CASIO Solar Running Watches

The CASIO brand was the original “solar” watch brand and they have been pioneering this technology to this day. They continue this love for solar watch technology with this awesome new runners watch that has an integrated battery and a small solar panel. The solar panel gathers enough energy from the sun so that you never have to change the battery, even if you live somewhere that offers a minimum of sunlight on an average basis. Technology like this is very important when you consider just how many batteries end up in landfills every year from consumer electronics.

Genius DX-ECO Wireless Mouse

Wireless mouses are great and I’m using one right now as I type this. However, they do run through batteries way faster than you may expect them to. This can be a huge problem for a number of different reasons and it really makes the DX-ECO wireless mouse a great choice. This mouse recharges quickly and completely eliminates the need for extra batteries.

There are a lot of different ways that a cell phone can be environmentally friendly. It can be made out of recycled materials. It can be made out of a corn-based resin. It can use a significantly lower amount of electricity than other phones in its price range. Or, as in the case of the two phones on this list, it can have a solar panel on it. Go figure.

The LG GD510

This thing is a beast. It’s a touch screen smart phone with an integral solar panel that completely charges the phone in very little time at all. It’s not just a “bare bones” model, either. It sports a 3MP camera and has a super-fast processor so you can stream music and movies very quickly. The body is very sturdy. It’s made out of aluminum, so it’s a light and sturdy frame. In fact, it only weighs 87 grams fully loaded with the battery. It’s also an extremely stylish phone. It has a really futuristic look to it that won’t leave you feeling like that green weirdo with the poofy phone. The solar panel is optional, so keep that in mind when you’re buying.

The Sharp Solar Hybrid

This is a flip phone that doesn’t have the same functionality as the LG phone above, but it is way more durable. It’s constructed to take some real punishment, and the solar panel on the front of the phone is highly functional. This is the phone to get if you see yourself hitting the backcountry for a few days and need a phone for emergencies or to call for a ride when you get back to the trailhead.

This is why it’s important to make sure that you have a good setup for you computer. A great entertainment setup for a computer will have great speakers and a great screen. But how do you find quality eco-friendly products like this? There are two that I’ve found that seem to hit the nail on the head when it comes to having a great entertainment setup at home.

22” Eco-Friendly Widescreen Monitor by NEC

This thing offers a great degree of versatility and an amazingly crisp picture for widescreen and HD. Not only does it look good, but it also performs amazingly well. A good percentage of the product is made out of recycled plastics and minerals. Also, it comes with an “Eco-Mode” function that makes the unit take up much less energy. This also lowers the heat of the unit while it operates, thereby increasing its life.

Eco-Friendly Speakers by Merkury

These speakers are a really interesting thing to have around the house. First of all, they have an exceptionally unique look to them. They look quite a lot like old, discarded boxes with speakers thrown inside. Of course, they look like this because they basically ARE a cardboard box with a speaker inside. What it lacks in “toughness,” it makes up for in sound and dynamic range. The speaker inside is actually of much higher quality than the box may lead you to believe.

The average person goes through a phone every year. Some people go through as many as three phones a year, and they’re always buying the newest and most “up to date” phone whenever it comes out. On the other hand, some people keep the same phone for years at a time because a phone is just that to them– a phone. Throughout the consumer electronics industry, there is a trend toward just tossing out old tech for the new tech that is just a month or two away.

The Samsung Reclaim, however, is made out of recycled materials through and through. Its casing is “reclaimed” from old recycled plastic, and the components are partially recycled from older phones and electronics. One of the other really great aspects of this phone is that it is made without PVC or other harmful materials that can leach out into your skin when it sweats. These things have been linked to cancer and other illnesses, so the Reclaim has taken them out of the equation entirely. The Reclaim instead opts for using less harmful materials, and reduces its imprint on the world by significantly reducing the amount of materials it uses in total.

In a world of throwaway technology, it’s nice that there’s something out there for the rest of us. If you’re not a smartphone addict, and you just need a great phone that is loaded with features and easy to use, the Samsung Reclaim is made almost entirely with you in mind. It’s worth noting that Samsung has recently overtaken every major cell phone manufacturer in the United States and Canada in terms of sales, so they’re obviously pretty keen at giving people what they want.

Then I started thinking about personal solar panels. Right now, it may not be the best time of year to talk about these things. After all, the sun isn’t really a big part of anyone’s life during the winter. However, those sunny days will rear their heads once more in a few months, and then these solar panels will be a great investment to have around.

I didn’t really know how great of an investment they were until I started looking into them a bit more. I was expecting them to cost about four times as much as they really do, which is a funny little indication of just how far the technology has come over the years. Five years ago, a little charger to charge your phone would have run you around $200 bucks. Now, it’ll run you about $50. It’s crazy how times change!

