Skip to Content

Try your hand at the Spore Creature Creator and win free stuff from Big Download!
AOL Tech

Posts with tag environment

Nintendo Ranked Least 'Green' Tech Company

by Evan Shamoon, posted Jun 26th 2008 at 8:10AMBreaking News



Proving once again that it's always the smiley-faced, rosey-cheeked cherub that has the human skeletons in its closet, sunshine-and-rainbow-drenched video game purveyor Nintendo has come in dead last in a ranking of the world's most eco-friendly electronics companies.

The quarterly "Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics" ranks 18 electronics firms by how green their production processes and products are ... and the big N pulled up the rear at number 18.

Of course, Nintendo had its own response, claiming that it scored low because it had not provided data for the survey. "Greenpeace chose to conduct a survey and produce a report, which graded companies upon the voluntary submission of information," the firm said in a statement. "Nintendo decided not to take part in the survey and were therefore 'ungraded' in the resulting report." Which of course begs the question: Why didn't the company take part?

Oh, and pipe down over there in the corner, Xbox fanboys -- Microsoft came in at 17, a position that reflected its "low score on climate criteria". [Source: BBC]
  • Permalink
  • Email this
  • SHARE
  • 2 Comments

Earth-Friendly Tech Tips

by Phillip Crandall, posted Apr 22nd 2008 at 1:04PMFeatured Story

Environment: What can I do?
So you gave your buddy a high-five when 'An Inconvenient Truth' won some Oscars -- that's a good start. Too bad some of your favorite gadgets -- not to mention the TV you used to watch the Academy Awards -- use up a boatload of energy, even when you think they're turned off. That said, some technologies can actually help you save energy and use fewer natural resources. The convenient truth is that taking proactive steps towards living a greener life is easier than you think. Here are just a few.

Upgrade Your Lightbulbs

Don't be scared off by the high sticker prices of GE's fancy compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs). CFLs use up to 75 percent less energy than incandescents (25 percent less than halogen), last up to 10 times longer and cost between 50 and 80 percent less to use. Only candlelight is cheaper -- but that's a fire truck on your front lawn waiting to happen.
  • Permalink
  • Email this
  • SHARE
  • 6 Comments

Airline Introduces In-Flight Showers

by Will Safer, posted Mar 25th 2008 at 1:02PM

Emirates Airlines first class suite

What if it's not enough to have your own private suite (see image above) on your flight from New York to the Middle East? Leave it to Emirates Airlines, out of Dubai, to top its own first-class offering. The airline has announced its new Airbus A380 jets will be the first in commercial use to provide first-class passengers with an in-flight shower. Sounds like a nice, refreshing way to improve that approximately 12 1/2 hour flight, but be ready to shell out nearly $18,000 for the privilege.

The showers will first be introduced on the airline's Dubai to New York City direct route on October 1, but plans are in place to expand the luxury perk across Emirates' entire fleet of 50 A380s.

The showers cost much more than money, though, according to an environmental watchdog group called "Plane Stupid," which cites the enormous carbon footprint for this kind of over-the-top extravagance. The showers will require an extra ton of water to be transported onboard -- the same as having 12 extra passengers come along for the ride -- and will have carbon cost of 48,455 pounds for every flight.

Despite the cost and environmental impact, we'd still prefer a high-end shower as opposed to a flight attendant dousing us with water.

From Crave.


Related Links:
  • Permalink
  • Email this
  • SHARE
  • 37 Comments

Inventors Create Pill-Sized Bulb That's Brighter Than a Street Lamp

by Tim Stevens, posted Mar 25th 2008 at 10:05AM


Alternative lighting solutions are all the rage right now. People are finally realizing that a big, clunky incandescent light bulb, which gets so hot it burns your hand, is not a particularly efficient way to illuminate a room. But despite the quick rush to change over to compact fluorescent (CFL), concerns over the potential health impacts and mercury content in CFLs are driving folks to look for other alternatives, and a little bulb the size of a Tic Tac may be the solution.

