On a daily basis, we are inundated with billboards and commercials showcasing the latest bells and whistles of the hottest new gadgets. Whether you’re watching a new Samsung ad or tuning into the latest product news from Apple, it’s clear that gadget mania is in full swing in 2009. With so many tech toys on the market, the mountains of electronic waste around the world are on the rise. Fortunately, there are companies getting into the 'green gadget' biz. Not only are many of these devices eco-friendly, they’re also really useful.
A quick search of some of the top gadget blogs, from EnviroGadget.com to iGreenSpot.com, reveals a whole new world of must-have electronics. Even the external hard drive market is getting its green on. The Simple Drive, designed by by Anne Dickhoff, has one terabyte of storage, for all your personal or professional library of photos and videos. The Simple Drive is made of recyclable plastic, and it has lower power consumption than a traditional hard drive (by using air vents versus energy-consuming fans).
In the kitchen, the slick-looking Gota Dishwasher sits on your counter and can hold up to six plates and six glasses, along with cutlery. This device is handy for someone living alone in a small space; but, better yet, it recycles water for future use (cutting water consumption in half).
As for the price tags on eco-friendly electronics, the reality is that you will often pay a premium, but that might be okay news for some people. In a recent BBMG Consumer Report south of the border, more than 50 percent of Americans said they’d be willing to pay more for eco-friendly products. Problem is, you won’t often find items like the Simple Drive or the Gota Dishwasher at a retail store near you. Thankfully, the Internet is the perfect place to dig into the possibilities of purchasing products for a greener earth.
The web also makes off-the-wall devices like the Tweet-A-Watt a reality. With a US$25 Kill-A-Watt meter and US$90 more worth of parts, you can now publish the power consumption of one of your power outlets to micro-blogging site Twitter. As the EnviroGadget.com blog explains, this tech toy offers up a fun way to monitor how much power you’re using when you’re not home (so you can find ways to reduce your power consumption).
The final conclusion? There are plenty of reasons to go green, and now there are finally thousands of products being designed to help you get there.