Environment
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Alcatel goes green, reduces packaging
It seems mobile operators and now their handset suppliers are starting to take the environment into consideration -- three by our reckoning, and in only a couple months -- by doing favors for ol' mother nature. Alcatel, working in conjunction with Carbon Footprint has tweaked the packaging of its new device line and made it three times smaller. This is of course environmentally pleasant from an energy consumed perspective, reduced shipping costs, and in shrinking the piles on the desks at Engadget Mobile. Packaging is useful for shipping, but if you're picking up your mobile at a corporate store, the handset, a CD, and whatever cables are required really is enough. Thank you Alcatel, from the very bottoms of our hearts -- now if only somebody would work on the impossible-to-open-without-a-saw shrink packaging.[Via textually.org]
Nintendo hearts the environment
The train of good press for Nintendo just keeps chugging along. The latest piece comes from GoNintendo, who had a reader contact Nintendo about their environmental policies. The full response can be found after the break, but a couple things that stand out are that Nintendo purchases recycled paper towels, report covers, message pads, and writing pads. They also use 80% recycled paper in all their shipping packaging.So, now that we know what Nintendo does to help save our little planet, we wonder what Microsoft and Sony do? We doubt that either tests their products on animals, but are they using recycled toilet paper (not used, there's a difference) and recycling 70% of the waste from their headquarters? We don't know about Sony, but at least we know that Microsoft recycles their broken Xbox 360s. Oh come on, it had to be said.
River Glow project detects pollution with style
We've seen pigeons that monitor pollution and cement that eats pollution, but for eye-catchiness and do-goodedness, it's tough to beat Soo-in Yang and David Benjamin's River Glow project, which provides a light show as it keeps an eye on water quality. Built with a budget of $1,000, the current bathtub-bound prototype system consists of an LED connected to uncoated fiber optic strands, which gets triggered when the pH sensor detects changes in water quality. What's more, the whole thing's apparently powered by a single AA battery, which is recharged using floating strips of thin film photovoltaics. Presumably, that'd be scaled up before it gets let loose in some larger waterways (as seen above), although it's not clear when or if that'll happen.[Via Inhabitat]
TVonics environmentally friendly DVR-250 offers up Freeview tuning
It wasn't too long ago that the Aussies got special treatment with the Australia-centric Beyonwiz DP-S1, and now the Brits in attendance can stop pouting and perk up a bit thanks to the sleek TVonics DVR-250. The UK-friendly digital video recorder sports a stylish black enclosure, a 250GB hard drive, built-in Freeview tuner, one-touch recording, an additional tuner for watching one program whilst recording another, eight-day EPG, and a universal remote to control your AV setup from the comforts of your sofa. Additionally, this device boasts "reduced power consumption" in comparison to its competitors, and claims to be "environmentally friendly" due to the carefully selected components used in construction. Nevertheless, the DVR-250 can be snapped up now for £189.99 ($376) by those looking for OTA recording abilities across the pond.[Via TechDigest]
HP launches environmentally friendly rp5700 slim desktop PC
As the green trend looms ever larger over the consumer electronics industry, HP is taking full advantage of the opportunity by unveiling the environmentally friendly rp5700 slim desktop PC. The company toots its own horn by boasting about the Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) Gold award that the machine has garnered, and we'd assume that building it from 95-percent recyclable components and packing it in a box made from at least 25-percent post-consumer recycled cardboard had something to do with it. Additionally, the unit sports an uber-efficient power supply and comes with "an optional solar renewable energy source" to extract juice from the sun. As for hardware, you'll find Intel Core 2 Duo chips up to 2.13GHz, up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, SATA hard drives as large as 250GB, optional RAID 1 setups, and your choice of operating system. Of course, the EPEAT Gold-certified machine steps it down to a Celeron 440 CPU with 512MB of RAM, and while this particular configuration will start at $817, other options are available today from $648 right on up.[Via Slashgear]
All New York taxis to be hybrids by 2012
It wasn't too long ago that next-generation taxis were being demoed at the NY International Automobile Show, but unless those roadsters sport gas sipping hybrid engines, they won't survive past 2012 in the Big Apple. Reportedly, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has ordered that every last one of NY's taxis operate on hybrid engines by 2012 as a part of an obvious plan to reduce emissions in the state. Once the transition is complete, Bloomberg noted that it would be the "largest, cleanest fleet of taxis anywhere on the planet," but considering that only 375 of the approximate 13,000 licensed taxis are currently in compliance, we'd say they've got a long ways to go. Currently, NYC has approved nine gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles for use as taxis, and while it has yet to be set in stone, officials are purportedly looking into extending the hybrid initiative to encompass garbage trucks and buses.[Via CNET, photo courtesy of MashedPeas]
