In today’s world, you’re never alone, what with a variety of gadgets to keep you plugged in (or wirelessly connected) to the global network at all times. But each new gadget is a new electronic mouth to feed, a new energy drain on the grid and your finances. So, how about some free energy? Sounds pretty good, right?
Enter the Surge, a new Apple-approved solar charger from solar-tech innovator Novothink, designed for the latest generations of iPod Touch and iPhone 3G. Slide your gadget into the Surge case and a solar panel on the back will power it up. LED indicators let you know if there’s sufficient sun to charge or how much charge you have left and an internal battery stores up energy until it’s needed. The Surge also has a USB port for conventional charging and syncing with iTunes, so it’s still totally functional even if you hit a stretch of bad weather. The best part is that this handy green (or blue, pink or black ) gadget charges itself automatically whenever there’s enough sun. No more worrying about if you charged your iPod or how you’re going to keep your phone powered on that camping trip. Expected to hit the market soon at a fairly reasonable price of $70, the Surge promises to get you off the grid and still keep you connected¾provided you’ve got the latest Apple gadgets, that is. Let’s hope it delivers.
Also coming soon is the K3 charger, a solar/wind/USB charger designed to work with a variety of gadgets from phones to media players to cameras. This “tri-brid” charger was supposed to hit the market this summer but it has yet to arrive, so keep on the lookout.
Green electronic accessories are great, but don’t forget to do your best to buy green electronics themselves. Both Sprint and Motorola are promoting their own “green” cell phones; Sprint is pushing the Samsung Reclaim, made from 80% recyclable materials, while Motorola offers the Renew, made from recycled plastic bottles and shipped with a prepaid return envelope for recycling. Or check out this quirky list of gadgets that the NY Times Green Inc. blog compiled last Christmas.
It certainly isn’t easy to find the greenest gadgets out with all the greenwashing going on, but independent evaluators like EPEAT and Greenpeace’s Guide to Green Electronics can help you pick products based on the manufacturer’s general practices.
Possibly the most important part of any electronics ownership, environmentally speaking, is what to do with it when it kicks the bucket. MyGreenElectronics, run by the Consumer Electronics Association, has some helpful ideas about how to dispose of your unwanted gadgets responsibly.
Source: BecauseAction.com