The bulb, filled with argon gas, pumps out an impressive 140 lumens (the standard way of measuring the efficiency of a bulb) of light per watt. More lumens per watt means that more of the electricity that is pulled in to the bulb is turned into light instead of being wasted as heat.

The current champion in the lighting world, the LED, can pump out 70 lumens per watt. Compact fluorescent blubs clock in at around 50 per watt, while the standard incandescent bulb offers a measly 15. On top of that, one tiny little argon bulb can crank out 35,000 lumens, plenty enough to act as a street lamp.

Is this the future of lighting? That, of course, depends on cost and lifespan.

From CrunchGear

Related Links:
  • Permalink
  • Email this
  • SHARE
  • 4 Comments

Internet, Video Games Blamed for Drop In Camping

by Will Safer, posted Feb 6th 2008 at 5:50PM

Camping

Research sponsored by The Nature Conservancy has determined that as people spend more time surfing the Web and playing video games indoors, they are less interested in experiencing the outdoors and less caring about what happens to the environment.

The study was conducted in the United States and Japan and tracks the rise of video game play in the early 1980s along with a decline in visits to national parks, camping, fishing and other outdoor recreation. Declines of 18 to 25 percent were reported.

According to a statement by the researchers, "Video games, home movie rentals, going out to movies, Internet use, and rising fuel prices explained almost 98 percent of the decline in people visiting national parks."

The consequences, they determined, are not just a general decline in people's health but also a decline in their interest in biodiversity and conservation efforts.

So, stop reading and go take a walk in the park. Just bring your cell phone in case we need to reach you.

From The Associated Press via Wired.

Related links:

  • Permalink
  • Email this
  • SHARE
  • 1 Comment

The Best in 'Green Gadgets' for 2008 (Gallery)

by Alon Avdi, posted Jan 10th 2008 at 3:41PM

Green Tech

We've been reporting how Green Technology is making the headlines at this year's Consumer Electronics Showcare. Whether developing atmosphere and energy-friendly cars that run on hydrogen fuel cells or batteries made with no lead, cadmium or mercury, businesses are increasingly becoming eco-conscious as they make new products for the consumer. These sometimes wacky, sometimes futuristic items offer sources of clean, power-conserving energy while minimizing harm to the environment. Check out the gallery for a look at how green things have become.

Continue >>

Gallery: Green Technology Abounds at 2008 CES in Las Vegas



Related Links:
  • Permalink
  • Email this
  • SHARE
  • 0 Comments

Green Batteries Boast No Lead, Cadmium or Mercury

by Alon Avdi, posted Jan 9th 2008 at 7:28PM


Vinnic batteries

At this year's Consumer Electronics Show, Green Technology is all the rage. It seems that companies are increasingly embracing an environmentally friendly approach to product development. From hydrogen-powered cars to Freeplay Energy's solar-powered radios, it is clear that technological advances are paving the way for a healthier Mother Earth. We particularly like Hong Kong-based Chung Pak Battery Works, which has removed many of the most harmful elements from its Vinnic and Vinergy product lines without sacrificing power output. For this reason, we enthusiastically support Chung Pak's Green Batteries. (We also enthusiastically support their commercial, so click the image above to watch.)

The latest Vinnic innovation is the No Lead Added Zinc Chloride Battery Series, while Chung Pak's completely new line, Vinergy, offers a Mercury and Cadmium free alkaline button cell and battery. The result is an array of different eco-conscious batteries that have no Lead, Mercury or Cadmium added. A more complete list of available Chung Pak products includes several series of the aforementioned alkaline and zinc chloride batteries, in addition to alkaline/silver-oxide button cells; high voltage, alkaline, cylindrical button cells; Ni-MH rechargeable, cylindrical and button cells; battery packs and chargers; and even lithium batteries. Vinnic and Vinergy merchandise is sold in the United States through Evergreen (C.P.) USA Inc.