Debunking ZDnet on Intel and power consumption
Earlier this week, ZDnet blogger Paul Murphy posted a full-bore critique of Apple's move from PPC to Intel processors from the perspective of power consumption. By his calculations, the shift to the new processor architecture added hundreds of gigawatts to the energy cost of the Mac population, and thousands of tons of carbon to the atmosphere every year. His tongue-clucking extends to Apple's most visible environmental activist, board member Al Gore, who he says "not only voted for the MacTel switch, but actively campaigned on Intel's behalf prior to the vote," thereby adding pollution to the air while "hurt[ing] America's economic diversity" by cutting IBM out of the Mac processor market.If your response to this is "Wha?!? Everyone knows that the Intel switch was about LESS power consumption per cycle," well, apparently, everyone but Mr. Murphy. Over at Roughly Drafted, there's a precise and scathing debunking of these bogus statistics and correspondingly off-the-wall conclusions. The core points: the numbers for Intel power consumption are off track for the actual Mac configurations; the PowerPC low chip power figures are for the embedded-system versions (not the G4 and G5 that Apple used); CPU power consumption doesn't contribute nearly as much as, say, CRT power usage (which Apple replaced with low-power flat displays); and, the PowerPC platform is doing fine without Apple as a customer, thanks very much. To sum up, every new Intel Mac uses less power than the older Mac (or, dare we say it, vintage PC) it replaces, and Murphy's carbon calculations are full of hot air.
UCSD's Squirrel puts pollution monitoring on your mobile
Giving an animal a phone to tote around and monitor pollution is one thing, but hooking up a critter to your cellphone sans wires sounds like a much more viable solution to keeping track of filthy surroundings. UC San Diego's Squirrel -- which sounds an awful lot like a project UC Berkeley was working on -- is a Bluetooth-enabled, palm-sized sensor that currently measures carbon monoxide and ozone, but eventually will be able to "sample nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide in the air, as well as temperature, barometric pressure, and humidity." After sampling, the device then utilizes a software application dubbed Acorn to allow the user to "see the current pollution alerts through a screensaver on the cellphone's display." Furthermore, the program can periodically upload the captured data to a public database operated by the "California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2), which is funding Squirrel's development." Of course, cleaning up the mess that these monitors will inevitably find is an entirely different matter.[Via MedGadget]
Steve Jobs talks "A Greener Apple", LED backlit Macs this year
In his second public letter in recent times, Steve Jobs has responded to high profile accusations from environmental organizations that Apple is not taking the matter of the environment seriously enough, with a point by point article that highlights Apple's record and puts forward improvements for the future. Going down the list of toxic chemicals usually found in computers, Steve highlights Apple's elimination of lead packed CRTs, compliance with strict European Union regulations regarding cadmium, hexavalent chromium and brominated flame retardants, the expectence that Apple will recycle 30% of the weight of all its products by 2010, and most interestingly, makes the announcement that Apple plans to "introduce our first Macs with LED backlight technology in 2007". There's no question that this little tidbit will be enough to satisfy the average Apple addict -- LED MacBook Pro anyone? -- but will the environmental brief be enough to placate the rather passionate Greenpeace?[Via digg]
Steve on a Greener Apple
Some environmentalists have been a bit down on Apple. Today, Steve responds to those criticisms, writing "[u]pon investigating Apple's current practices and progress towards these goals, I was surprised to learn that in many cases Apple is ahead of, or will soon be ahead of, most of its competitors in these areas. Whatever other improvements we need to make, it is certainly clear that we have failed to communicate the things that we are doing well." He writes that Apple has been removing toxic chemicals from products and promoting product recycling. Did you know that a typical CRT contains 3 pounds of lead? I didn't. Apple no longer sells them, having eliminated the use of CRT's in 2006. Apple's eWaste program continues to grow. In 2006, Apple recycled just under 10% by weight of the products sold seven years earlier. This seems to be in line with Dell and HP's figures, each at about 10%. Apple's 10% iPod trade-in discount will now expand to Apple stores worldwide. And Apple is exploring the overall carbon "footprint" of their products although some scientists controversially question the need for this particular approach. Thanks everyone who alerted us to this new Hotnews item.
