23 Excellect Eco-Friendly Gadgets For A Greener Lifestyle
Being green isn’t just the political movement it once was. It means working smarter and conserving; being conscientious and responsible about your surroundings. It’s also become a big business, which is good because it’s now easier to be greener than ever, and more cost effective for you in the long run.
Check out our 2008 list of our favorite green gadgets that will help you be a little nicer to our planet.
- Dell Laptops
Dell tops off our list because of it’s most recent green, laptop initiative. By 2009, the PC manufacturing giant has announced that 80 percent of the laptops it sells by 2009 will be equipped with energy-efficient LED displays. On a 15-inch screen, LED’s use 43 percent less electricity than traditional cold cathode fluorescent lamps. Not only will this give users an average 3 to 6 hour boost in battery life, but by 2011 it will save 220 million KWh. - Audioengine A5N Speaker System
Bamboo is quickly becoming a favorite material for many component manufacturers because of its sustainability and versatility. The sound technicians over at Audioengine are exploiting bamboo for its superb acoustic properties. These A5N speakers are a great addition to any home setup, and can connect to virtually any speaker system, but has a special charging dock for iPods. A built-in subwoofer system eliminates the need for bulky external units.
The best part? These speakers are absolutely gorgeous.
- Ego Electric Scoota
This cool little guy is designed for the cost and environmentally conscious urbanite. It quick charges in 3 hours, full charges in 8, and has a top speed of 30 mph. At roughly 15 cents for a full charge, the Scoota will be able to transport you around town for up to 40 miles, which is more than enough for most city dwellers. Say goodbye to high oil prices! - D-Link Xtreme Router Series
D-Link recently updated its Xtreme series to go green, and in ways you might not expect. The routers are intelligent. They detect things like cable length and link status, adjusting power to meet the current demand. You’ll find this new, smart, green technology in the D-Link Xtreme N Gigabit Router DIR-665, Xtreme N Duo Media Router DIR-855, and the Xtreme N Gaming Router DGL-4500. - Robomower RL850
This is just plain cool. Who hasn’t dreamed of having a robot servant, taking care of all your dirty, time consuming chores? The Robomower does just that. Simply install the charging station and guidance wires around your lawn, and the Robomower handles the rest. The Robomower uses no gasoline or oil, and emits no emissions, making it one of the cleanest mowers available. It also comes with onboard sensors to work it’s way around obstacles. When the grass is cut, it simply returns to it’s charging station. The Robomower starts at $1,499.99. - The Spotlight - Rechargeable LED Car Socket Flashlights
This is one of the ideas that you wish it came by default with the original package. What you see above are little rechargeable LED flashlights that sit in the electrical charge socket (formerly, cigarette lighters) of your vehicle. Pull it out when you need it, turn the top and you’ve got hours of bright LED light.
Seriously, though - how come car manufacturers don’t include this by default? The Spotlight costs £12.99, or roughly 24 US dollars, and is available from flashwear.com
- Solar-Powered iPhone Protective Case
Brando has developed this slick case for all iPhones (2G/3G), that comes with a built in battery and solar charger. The battery on the case can be charged either by USB or through the solar cells in a total of 12 hours, which can then be used to power the iPhone in 3 hours. The price is right, too. You’ll be able to pick one up from Brando for $48.00. - Philips Eco-TV
The 42PFL5603D TV from Philips is a 42″ 1080p high def monster in all respects, except for its energy consumption. The TV sips a meager average 75 Watts (compared to 100+ Watts of comprably sized models). The TV accomplishes this by dimming dark pixels, thus saving on energy expenditure and simultaneously improving picture quality. It also contains ambient light sensors to detect the brightness of the surrounding room, adjusting the brightness and intensity of the image accordingly. - Solar Deck Lighting
These solar deck lights are stylistically head and shoulders above the rest. They are also super-sturdy, made of heavy, cast-aluminum. They run for 5 hours on a charge and are actually on sale right now, for 14.99 a unit.
