Here’s an interesting take on sustainable furniture. It’s called the “Expose LED bed” and it’s made up of a bed-frame, 2 bedsides, and 2 wall lights. What makes this furniture suite sustainable are the construction materials used. The furniture itself is constructed out of rotting teak planks which is then filled with energy-efficient LED lighting and clear epoxy material resulting in a funky lighting effect. Sure – the bed isn’t exactly for everyone out there but you gotta admit – it’s pretty “green”.

[Check it out via Born Rich]

Technorati Tags: Expose LED furniture

T-Mobile announces the new “Green Perks” program/mobile application which allows users to save some green by going green with their daily lives. The Green Perks mobile application is available for download on many of today’s T-Mobile’s handsets and provides exclusive discounts on environmentally conscious products and services from companies such as Method, Jamba Juice, Volcom, Roxy and Quiksilver.

Some of the featured offers include:

• 20% off any V-Co. Logical item at Volcom stores
• 20% off of Method home care and personal care products
• 10% off the eKO yoga mat at Manduka
• 15% off online orders on eco products at Quicksilver and Roxy

Electronic coupons are delivered directly to the customer handset which can then be redeemed manually at store point-of-sale systems.

If you’re a T-Mobile subscriber, head on over to http://www.t-mobile.com/mobilize to download the Green Perks application.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: T-Mobile, Green Perks

Looking to get a little green with your desktop computer monitor? Check out NEC’s latest eco-friendly LCD monitor – the 22 inch MultiSync E222W. The display features several “green” initiatives including:

• New ECO Mode which helps reduce power consumption and heat generation
• Intelligent Power Management (IPM) and an off timer to also help reduce power consumption and carbon dioxide emissions
• New Carbon Footprint Meter which allows users the ability to track their carbon footprint savings
• Recycled packaging materials

Specs to the MultiSync E222W include:

• 1680 x 1050 resolution
• 16:10 aspect ratio
• 250 cd/m2 brightness
• 5ms response time
• 4 way ergonomic stand with 110 mm height-adjust, tilt, swivel, and pivot
• Energy Star 5.0 and EPEAT Silver compliant
• 50% less power consumption and mercury content
• 5 setting Dynamic Video Mode (standard, text, movie, game, photo)
• Multi-directional OSD NaViKey
• HDCP
• NaViSet administrator software for centralized control

The MultiSync E222W will be available in July for an estimated price of $269.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: NEC Display Solutions of America, 22 inch LCD Monitor, MultiSync E222W

Happy Earth Day everyone! Do something green today?

In commemoration of this day, NASA released the results of a week long online voting survey of the top accomplishments the agency has performed with Earth observations from space. The overall winner with 3280 votes? “Finding your way with GPS”. Here’s NASA’s description of this accomplishment:

“Behind the power of today’s GPS units to get you where you need to go is a huge body of scientific knowledge about our spinning, shifting Earth. We live on an active planet where every piece of real estate moves relative to each other. Precise navigation with GPS satellites would be impossible without ultra-precise knowledge of Earth’s shape and how it rotates. NASA pioneered much of this work with a global network of laser ranging satellites and super-charged GPS receivers to monitor daily changes in Earth’s surface. Oh, and there are side benefits like tracking the movement of tectonic faults, measuring sea level rise, and making air travel safer.”

The above picture is of the Laser Geodynamics Satellite (LAGEOS I), which was launched back in 1976.

The other winners (ordered by votes) were:

2. Diagnosing Our Ailing Ozone Layer (2408)
3. From Storm-Spotting to Next Week’s Weather (2313)
4. Warming and Rising Seas (1443)
5. Global Reach of Air Pollution (1321)
6. Ice Sheets on the Move (1151)
7. It’s a Big Green World (1102)
8. Predicting Feast or Famine (856)
9. A Lively Water World (631)
10. Ultimate Home Energy Audit (543)

[Check it out via News.com]

Technorati Tags: NASA, Earth Day

Thinking about a new Toyota Prius for 2010 (I know I’m thinking about it). You’ll be happy to hear that Toyota has announced the 2010 model will achieve a combined gas mileage of 50 mpg. This breaks down into 50 mpg in the city and 49 mpg on the highway. The current Prius gets a combined gas mileage of 46 mpg.

The 2010 Prius will actually feature a larger, more powerful 1.8 liter 4 cylinder engine which ironically enough results in a higher gas mileage. According to Toyota, “By making more torque, the new engine can run at lower average r.p.m. on the highway” which results in the engine using less fuel.

Expect the new Prius to be available this Spring.

[Check it out]

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Have some old electronics equipment you’d like to get rid of? Instead of throwing it in the trash, bring it in to your local Best Buy for recycling. Best Buy has expanded their electronics recycling program to include all U.S. stores now which means there’s no excuse not to recycle your old equipment.

Consumers can bring up to 2 units per day per household. The store will accept most consumer electronic devices including monitors/TVs up to 32 inches in size, most computers and notebooks, small consumer electronics, VCRs, DVDs, phones, and accessories.

A $10 dollar recycling fee per unit will be charged for items with screens such as televisions, laptops, and monitors. In return, you’ll receive a $10 Best Buy gift card good for a future purchase. The fee and the gift card does not apply in California nor does it apply to Best Buy exclusive brands which include Insignia, Dynex, and VPR Matrix.

Check out www.bestbuy.com/recycling for additional info on the electronics recycling program

Technorati Tags: Best Buy, Electronics Recycling

Samsung isn’t the only mobile phone vendor out with a solar power enabled handset this year. LG Electronics gets into the gig by announcing their own eco-friendly handset with a built-in solar panel battery cover. 10 minutes of solar exposure will provide roughly 3 minutes of talk time. Of course if you leave the handset out in the sun long enough, you’ll never have to recharge the phone again (sounds like a great device for Southern California residents!). No word on other specs or prices but the new eco-friendly phone is due to come out in Europe by the end of the year.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: LG Electronics, Solar powered mobile phone

Samsung takes mobile phone “greenness” to a whole new level with the announcement of the “Blue Earth” handset to be introduced at Mobile World Congress 2009. This new handset has a wealth of environmentally friendly features including:

• A solar panel on the back of the phone allowing you to charge the handset while in the sun
• A chassis made out of recyclable plastic from plastic bottles with no harmful substances
• An “eco-mode” designed to reduce power consumption (such as lowering backlight and turning off Bluetooth)
• A new “eco-walk” application which encourages people to walk by showing how much they’ve reduced the CO2 emissions by doing so (instead of say.. driving)
• Packaging made out of recyclable paper

No word on specs or pricing but expect the phone in the second half of this year.

Via DVICE.com, Ubergizmo.com.

(more…)

Technorati Tags: Samsung Blue Earth, Mobile Phone,