green-tech

My big home entertainment system includes a giant TV, Xbox 360, Blu-ray player, Apple TV, and surround sound system--and an HDMI switch that ties them all together. I'm not sure I want to know how much power these devices leech daily through one surge protector. But Fujitsu wants me to know, and it knows guilt is a powerful motivator.

The company has developed a power strip and companion software that can visually graph power usage on a connected PC to keep people in tune with their energy use. It uses power sensors in each outlet of the power strip … Read more

Are you thinking of new ways to go green this spring? Try getting a new AT&T Zero Charger for your cell phone, which will stop drawing an electrical charge if your charger is plugged into the wall, but the phone isn't attached.

Conventional chargers continue to draw power when devices are plugged into a wall, even when the battery has finished charging or when no device is attached to the charger. AT&T said Wednesday that it will soon be selling this replacement cell phone charger starting in May for $29.99.

The AT&T Zero Charger automatically senses when a mobile phone is not plugged up to the charger and it cuts the power supply from the wall socket. Other devices, including TVs, computers, and all kinds of home appliances, also draw power from the power grid when they are plugged in even if they aren't turned on. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that standby power makes up as much as 20 percent of home energy use in the U.S.

The amount of power that is consumed by individual phone chargers plugged into the wall is small. But when you add it up over a long period of time, it can be significant. For example, AT&T estimates that if 80 percent of the wireless subscribers left their cell phone chargers plugged into a wall for a year, their phones would draw enough electricity to power 24,000 homes for a year, or brew 3 to 4 million cups of coffee each day.

The wireless operator wouldn't specify which of its phone will use the Zero charger. But spokeswoman Jeannie Hornung said it will be available for AT&T's "most popular devices." Judging from the picture AT&T provided, it will work with at least some BlackBerry phones. And the USB interface could mean that it will be compatible with the Apple iPhone. Details about the phones that can use the charger will be available closer to the launch of the product, Hornung said.

The new Zero Charger can also help environmentally-conscious wireless users stay green by reducing the number of cell phone chargers that eventually get thrown away.… Read more

I recently saw the film "2012," where Earth appears to finally tire of the human race and decides to get rid of us. That, coupled with what seems to be an increasing number of natural disasters, makes me think that maybe it's time we take this green-tech thing seriously.

Apparently I'm not alone. Last week in New York, eco-minded thinkers gathered for Greener Gadgets, a conference aimed at sharing ideas for environmentally friendly gizmos. One stand-out event was the Green Gadgets Design Competition, where concepts from around the world were voted on by the public, then assessed by a panel of judges, as well as audience members.

First place went to a concept app using an iPhone as a demo. The Augmented Living Goods project, invented by a student in the U.S., uses your smartphone's camera to scan the bar code on produce. It then consults a database and, after fixing your position with GPS, tells you how far your potential food has traveled and if it's currently in season locally, as well as historical pricing among other data that's useful for helping consumers make more informed, sustainable choices in what they purchase and eat.

Second place went to something I'd actually like to see in every apartment in the near future. It's a solar panel with two integrated USB chargers. As more and more gadgets (cell phones, iPods, digital cameras, etc.) start adopting USB "trickle" charging, the demand for USB power goes up. This Illumi-Charger by U.S.-based GreenWaves.org stores power when it's not charging your devices in integrated batteries. That way the bottleneck is in the USB interface, not the amount of light it's absorbing. Pretty smart. … Read more

It's nice when people care about something. Even when those people are actors.

So you might enjoy this strongly worded PSA from the NRDC Action Fund that features, among others, Leonardo DiCaprio and Edward Norton, as well as Justin Long, Mac from the "Get a Mac" campaign.

The Natural Resources Defense Council is desperate for everyone to e-mail their senators repeatedly in order to elicit their support for the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act.

The idea behind this bill is to change America's dependence on oil that it buys from, as the NRDC puts it, &… Read more

President Obama used his State of the Union address on Wednesday evening to reiterate his administration's commitment to taxpayer-subsidized solar cells, clean coal, and biofuel technology.

The comments were not as much a call for new initiatives as they were a summary of what his administration has already announced, including a $2.3 billion tax credit unveiled earlier this month, and the proposals the president outlined last fall in a speech at MIT.

One surprise that few people would have anticipated only a few years ago: a mention of biofuels and clean coal received moderate applause. What drew the … Read more

U.S. President Barack Obama unveiled a $2.3 billion tax credit on Friday to boost jobs by promoting clean energy, as new data showed the country's unemployment rate remained stuck in the double digits.

Obama said the credit, from funds earmarked under a $787 billion stimulus package he signed last February, would create 17,000 U.S. jobs and be matched by an additional $5 billion in private capital.

"Building a robust clean-energy sector is how we will create the jobs of the future, jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced," Obama said.

"… Read more

You'd be hard-pressed to come up with a single definition for "green" or "sustainable" in the context of consumer electronics. However, with green-themed gear touching on many areas, there will be more people trying at this year's International CES.

The Sustainable Planet zone will have more than 30 exhibitors, up from 20 in 2009 and nine in 2008. There will also be energy efficiency related goods sprinkled throughout the conference as makers of everything from TVs to laundry washing machines look to differentiate themselves on efficiency.

The Consumer Electronics Association is also taking steps … Read more

They tell us not to drive Hummers.

They tell us to disconnect our cell phone chargers, once our cell phones are juiced. They tell us to switch off our laptops, burn candles rather than electric light, and sail boats rather than fly planes.

But do they ever tell us to wean ourselves off the animals that we cynically use as substitutes for our failed relationships with other humans?

I only ask because an article from the New Scientist has wafted in front of my breakfast bowl and slapped me about my flappy jowls.

Quoting such luminous organizations as the Stockholm Environment Institute at York, UK, … Read more

California regional finalists for the Cleantech Open were announced Wednesday.

Think of the Cleantech Open, which started in 2006, as a Western divisions-only March Madness for environmental techies looking for funding. Contestants initially compete against each other in three Western U.S. regions: California, Rocky Mountain, and Pacific Northwest. Since its inception, the contest has garnered more than $125 million in funding for its contestants, according to Cleantech. It's also helped companies like Cool Earth Solar, and GreenVolts get noticed.

This year the California region judges had an initial pool of 278 teams, which it narrowed down to 49 … Read more