Some high-tech gadgets are going green
Many electronics product makers, retailers, government agencies and other watchdog groups are beating the drum loudly for eco-consciousness. Some examples:
Green power: CREDO Mobile, a phone service reseller with limited service in Lincoln, has introduced three cool, eco-friendly accessories.
Most intriguing is the world’s first Bluetooth headset powered by a built-in solar cell. While the panel is tiny and discretely positioned, the CREDO Iqua Solar is sensitive enough to be charged up in any available light and sells for $99.99.
Also new to the brand is the CREDO Tread handset case ($24.95), made from recycled tires that otherwise would be burned or added to landfills, and the CREDO Solio Charger ($99.95), a solar-powered charger that revs up cell phones, iPods, digital cameras and other devices.
For more information, visit www.credomobile.com.
Hollywood goes green: About a pound of carbon dioxide is foisted on the world from the manufacturing, packaging and distribution of a single DVD.
But at the recent Green Media Conference, executives of Hollywood studios like Walt Disney, Fox and Warner Home Video vowed to reduce that carbon footprint by 25 percent through more eco-friendly packaging and shipping techniques.
A perfect example of this is Warner’s new DVD release “The 11th Hour,” which comes in a cardboard package made of 100 percent certified renewable resources. Not coincidentally, this well-reviewed documentary, produced and narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, explores the state of our planet and points the way toward improving the environment.
Warner is taking a financial bath but hopes to make a big point here. The alternative packaging is more labor intensive to create than a conventional, plastic-cased DVD, but it’s being sold for a bargain $4.99.
The studio will repeat the noble mission with its May 27 release “Darfur Now,” another message movie.
Consciousness-raising: Samsung and Toshiba score highest in Greenpeace’s latest Guide to Greener Electronics. At the bottom of the heap, surprisingly, is family-friendly game-console maker Nintendo, which has been unwilling to share any information about its eco-practices with the environmental group.
The enviro-group’s rating of manufacturers is weighted most strongly by the presence (or absence) of toxic chemicals in their products.
“We are building an Eiffel Tower of waste every 70 hours,” declared Greenpeace spokesperson Zeina Al-Hajj.
To a lesser degree, Greenpeace also rates product-makers on their recycling efforts. Trailing the leaders by a few points was Sony — the only company that will have a TV recycling facility in all 50 states this year (Nebraska’s isn’t open yet). Also on the list: mobile phone giant Nokia and computer makers Lenovo and Dell.
Retail consciousness: Staples sure wants to be your home office product recycling center.
Through May, the store, which has outlets in Omaha and Fremont, is running a printer recycling campaign with HP, taking back any printer in return for $50 off a new, energy-efficient HP printer that sells for more than $159.
Also, any computer and other office equipment (purchased there or not) can be unloaded at Staples for a recycling fee of $10 per item.
Newer items that still have some value — laptops, desktops, digital cameras and LCD monitors — can be recycled in exchange for a Staples coupon. Go to www.staples.com/greensight to calculate the trade-in value and print out a UPS label for free shipping to Staples.
Green power: CREDO Mobile, a phone service reseller with limited service in Lincoln, has introduced three cool, eco-friendly accessories.
Most intriguing is the world’s first Bluetooth headset powered by a built-in solar cell. While the panel is tiny and discretely positioned, the CREDO Iqua Solar is sensitive enough to be charged up in any available light and sells for $99.99.
Also new to the brand is the CREDO Tread handset case ($24.95), made from recycled tires that otherwise would be burned or added to landfills, and the CREDO Solio Charger ($99.95), a solar-powered charger that revs up cell phones, iPods, digital cameras and other devices.
For more information, visit www.credomobile.com.
Hollywood goes green: About a pound of carbon dioxide is foisted on the world from the manufacturing, packaging and distribution of a single DVD.
But at the recent Green Media Conference, executives of Hollywood studios like Walt Disney, Fox and Warner Home Video vowed to reduce that carbon footprint by 25 percent through more eco-friendly packaging and shipping techniques.
A perfect example of this is Warner’s new DVD release “The 11th Hour,” which comes in a cardboard package made of 100 percent certified renewable resources. Not coincidentally, this well-reviewed documentary, produced and narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, explores the state of our planet and points the way toward improving the environment.
Warner is taking a financial bath but hopes to make a big point here. The alternative packaging is more labor intensive to create than a conventional, plastic-cased DVD, but it’s being sold for a bargain $4.99.
The studio will repeat the noble mission with its May 27 release “Darfur Now,” another message movie.
Consciousness-raising: Samsung and Toshiba score highest in Greenpeace’s latest Guide to Greener Electronics. At the bottom of the heap, surprisingly, is family-friendly game-console maker Nintendo, which has been unwilling to share any information about its eco-practices with the environmental group.
The enviro-group’s rating of manufacturers is weighted most strongly by the presence (or absence) of toxic chemicals in their products.
“We are building an Eiffel Tower of waste every 70 hours,” declared Greenpeace spokesperson Zeina Al-Hajj.
To a lesser degree, Greenpeace also rates product-makers on their recycling efforts. Trailing the leaders by a few points was Sony — the only company that will have a TV recycling facility in all 50 states this year (Nebraska’s isn’t open yet). Also on the list: mobile phone giant Nokia and computer makers Lenovo and Dell.
Retail consciousness: Staples sure wants to be your home office product recycling center.
Through May, the store, which has outlets in Omaha and Fremont, is running a printer recycling campaign with HP, taking back any printer in return for $50 off a new, energy-efficient HP printer that sells for more than $159.
Also, any computer and other office equipment (purchased there or not) can be unloaded at Staples for a recycling fee of $10 per item.
Newer items that still have some value — laptops, desktops, digital cameras and LCD monitors — can be recycled in exchange for a Staples coupon. Go to www.staples.com/greensight to calculate the trade-in value and print out a UPS label for free shipping to Staples.
Copyright © 2002-2008 Lincoln Journal Star. All rights reserved.