By Zachary Shahan •
November 9, 2009
Zerofootprint has created a new “TalkingPlug” that will help you to better monitor the energy usage of different appliances and electronics. How? By making your electrical sockets smarter.
Zerofootprint already helps corporations and governments in evaluating and reducing their carbon emissions through various methods. It also helps households through innovative technologies such as this one. This new TalkingPlug is for corporations or households (or anyone with electrical sockets) and will have an initial price tag of about $50. The price may go down considerably if it can make the product on a larger scale.
How does it work? What are its advantages compared to Google’s PowerMeter and other similar up and coming technologies?
By Fred Etcheverry •
September 27, 2009
We need a new model for production and consumption. According to World Watch, “If the consumption aspiration of the wealthiest of nations cannot be satiated, the prospects for corralling consumption everywhere before it strips and degrades our planet beyond recognition would appear to be bleak”
By Lisa Wojnovich •
July 16, 2009
Researchers at the University of York have recently come up with a method of recycling that seems like it fell from the pages of a science fiction novel. They want to turn discarded television screens into components for biomedicine.
By Dave Levitan •
April 7, 2009
The Environmental Protection Agency has launched the National Cell Phone Recycling Week as part of the month-long Earth Day festivities. If all 100 million unwanted phones were recycled now it would save enough energy to power 18,500 homes for one full year.
Are you looking for a community, environmental project for your family? Keep America Beautiful is launching its 2009 Great American Cleanup today with its campaign “Green Starts Here”.
The Great American Cleanup begins today with a national launch event in Waveland, Miss., which will help restore a hurricane-ravaged town along the Gulf Coast. It will continue through May 31 with additional national events being held in New York City on Earth Day and Nashville on May 14.
Millions of volunteers will work to rid streets, waterways and public spaces of litter and illegal dumpsites. Communities will green up parks, schoolyards and other public spaces and hold recycling drives and educational events.
By Ariel Schwartz •
January 8, 2009
Apparently, a group of TV zombies have taken over the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Why? Because all those supposedly “green” electronics being exhibited are actually heading to the dumpster after they’ve died.
2008 was a banner year for sustainablog, and we want to end it as strongly as we started. So, for the next twelve days, I’ll take a look back at some of the best and most memorable posts from the past year.
Let me start off, though, by expressing my immense gratitude to all of the writers who contributed during 2008. This was our first full year as a multi-author blog, and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the way it turned out. Some of the writers I’ll mention have moved on; others on coming on board. I’m grateful for the inspiration you’ve all brought to the blog over the past year, and look forward with anticipation to what the new year brings us.
January 2008
Like New Year’s fireworks, January started off with a bang. Here are a few great posts to remember:
By Becky Striepe •
November 18, 2008
[Image credit: Jason Penner at Flickr under a Creative Commons license]
Americans produce millions of tons of e-waste each year. Our old computers, cameras, VCRs and so on are full of toxic substances that, if disposed of improperly, are terrible for our ecosystem. Sony is teaming up with Waste Management to help consumers responsibly dispose of e-waste. They’re hosting events across the U.S. and accepting TVs, computer monitors, computer systems, VCRs, DVDs, cameras, phones and other consumer electronics.
By Ariel Schwartz •
October 8, 2008
Finally, scientists have come up with a way to combine my two favorite things: music and sugar. Japanese researchers report in the latest issue of Energy and Environmental Science that they have created a biofuel cell that uses enzymes to break down sugars. Four of the cells combined produce 100 milliwatts of power— enough to run an MP3 player with speakers or a remote-controlled car.
By Becky Striepe •
September 22, 2008
[image by IamSAM]
The average American replaces an old cell phone with a new one about every year and a half. With around 256 million cell phone users in the U.S., that’s a lot of electronic waste. Because we replace them so often, cell phones are major contributors to the “wireless waste” in this country.
Cell phones contain a number of toxins that build up in the environment over time, like arsenic, antimony, beryllium, cadmium, copper, lead, nickel and zinc. These chemicals are linked to all sorts of nasty health problems, such as neurological disorders and cancer. That’s the bad news. The good news is, there are lots of free, easy ways to safely dispose of your old cell phone and keep it out of the landfill. Rather than pitching your old phone in the trash, check out a few ways you can use your old phone to do good or even score some cash!
By Ariel Schwartz •
September 16, 2008
It’s that time of year again—Greenpeace has released the 9th edition of The Guide to Greener Electronics. The guide scores companies based on a set of criteria for chemicals, e-waste, and energy.
This year, Nokia regained its first place crown with a rating of 7 out of 10 points. The company performed well in a variety of areas— it has an excellent take-back policy in India, and all new products since 2005 are vinyl-plastic (PVC) free. Additionally, all models released after 2009 will be free of brominated flame retardants (BFR) and antimony trioxide.
