It's feasible to take easy eco-friendly steps in
everyday technology. Take a glance at some grand technologies on the market nowadays
that can help you decrease your carbon footprint and feel good about serving
the Earth.
Although it isn't green in color, this laptop case's
material is 100 percent eco-friendly. The exclusive felt-tech material is made
completely from recycled bottles. Just because it's green, however, doesn't
mean functionality is lacking. The case fits laptops 13.3 inches and under, and
it's cushioned in 4 mm of padding. It's available from Kena Kai for $29.99.
Google made big waves when it bought thermostat
company Nest for $3.2 billion in January. The "next generation thermostat"
goes green at home with the Internet of Things by automatically adjusting home
heat while away. The thermostat builds a personalized heating schedule as it
adjusts to the perfect temperature, which the company said will let you save up
to 20 percent on your monthly bill.
Bracketron claims that its Mushroom GreenZero wall
charger is the most eco-friendly way to charge a phone. When other chargers are
left plugged in, they still pull power even when they aren't charging a device.
The Bracketron charger eliminates that unused power, lowering energy bills and
cutting back on waste. A little bigger than a typical charger, the palm-sized
device rings in at approximately $24.95.
It can be difficult to keep track of all the green
products out there, but the Good Guide app makes it easy. Available for free on
both iOS and Android, the app uses scientific ratings to give an eco-friendly
score of 0 to 10 to more than 210,000 products and their manufacturers. Users
can search by category -- or simply scan a barcode -- within the app to get a
score before a purchase. The app works for all sorts of products, from pet
food, to baby products, makeup, food and more.
Claiming to be the "most eco-friendly wireless
mouse," the Genius DX-ECO 2.4 GHz BlueEye wireless mouse is both
comfortable to use and good for the environment.The mouse is completely
battery-free and its built-in gold capacitor allows for more than 100,000
recharges. The mouse takes only three minutes to charge before it is ready to
go with its wireless technology. It retails for $34.49.
This SanDisk flash drive takes files on-the-go in
eco-friendly style. The 16-GB USB flash drive is encased in bamboo rather than
plastic or metal, making it more eco-friendly because bamboo grows quickly and
releases more oxygen than other trees. The flash drive is available on Amazon
for $16.79.
Data center company AISO.net claims to be an
eco-friendly web hosting business. Since 1997, the company has worked to make
its data centers and networks as green as possible. They are powered by on-site
solar panels, water evaporation cooling systems that obtain water through
rainfall and use atmospheric energy for air conditioning. The offices use
mirrored tubes and windows to light the building, and they are covered with a
"green roof" to cool the building.
Green Cloud Technologies recently launched a
Plant-a-Tree initiative in partnership with Carbonfund.org, which quarterly
plants a tree for every business customer. Carbonfund.org works to offset
carbon footprints through reforestation. Green Cloud Technologies alone will
plant more than 1,500 trees this year through the program.
D&H recommends the Acer V226WL 22" LED LCD
Monitor as an eco-friendly desktop addition. The monitor is Energy
Star-qualified, and EPEAT gold-level compliant, which means it is
recommended as a high-performance and environmentally preferred choice. The
stand is magnetic, which is a nice addition to keep all those paperclips and
other odds and ends organized. The monitor retails on Amazon for $140.52.
This Logitech keyboard works completely off
solar power, which means it needs neither batteries nor a plug to be up and
running, even indoors. Without any cables, the keyboard's sleek and thin design
keeps a desk decluttered. The Logitech Solar App can be downloaded right to a
mobile device to keep track of battery power. The keyboard retails for $59.99.
