Green Options

The green movement has fostered many new socially conscious startups , among them is New York based Green Irene. Founded by husband-wife entrepreneurs PJ Stafford and Rosamaria Caballero Stafford, Green Irene’s mission is to green the planet by showing home and business owners simple changes they can make to help save the planet - and save money in the process.

For years, the consumer electronics industry has taken a bad rap with the green community - and deservedly so.  Cheap electronics components eat up considerable natural resources, need cheap labor to produce, and until recently, have been designed to be “throw-aways” when the latest and greatest widget comes along.

Nothing is ever black and white, or all bad without traces of good.  The world is full of grey areas, and electronics also create positive change. 

When driving to an new destination the other day, I noticed that I used much less gas because of my GPS than I normally would.  In the old days before Google maps and GPS technology, I used to get lost at least once, call on my cell phone or stop at the gas station to get directions, and generally take more time and fuel than necessary. 

Some will say this is just spatial ineptness - but I am willing to bet that others have had this problem too!

Luna Road Lights is looking at road safety, driven by the sun. In the Luna Road concept, solar-powered LEDs known as “cat eyes” line the edges and lanes of roads. The intent is a clean, green life-preserver that enables better night awareness.

According to a Luna Road press release published online by LEDs Magazine:

Luna Road Lights removes the need for car headlights to reflect on conventional road markers in order to provide nighttime visibility. The increased illuminated visibility delivered by the Luna Road Lights will serve as a warning indication to drivers on the road from miles away, providing drivers with more visual information, allowing them to average more effectively while driving, in addition to increasing the decision making time for drivers on the roads at night.

Fantastic.

Instead of lights that get shredded along with the tree when the Christmas season is over, the LED lights now adorning the huge holiday symbol are re-usable…and a lot more energy efficient.