Related Links:
  • Permalink
  • Email this
  • SHARE
  • 0 Comments

Greenpeace Trying to Clean up the Gaming Industry

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Dec 13th 2007 at 10:40AM

Greenpeace Trying to Clean up the Gaming Industry
Calling all gamers: Greenpeace needs you. That is, if you care at all about your planet. Greenpeace, the militant pro-Earth, anti-pollution organization, wants gamers to help it pressure console makers in to making the gaming industry's manufacturing process and products less toxic to the environment.

Greenpeace says that console makers are lagging far behind PC and cell phone makers in the race to clean up their operations. The organization released a 90-second video featuring the stars of the big three -- Microsoft's Master Chief (from Halo), Nintendo's Mario, and Sony's Kratos (From God of War) -- competing to become the greenest console.

Greenpeace wasn't clear about what exactly it expected gamers to do, but we imagine letter writing and a YouTube video campaign could garner some level of success. So get to it, gamers. We already get lead poisoning from our children's toys -- lets keep it out of our PlayStations.

From the BBC

Related links:
  • Permalink
  • Email this
  • SHARE
  • 1 Comment

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Goes Green

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Nov 29th 2007 at 3:17PM

Rockefeller Center Tree
This year the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center is going green. By green, we mean environmentally friendly, of course. The 30,000+ lights on the massive conifer have been replaced with energy sipping LEDs that have cut the tree's power consumption to about a third its normal level. In fact, the amount of electricity required by the tree has been reduced enough that the whole thing is powered by solar panels resting atop a nearby building.

When the season finally ends (likely sometime in July) and the tree is taken down, it will be milled and donated to Habitat for Humanity, which will use the lumber to construct doorways for shelters built by the charity.

From TGDaily

Related links:
  • Permalink
  • Email this
  • SHARE
  • 1 Comment

Why You Should Buy a Hybrid Car Now

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Sep 5th 2007 at 12:02PM


Outside of the environmental and fuel efficiency bonuses, one of the reasons to buy hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius is the hefty tax credits one gets. Those tax credits, at least for Toyota hybrids, are about to expire.

Here's how it works: The hybrid tax credits begin a phase out process after a manufacturer sells 60,000 vehicles. The credits drop 50 percent after the 60,000 milestone is met. Six months later, the credits drop to 25 percent of the original figure, and, after six more months, they expire for good. Credits on Lexus and Toyota hybrids are set to expire on September 30th. Next on the credit chopping block is Honda, as it is widely expected to pass the 60k threshold this month.

If you can't run out and buy a Prius right now, but still want a green vehicle and a healthy tax break, you can still choose from other alternatives, but you'll need to dig a little deeper. Fuel cell, natural gas, and methanol powered vehicles all come with impressive tax credits, but vehicles that qualify for these are very hard to come by. Hybrid and alternative fuel credits are set to expire for good in 2010, and fuel cell credits will only last until 2014 unless Congress decides to extend them.

From Consumerist

Related links:
  • Permalink
  • Email this
  • SHARE
  • 2 Comments

Solar-Powered Cell Phone

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jun 11th 2007 at 4:54PM

Ohers have talked about it, but Chinese company High Tech Wealth has actually done it. They went and released a commercially available cell phone that can be charged via solar panels on its face. One hour of basking in the sun's rays translates into roughly forty minutes of talk time. According to High Tech Wealth, the life span of the battery is also about 2.5 times longer than traditional batteries.

The phone, creatively called the S116, will likely never make a stateside debut, unforunately. Other than the solar panel, the phone is pretty standard fare: 1.3 Megapixel camera, 320x240 QVGA screen, and MP3 playback.

From Textually.org

Related links:
  • Permalink
  • Email this
  • SHARE
  • 0 Comments

Sony Ponders Going Green

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jun 6th 2007 at 9:07AM

Sony Ponders Going GreenAccording to a poorly translated report on the Japanese tech site, Impress Watch, Sony has unveiled a conceptual line of environmentally-friendly gadgets the company is calling Odo. Though none of the products are functional or headed to market anytime soon, the idea behind the line is a novel one: Not one of these technomajigs ever needs to be plugged in for a recharge.

