Earth Loving Tech

If you’re used to using Google as your search engine, you won’t mind switching to search engine/green portal ClimateGift.com. When you first go to the ClimateGift site, you’re asked to pick an organization to support, and then you’re directed to the home page. From there, you can perform searches, which appear to be results from Google, so there is no loss in quality. However, when you click the sponsored ads on ClimateGift, your supported organization receives the money from your clicks. That’s much better than just giving more money to Google, right? They have enough billions already.

Casio just introduced watches with solar panels. The G5500C model comes equipped with highly sensitive solar panels and a high capacity rechargeable battery. The watches also automatically illuminate when light is low. They’re now available for $120 each and come in red, white, and green (of course!)

The Green Daily blog just posted a nice find, Facebook groups for those of you going green:

• (Lil’) Green Patch - This program aims to fight global warming by getting sponsors to fund "save the rainforest" initiatives based on the number of users. To make the application fun, each user is given a virtual "green patch" to care for. In the patch grow cute little toadstool people [see above], which you and your friends must care for in order to increase sponsorship funds. The program’s most recent sponsor donation was made March 1, 2008 to the Adopt An Acre program of the Nature Conservancy.
• Greenbook - The creators of this program get sponsors for their page, and then use that money to invest in green programs buy CO2 offsets to even out the amount of carbon spewing out of your computer. Each time a new user adds the application, the sponsors provide Greenbook with more money, hence, more funds for green programs and offsets. Each night, the amount of carbon offsets are then divided among the users, so they can see how their participation is affecting the program.(Of course, the argument could be made that if there weren’t so many Facebook users to begin with, we wouldn’t need to offset so much carbon…)
• NRDC Action Fund - Sign up to get regular messages about how you can take action and save the environment in a variety of ways. The application tracks how many actions you have taken, and makes it easy to make a difference.

An Oregon-based company called Office Support Systems just launched a brand new "green" toner cartridge program under the Go Green Brand. For each laser cartridge you purchase, they will donate $1 and for each inkjet cartridge, they donate $0.50 towards planting a tree. The trees are planted by American Forests, who plant them for a dollar each.

In addition, Go Green encourages cartridge recycling by depositing the same amounts of credit ($1 for laser/.50 for inkjet) into customer’s accounts for returning the cartridges via prepaid FedEx envelopes.

Why shop anywhere else when you can shop this green?

In one of the most adorable green gadgets ever, the "FlowerPod" is a device invented by a Danish design collective that would link wirelessly into your electricity meter. When waste energy, it will wither and die, but when you’re being good, it will blossom. Unfortunately, the device is only a concept now. (via)

The U.S. Postal Service has just announced a no-cost program that lets you recycle small electronics and inkjet cartridges via regular mail. By teaming up with CORE Recycling Concepts, the program places free mailers in over 1500 post offices. The Post Office will then pay the shipping costs to get the electronics to Clover’s sorting centers. Once there, the electronics are either sold to companies that can re-use them or they are recycled. The program is a pilot, so it’s currently only offered in 10 cities across the country, including D.C., Chicago, L.A., and San Diego, but it could become a national program this fall if successful.

The Linutop is a small form factor desktop computer that is a low-power, low-profile machine. (It’s the thing attached to the back of the monitor in the picture). The Linutop runs the Xubuntu distro of Linux and it comes with open source software for editing Office documents and  browsing the web.

The machine has 512MB of RAM, and 1GB of solid state memory instead of a hard drive, which is enough to do basic computing tasks. The Linutop only uses 8 watts of power - most computers uses 100 and most laptops use 30.

  NatureMill is a new gadget for the kitchen. It can either fit under the counter or it can go outside. The device, made for composting, holds up to 120 lbs. of food waste. When the compost is ready to be used as fertilizer, the light turns red and you haul it out. This process normally takes about 2 weeks. Even better, the company claims the whole thing is odor-free.

Eton has created a human-powered FR 1000 Voicelink, a radio that comes with a hand crank, AM/FM tuner and NOAA frequency. A few spins of the crank is good for up to an hour of music or VOX transmission to other 2-way radios tuned to the same band. The radio also comes with a self-charging LED flashlight You can also put in 4 AA batteries or use the included AC adaptor. The radio is $150.

The E-Motion hybrid car was created by a Swedish company called Mindset. Mindset is run by VW’s former head designer, Murat Guenak. The E-Motion uses a Li-ion pack which is aided by a 24-hp motor. The car plugs in a standard wall socket to charge, plus the roof is made with solar panels, which also charge the battery. 10,000 E-Motion hybrids will be available by 2009, each costing 50,000 Euros.