Green Options

In this tight economy, families are looking for ways to cut their spending and to save money. One easy way to save on monthly costs and stretch your budget is by cutting your phone bill down to size.

The Telecommunications Research & Action Center (TRAC) has just published their guide to slimming down your phone bills, which can save you up to half on your phone service.

GoodCleanTech reports that the Sony Ericsson Greenheart Concept phone was spotted at a Sony event last week in Copenhagen. The phone will be an amalgam of “green” factors, including a bio-plastic shell, HTML-based manuals, a recycled plastic keypad and an energy-efficient charger that uses only 3.5 mW of power during standby.

I dislike electronic toys for children, such as so-called “educational” toys made by LeapFrog.  As I have stated before, I think that children learn more from playing with wooden blocks than any battery operated gizmo can teach them, but what about other tech devices, such as iPods and digital cameras?  At what is it appropriate for a child have these “grown up” toys?

Ever since my daughter could hold our camera, we have shared it with her. Last year, her grandmother decided to buy her a digital camera for her birthday.  At first, we looked at several digital cameras designed for children; however, in the end, we decided to buy her a real camera that would last her many years. The quality of children’s digital cameras is poor, and we have made a commitment to giving gifts that last our children as many years as possible.  As an eco mom, I won’t buy junky toy emulations of technology designed for children that will only break and end up in a landfill.  As an artist and a photographer, I felt a good camera would help my young child develop her artistic expression.  Her compositions amaze me, and her photographs help me view the world through her “lens”.  I can see what is important or interesting to her by what she photographs.

With an eye to making it in the record books, Mr. Tan of Songyuan city in China, spent the last six months creating an exact, 48 lb, fully functional replica of his cell phone with camera and internet access included.

He did, however, leave out the vibrate function, which was probably a good idea, and he couldn’t find a battery big enough to power the phone, so he has to plug it into a wall outlet.

Click to Continue Reading