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Dell P2210 22″ Monitor

Computers, Gizmo of the Day / By /

Dell has a new line-up of eco-friendly monitors including the pictured P2210 which is a 22″ flat panel screen that supports up to a 1680×1050 widescreen resolution.

It has 4 USB 2.0 ports, takes VGA, DVI-D and DisplayPort inputs and has an adjustable viewing angle. It is not height-adjustable like the more expensive line, but it can be rotated to become a vertical standing monitor.

Oh, so the enviro-friendly specs – meets EPEAT Gold and Energy Star standards and uses less hazardous materials in its manufacture.

Buy now!

Price: $240.00
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Tesla announces their 2nd all-electric car

Automotive, Miscellaneous / By /

Electric car maker, Tesla Motors, unveiled their 2nd all-electric auto this week, the Model S. Their first model, the Roadster was (and still is) sold for over $100k. Despite the price, there is still a waiting list for these cars.

The Model S will have a more down-to-earth price tag of $50k (with an approximate federal tax credit of $7,500). This may still seem like quite a hefty price tag as compared to hybrids, but bear in mind that this is an all-electric car, so no more buying gasoline, although you will probably be faced with a stiff battery bill every 3 to 5 years.

Notable in this announcement is the fact that Tesla is actually expanding and growing (building a new plant in particular) despite the downturn for the other traditional automakers. Good for them – there is hope yet for a green revolution in transportation yet and sooner than may have been first imagined.

Sylvania LED Ecolight Water Powered Shower Light

Gizmo of the Day, Home Automation / By /

Feeling green while you’re in the shower? Hopefully it’s not because you’re dirty, and you just like helping the planet out. If you’re an environmental freak like some of my friends are, then this wireless and energy-efficient shower light is just the thing for you.

Made by Sylvania, the shower light is powered solely by water. Of course, that’s probably a good thing considering lots of electricity from your home outlet and water usually don’t mix together too well – something will usually end up burnt!

The cool thing about this shower light is that the light color will change depending on the temperature of the water. That way you won’t ever get the shivers if the water is too cold, or hop out of the shower screaming because it was burning hot. Intuitively, a red light means hot, and blue means cold.

Additionally, there is an on and off switch for the light if you don’t care for it. It appears to be a pretty easy install, with many reporting it taking only a few minutes.

Stats:

  • 85 psi maximum water pressure
  • Blue scale for temperatures less than 78.8 degrees
  • Red scale for temperatures more than 105.8 degrees

Buy now!

Price: $39.99
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Bedol water-powered clock

Gizmo of the Day, Home Automation, Miscellaneous / By /

Ditch batteries altogether, and run this digital clock on water. Yup, water (and some lemon juice). This green-friendly clock uses its built-in electrodes to sip whatever power it needs from the acidic water.

Just one caveat – you need to change the water every 5-7 weeks. Seems like a small price to save landfills from batteries. Comes in 4 different colors.

Wicked cool. I’d just like it to include an alarm clock, but I’m guessing the power requirements for that are too high for mere lemon water to meet.

Buy now!
More info from the manufacturer

Price: $19.99
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

US mandating Urea scrubbers on diesel vehicles starting 2010

Miscellaneous / By /

Most diesel vehicles, particularly trucks, manufactured after Jan 1, 2010 in the US will need to have a urea scrubber built in that will ‘scrub’ the nitrogen oxide (NOx) from the exhaust.

The urea-based scrubber will reduce the NOx emissions by as much as 90%, and that in turn can be reduced to near zero levels when used with another filter.

Europe is already ahead of us in this game with already about 500,000 trucks having this technology.

Of course, there is already pushback from trucking companies in particular, but let’s face it – there is going to be some pain as we migrate industries and products to more environmentally-friendly systems.

Panasonic Announces Nationwide Consumer Electronics Recycling Program

Miscellaneous / By /

Panasonic Corporation of North America recently joined the growing list of environmentally conscious corporate citizens who have launched electronics recycling programs.

The Panasonic program began on November 1, 2008, with more than 160 recycling drop-off locations in 10 states, and is slated to expand to all 50 states, with hundreds more sites, over the next three years. For a list of current states and sites see www.MRMrecycling.com.

Good on you Panasonic! Check out other recycling efforts and resources by searching our blog.

The Energy Detective – real-time electricity usage monitor

Gizmo of the Day, Home Automation / By /

In our time of higher energy and household costs, it’s a good idea to monitor those costs closely and see where we can cut back, not to mention that saving energy is just a good, green practice. For example, Kill-a-Watt has a number of products to directly monitor whatever is plugged into it, but how do you monitor usage in your entire house?

TED, The Energy Detective, is a real-time, electricity monitor. TED monitors your energy usage and displays the info in a simple, LCD display. It even jacks into your PC and lets you monitor historical usage with a custom software app (additional). It’s near real-time, with no more than a 2-second delay between events and reporting, and it updates every second.

So that your entire house is monitored, TED has to be installed directly into your home’s power circuits, so you’ll either need to be very familiar with electrical systems or hire an electrician for the 15 minute install. TED has a few different models. The base model (TED1000) is about $140 and the TED Model 1001 has a USB interface.

Gimme!

Price: TED 1000: $140, TED 1001: $145, TED Dynamics software: $45
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Thinking green about IT

Miscellaneous, Tools, DIY, Home, Office / By /

Think Green. In technology and the environment – Green IT we talked about ways to be more efficient with the technology we use. There are three main areas where improvements can be made: selection, utilisation and disposal.

Looking for more energy efficient equipment, making the most efficient use of it, and recycling equipment are ways that can have a positive impact. In trying to raise awareness of things we can do to be a little greener I have created an awareness poster and am making it available online in case it might be useful to others – simply click on the image below.

Green IT - Think about IT

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