The Spin N' Snap digital camera, for example, is powered by placing your fingers in the two holes and spinning it around a couple of times. The holes also double as the camera's viewfinder. The Crank N' Capture video camera operates on a hand crank (obviously), while the Push POWER Play device, which we assume is some kind of media player, charges up by being rolled across a flat surface.

And not only are the products powered by sustainable energy, they're reportedly all made from recycled plastic.

Though they're just prototypes at this time, we're excited by Sony's line of human powered machines -- even though Freddy Flinstone's car was rocking this technology way back in the day.

From Engadget

Related links:
  • Permalink
  • Email this
  • SHARE
  • 0 Comments

Wal-Mart Cozies Up to Ma Nature

by Evan Shamoon, posted May 8th 2007 at 10:02AM

Wal-Mart Cozies Up to Ma Nature
A week after Apple's pledge to be kinder to the environment, the planet's biggest retailer has announced that it's also officially going green. Through partnerships with SunPower, SunEdison and BP Solar, Wal-Mart has announced plans to slap solar panels onto the roofs of 22 mega-stores in California and Hawaii. The panels will generate up to 20 million kilowatt-hours of juice per year and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 10,000 metric tons.

Wal-Mart has been flirting with Earth friendliness since 2005, when it outfitted one Texas store with solar panels and added plastic skirts to its truck fleet to cut wind resistance -- a move that boosted the fleet's mileage by one mile per gallon and saved Wal-Mart $2 million per year.

In three years, Wal-Mart aims to acquire 100 percent of its energy from renewable sources, cut energy use by 30 percent and slash fuel consumption in its truck fleet by 25 percent.

But let's remember that Wal-Mart isn't exactly a media darling. Could all of this just be a play for positive headlines? Sure. But if the retail giant follows through with its commitment to cleanliness, then does it really matter?

From TGDaily

Related Links:
  • Permalink
  • Email this
  • SHARE
  • 0 Comments

Tech Tips for a Cleaner Earth

by Phillip Crandall, posted Apr 21st 2007 at 6:00PM


Each year on Earth Day, the shocking facts surrounding the poor health of our planet guilt many people into promising to take action. Unfortunately, once the bamboo noisemakers go silent and the organic-cake hangover wears off, those oaths to be greener suddenly aren't such a huge priority anymore, particularly when it involves shutting off some of our energy-hogging, toxic-ingredient-filled gadgets.

But living a more eco-friendly existence and keeping up with the latest technology is easier than most of us think. With that in mind, Switched presents this Earth Day 2007 package that's brimming with information, tips and advice. You'll learn which tech products are especially nice to Mother Nature, how to recycle your dead gadgets and some simple ways to use your technology to lower your personal impact on the environment.

Switched Earth Day Features:

  • Permalink
  • Email this
  • SHARE
  • 0 Comments

Environment: What Can I Do?

by Phillip Crandall, posted Apr 19th 2007 at 9:16AM

Audit Yourself

Environment: What Can I Do? To see just how much of your act you need to clean up, give yourself an energy audit. Most utility providers will audit your home's power usage for free, but devices like the Energy Detective allow you to monitor your home's energy expenses in real-time, providing your with second-by-cent-burning-second utility estimates.

Related Links:
  • Permalink
  • Email this
  • SHARE
  • 0 Comments


AOL Tech Network



Latest Reviews from CNET.com

CNET provides the latest tech news, unbiased reviews, videos, podcasts, software, and downloads, making tech products easy to find, understand and use.

Top Product Reviews

Weblogs, Inc. Network

AOL News

Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in:

Joystiq
Download Squad
The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)
BloggingStocks
Xbox 360 Fanboy
Autoblog
Big Download Blog
AOL Sports Blog