Blow Light: the wind generated LED toy
While the message of living a greener life seems to be pounded into our ears on a regular basis, it's never too early to get your offspring in on the energy-conserving fun. The Blow Light toy from Nigel's Eco Store features a simplistic, kid-friendly design that's sure to require a lot of attention, as the miniature pinwheel doesn't light up and excite without a little effort on your youngster's behalf. The internal blue and green LED lights remain dormant until a gust of wind (or hot air) starts the spinning, subsequently lighting up the device and eliciting smiles all around. Of course, with no batteries required, the price on this uber-green toy tends to be a bit higher than the mass market alternatives, but at least your £9.99 ($20) won't be fueling the proverbial fire.[Via Inhabitat]
Apple shareholders to vote on green
Apple shareholders will vote on removing hazardous chemicals from the Apple product line at the upcoming May 10th annual meeting according to Macworld. Apple's board thinks Apple already has sufficient environmental standards and opposes the resolution, which was introduced by Trillium Asset Management of Boston. Trillium, an investment firm, specializes in "socially responsible investments". The chemicals in question include brominated flame retardents and polyvinyl chloride plastics.
Corporations finding green in going green
A select few have already discovered just how lucrative going green can be, but for mega-corps around the globe, this year's Earth Day was just as much about earning green as it was recycling. While throngs of companies have already instituted programs to recollect and recycle customer's obsolete gear, outfits are now looking for easy money in selling scrap material, used plastics, hardware components, and "refurbished PCs," all while tooting their own horn and eliciting a good bit of positive PR love along the way. According to IDC analysts, the global demand for such junk unusual treasures is on the rise, making it easier for companies such as Dell, Apple, and Sony to flip the returned hardware for extra cash. Furthermore, some say that these in-your-face recycling programs could even entice users to scrap their current PCs faster than they otherwise would, which could also lead to more business with said companies as they plunk down for yet another computer that they honestly didn't need. Sure, the motives behind going green in the tech industry could be swaying, but as long as hardware retirement and disposal is being handled in an environmentally-friendly way, we suppose there's not much room to repine.
San Diegans convert carbon dioxide to fuel via solar energy
Being Earth Week and all, it's not too surprising to hear of San Diegans stretching their mental might and figuring out an effective way to convert carbon dioxide to fuel, but according to the University of California, San Diego, that's precisely what they've done. Clifford Kubiak and Aaron Sathrum have reportedly developed a prototype device "that can capture energy from the sun, convert it to electrical energy, and split carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide and oxygen." Interestingly, this concept produces more than just an alternate source of fuel, as CO2 splitting also creates a "useful industrial chemical" in CO, and furthermore, helps reduce a greenhouse gas. Currently, they are building the device using a gallium-phosphide semiconductor, and while the existing rendition still requires "additional energy" outside of sheer sunlight for the process to work, they're hoping that the American Chemical Society will warm up to the idea and give 'em a helping hand.[Via Physorg, thanks Richard N.]
HP inkjet printer kicks out environmentally friendly circuit
It's been nearly three years since we first reported on printable circuit boards, but researchers in the UK are still working to hone the process. Leeds University's Seyed Bidoki was recently able to load a "standard Hewlett Packard inkjet printer with a solution of metal salts and water" and print out an actual electronic circuit. The mysterious "silver salt solution" and vitamin C mixture could be used to "pave the way for safer and cheaper electronics manufacturing," and moreover, this cheap and easy alternative should certainly be a hit with the environmentally conscience crowd. This method utilizes a water-soluble base, which differs from the less green solvents used in polymer ink / graphite paste varieties from before, but even individuals working with the project admit that ousting the current regime will be difficult. Still, the crew is pressing forward with this toxin-free approach, and hopes to elicit the help of "industrial jet printers" before long to speed things up.
