean’s Celebrity Solstice is the first cruise ship to sport solar panels, a “green” roof and a dedicated environmental venue. But their newest ship, the Oasis of the Seas, goes even further to reduce its carbon footprint.

These efforts include a new hull design with environmentally safe coatings to improve performance and reduce energy use and air emissions, smokeless gas turbine engines, and solar window films that keep the ship cooler while reducing fuel consumption and associated emissions.

The cruise line is also replacing onboard halogen and incandescent light bulbs with LED and compact florescent lights to reduce heat production and energy consumption. These replacements have resulted in up to 80 percent reduced energy, a 50 percent reduction in heat generation and also less maintenance. The new lighting can also be recycled or returned to the vendor to be rebuilt.

Since cruise ships are responsible for emitting three times more CO2 than airplanes, these gains represent a real step forward – one that other cruise lines would do well to emulate.