- ATP 8GB EarthDrive
The Earthdrive is a recyclable 8GB flash drive made from bio-recycled materials. It’s dust and waterproof, and the best part is that when you purchase one for $48 (which is a very reasonable price, given the size of the drive). part of the profits are donated to plant new trees! - Fabrik’s (re)drive - The Eco-Friendly USB External Hard Drive
This 500 GB external drive from Fabrik is eco all the way. Not only does the drive itself use minimal power, but there are no fans in the box. All cooling takes place by dissipating heat through the recycled aluminum casing. Slick styling comes to courtesy of renewable bamboo. - NatureMill Pro
This indoor composting unit combines a mixture of heat, motion. air flow, and moisture to effectively (and odorlessly) compost your organic waste. The unit is about the size of a small trash can, making it a perfect fit for cabinets beneath the sink. It’s also very low powered. When your compost is ready, simply slide out the hidden tray, and cart it away to your garden. Over the life of the machine, you can save over 2 tons of waste. - Solar Umbrella Globe Lights
These glowing globes are a perfect compliment to any outdoor dining experience. Simply attach them to your outdoor umbrella and they’ll come on when the sun goes down. A 10″ solar panel charges them during the daytime. - Dell’s Studio Hybrid
We’ve mentioned them before, but Dell really pulls out all the stops with its diminutive studio line of PC’s. The processor in these computers uses 70% less power than a typical processor, and is rated as Energy Star 4.0 compliant. Check out that sick bamboo casing in the center! - Asus EeeBox
The EeeBox is part of Asus’ EeePC line, and features low power consumption innards, many of which were originally developed for mobile computing. However, they’re perfectly suited for the desktop computing realm as well. As a bonus, you can go online from a cold boot up in only 7 seconds! - Audi Travolution
The Audi Travolution is an onboard guidance system that syncs with surrounding traffic lights and vehicles. This communication allows the computer to calculate the correct speed the driver should go to hit as many green lights as possible, allowing the driver to not waste gas by constantly accelerating and decelerating. Granted, this isn’t in production just yet, but how long will it be before it becomes a standard feature on all cars, similar to the ubiquity we’re seeing with GPS now? - Solio
What may look like a handheld fan is actually a collapsible solar charger, deftly able to charge most gadgets from the most remote locations. Sturdy, small, and efficient. 170$ will get you one. - Solar Breeze Pool Skimmer
There are other robotic pool skimmers out there, but the Solar Breeze is the only one I know of that is solar powered. It skims along the surface, catching debris before it sinks below the waters, keeping your pool cleaner, longer. The only way you’d get a cleaner pool is if you hired a pool boy. - SOLO Solar Table
This nice, little, weatherproof table is designed to sit outside and soak up some rays, converting them into useful electricity for you. Equipped with USB, Bluetooth, 12-volt car socket, and LCD screen, this table will be able to charge all your gadgets throughout the year. - Nissan Eco-Pedal
I’m not exactly sure how much I like this idea, but I’ll (at least pretend to) be open to new ideas. The eco-pedal pushes back on the driver’s foot, ensuring that they accelerate at the most efficient rate for the vehicle, thus conserving fuel. Initial tests have shown it to save up to 10% - HP and Walmart Laptop Offering
HP and Walmart recently teamed up to help the environment by getting rid of PC packaging and instead, offering computers in stylish tote bags! By doing so, they’ve eliminated the need for all sorts of cardboard, foam, and plastic packaging, that would otherwise end up in a landfill. Kudos! - Asus Ecobook
Another great product from Asus that deserves mentioning is the Ecobook, the laptop with the smooth bamboo casing. Less plastics is always a good thing - just don’t let your computer get termites, which would bring new meaning to the phrase “computer bug.” - Nokia Evolve
The Evolve from Nokia is a cell phone with the planet in mind. The phone is made from 50% renewable materials and uses 94% less energy than Energy Star requirements. Granted, it’s not iPhone, but you can’t do much better if you’re looking to help the planet.
Hopefully these gadgets and others like them will make the world a little greener as technology marches on. Do you have any other gadgets to add? Make your voice heard in the comments below!