So I ordered one for myself. I decided to go with the Kiwi U-Powered Portable Power Source. I’m just planning on using it to charge my phone, but I think it’s pretty cool to possibly use it as my sole source of power to charge my phone once the sun comes back. I’ll let you know how everything turned out once I finally get to use it, so stay tuned for any updates. This is just another great example of the ways that we can all rescue ourselves from the technological slavery that oil is putting us into. If this one works out, I’m definitely going to be thinking more about solar in the future for my other projects.

The creator, Matthew Newman, details his invention:

“Each year I would go and visit family in South Africa and when arriving back I would always have the fear that our house had burnt down through an electrical fault. This fear was elevated when we moved to a new town and bought a house in need of serious renovation. So one year after we had arrived back I decided to fit a smoke alarm. Whilst fitting it I had my eureka moment. I realized that this still wouldn’t ease my fears. As the house had concrete ceilings I couldn’t get an electrical cable to the smoke alarm which then lead me to look for a battery powered smoke alarm with SMS capability.”

“I would have preferred a hard wired photoelectric smoke detector instead of a battery powered ionizing one; they are a little less sensitive and do not have radioactive isotopes in them. Also, people tend to let the batteries run down; it would be nice if it sent you a text message when it was time to replace them. However it is loaded with a lithium battery that will last two to four years in average use, and most people, like Matthew, do not have convenient wiring.”

gizmag

Photo by Patrick Gillooly via MIT News

“The sheet of paper looks like any other document that might have just come spitting out of an office printer, with an array of colored rectangles printed over much of its surface. But then a researcher picks it up, clips a couple of wires to one end, and shines a light on the paper. Instantly an LCD clock display at the other end of the wires starts to display the time,” reports MIT news.

If a technology like this made its way into homes, it could dramatically change the average person’s access to alternative energy sources. The paper solar cells can even be folded without breaking the cells. The new technology uses vapors instead of liquids to print onto the material. The printer operates at a cooler temperature than conventional printers and the printing actually takes place in a vacuum chamber.

One of the most unique proposed applications for this new solar cell technology is in the fashion world. Cells could potentially be printed on fabric and incorporated into clothing and accessories. It is already popular to add solar cells onto bags and backpacks, but now those still solar cells could be replaced with even lighter and more flexible versions. The potential for these new printable cells is limited only by the imagination.

TreeHugger

The polycarbonate-bound laptop is light-as-air, and includes two photovoltaic panels that span the computer’s cover and keyboard. This sleek design allows sunlight to shine straight through the case to the panels embedded within, generating electricity for on-the-go computing. The Luce, which means light in Italian, weighs about four pounds.

While there are still some issues to be worked out with the laptop, such as how battery intensive using the laptop would be outdoors, or the need for the brightness on the screen to be cranked up to compete with the sun’s bright light, it’d be nice to see a manufacturer take on this design and make it available to the public.

The laptop includes a battery to make up for the device’s plummeting productivity in the evening.

The Luce was shortlisted in Fujitsu’s 2011 design competition; however, there is no word on whether the company plans to turn the design into reality. Apple has also filed a patent for “harnessing external light to illuminate a display screen.”

TechCrunch

The energy saving light bulb is a neglected, yet inspiring invention. It uses 80% less energy than the traditional incandescent light bulb, while also keeping down electricity bills. Furthermore, the bulb lasts around 8 times longer than it’s incandescent counterpart.

Plumen believes that if you make the light bulb attractive, people will spend a bit more money on it and enjoy a better quality of light and a design they will appreciate every day. The use of various shaped bulbs and lighting options mean that each person can buy the bulb that best fits their design aesthetic, and in turn the bulb creates a new niche market for a necessity that has been long over-looked.

The name comes from ‘plume’—a bird’s show feather, designed to attract attention to a bird’s prowess and beauty. Plumen believes their designs do the same for the energy saving light bulb.

After much success in the UK and throughout Europe, Plumen has made some tweaks to the bulb in order to create the 110V version for the American market. The Plumen bulb will be hitting the shelves in the US this June.

The 110 V bulbs will cost nearly $30.

Source: Plumen

The flexible neck can be angled and bent in any direction to meet your lighting needs. The bright LED bulb ensures long lasting bright white and energy efficient illumination. The lamp is available in green, gray, and red.

The best part of the lamp, however, is its base. The Dino’s neck comes out of a felt-lined cup-sized container, which can store everything from pens and pencils, to greenery. By using the power of Dino’s LED lamp, you can grow your own mini eco-system. Small ferns or cacti can turn the Dino into a living lamp—just don’t forget to use a watertight planter.

Inhabitat