Mizuguchi working on Al Gore environmentalism project
On stage to discuss the game development process during Grasshopper Manufacture's 'Snake vs Zombie Vol. 2' event Saturday, Lumines producer Tetsuya Mizuguchi was instead questioned about his rumored involvement in an unannounced Al Gore project. Coy about details, Mizuguchi did confirm, "It's not going to be a video game. The concept derives from video games, and its something which the gaming generation will appreciate."Like last year's film An Inconvenient Truth, the project will focus on environmental issues, including energy conservation. Mizuguchi hinted that the effort will play on our perspective of Earth. "I think that we would need to see our own planet from outer space. We see that there are no borderlines between the countries and simply notice how beautiful it is. And maybe then, we will be more conscious about the environment. It's about gaining a new perspective, like when we moved from 2D to 3D," suggested Mizuguchi.
Cellphones are dangerous/not dangerous, bee killing edition
Apparently, we should all feel incredibly guilty for simply using our cellphones, as not only are we encouraging the growth of ear tumors within our bodies, but now we're hearing that radiation flying out from our mobiles are demolishing the world's supply of crops. All jesting aside, a controversial report is now claiming that "radiation from mobile phones are interfering with bees' navigation systems, preventing the famously homeloving (and pollinating) species from finding their way back to their hives." The comically-named Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is reportedly being seen on a much larger scale in the US and Europe, and elusive "evidence" is purportedly backing these dodgy claims up. Backers of the shocking data are even going so far as to suggest that in the future, our refusal to set aside the cellphone could cause "massive food shortages as the world's harvests fail." Man, this sounds worse than Y2K, for sure.[Via Slashdot]
Your own private planetarium
Who knew that having a dome could be so cool? Paul Bourke outfitted one to create an immersive environment that he could steer through with a Wii remote. Using a data projector and specialized software on his MacBook Pro, he was able to display navigable movies on the hollow half-sphere.Considering its accelerometers and bluetooth functionality, the remote seems perfect as a low-cost interface device for this kind of setup, but Paul found that though the controller is usable, it isn't as accurate as he'd like. We hope that doesn't stop someone from creating a fully-developed astronomy simulation out of this! Check past the post break for video of the experiment in action.[Via Metafilter]
Wal-Mart looking to sell "sustainable electronics" to help Mother Earth
The same store who snubbed the idea of installing Wii kiosks in its stores and is probably installing Big Brother style monitoring systems as we speak is now looking to take a bigger stand in its fight to keep Mother Earth in good shape. Following the trend of downsized packaging (as in Apple's iPod, for instance) and recycling as much as humanly possible, Wal-Mart is now setting a goal to sell "sustainable electronics" as early as next year. While it's not entirely out of character for a mega-corporation to jump on the green bandwagon, Wally World has "released criteria that will be part of a scorecard used to evaluate consumer electronics suppliers on the environmental sustainability of their products," essentially forcing suppliers who want to keep their products on such hot shelves to rethink their approach to "minimizing impact on the environment." While we can't deny that those huge boxes are quite enjoyable to take home, compacting PC titles to simple jewel cases would be a long overdue start to minimizing the amount of waste just sitting around, and we're such Toshiba is getting a nice pat on the back for already helping the retailer out.
Asus EcoBook touts bamboo casing
Green is most definitely in, and while LG is out crafting environmentally friendly big screens, Asus is stretching for the eco-minded set with its dashing EcoBook. Getting a bit of hands-on action, CNET was able to grab hold of Asus' bamboo-clad laptop long enough to catch jungle fever, but sadly, we've absolutely no idea what type of potency lies beneath the forest hood. Of course, with such a conservative message, we fully expect a ridiculously long battery life and a ULV processor, and true road warriors should probably invest in a decent humidifier to carry along in your laptop bag. It was noted that a good bit of thought went into the design, as the enclosure features interchangeable (and biodegradable) panels (pictured after the break), silver keyboard / trackpad, and a nifty PowerGear performance button, and considering all the experience Asus has in coating portables with materials other than plastic, we're sure the final product will be up to snuff whenever it decides to land.[Via Techie Diva]
