Five Ways To Be Eco-Friendly and Tech-Savvy

In honor of Earth Day, here are five ways to be green and tech savvy at the same time:

1. iGo Charge Anywhere

The iGo Charge Anywhere is a pocket-sized charger for all of your electronic devices, whether at home or on the go!

The iGo works with multiple devices, including smartphones, Bluetooths, MP3 players, digital cameras, GPS devices and more. (Basically anything with a USB output.)  When plugged in, it acts as a wall charger for your device. On the go, it becomes an extra battery pack.

Drawing 82% less power than standard chargers and automatically reducing standby power by up to 85%, the iGo conserves both resources and  money.

2. Solar Laptop Bag

The Voltaic Generator Solar Laptop Charger can generate enough energy to power a laptop for up to five hours, plus charge a cell phone, MP3 player, digital camera, or just about any device you could have in your “mobile office”.

The solar panels are made from recycled aluminum. The rest of the bag is constructed from recycled PET (water and soda bottles), which makes it tough and water resistant.

3. Digital Business Cards

The confines of a business card can get cramped once you start listing all of your social media profiles and affiliations. And what happens to them once you leave the event or commit the info into your address book? Could paperless be the way to go?

Many web and mobile apps are attempting to reinvent the way we network in the digital age. Here are three that are promising:

1. ScanBizCards isn’t trying to eliminate paper cards. It’s simply making them more useful. This app allows you to take a photo of a card with your smartphone, then it organizes and adds the info into your contacts for you.

2. QR Codes have found a place in marketing and advertising, but will it really go mainstream? Some have their doubts, but the possibilities are limitless. QR codes gained their momentum at last year’s SxSW when they were seen everywhere from t-shirts to billboards to  badges. This coming June, bloggers will be seeing them all over the Type-A Parent conference.

“That way, fellow attendees can scan the code to immediately get your bio, links to your sites and social profiles, see your latest updates from Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and more.”

3. Poken is the handy little device about the size of a key that acts as a digital business card. Rather than exchanging cards, you simply hold two Poken devices together in a “high-five” and your information is transferred instantly.

(image courtesy of Sexy Social Media)

4. Recycle Your Old Devices

Finding a new home for your discarded gadgets is easier then ever.

There is always Craigslist and Ebay, but those can be a huge hassle. On the other hand, there are several trade-in websites which offer competitive rates. The leaders in this area are Gazelle and CExchange, but a new site called EcoSquid provides a single platform that aggregates information from trade-in and recycling programs across the web.

If your devices are too outdated or simply cannot be salvaged, there are responsible ways to dispose of them. Check your local listings for e-waste days in your community. These are often held at churches, schools. and community centers.

Many retailers also offer e-waste programs. For instance, every Best Buy store in the United States has kiosks, just inside the door, for customers to drop off inkjet cartridges, rechargeable batteries, CDs/DVDs, used gift cards, and more.

According to their website, Best Buy does not charge a fee for recycling most of the consumer electronic products. However, there is a charge of $10.00 for TVs 32″ and under, CRTs, and monitors in some areas, but this is quickly offset by a $10.00 Best Buy gift card, issued to you on the spot.

5. Bamboo Laptop

Bamboo is all the rage when it comes to being green. Sustainable and eco-friendly, bamboo has made its way  into everything from housewares to clothing.  Now, Asus has even brought bamboo to laptops!

So the Asus U6V and U2E laptop series aren’t entirely made of bamboo, but the bamboo exterior does reduce the amount of plastic used in their production by 15%. It also gives it a sleek and stylish finish that will appeal to the green among us who are still into the best technology.

It runs on an Intel Core™ 2 Duo Processor and comes with Windows 7 and all the latest functionalities. It has a 12.1” screen, full keyboard, and is energy efficient too, boasting up to 10 hours of battery life.