Sony Ericsson's Greenheart Line Introduces New Options for Eco Cell Phones

Eco-friendly cell phone options continue to expand with more mobile manufacturers striving to eliminate the harmful carcinogens found in typical handsets.  We've already seen Samsung's efforts, with the super chic, solar powered Blue Earth and the bioplastic Reclaim on the Sprint network.

Sony Ericsson is making the mobile industry even greener with the latest additions to their eco-friendly Greenheart line of phones and accessories.  Joining the C901 camera phone and the recycled Naite, the Elm and Hazel promise users even more technology in a green package.  A noise shield Bluetooth kit, also made of recycled materials, is also a part of the Greenheart family.

About Greenheart

Sony Ericsson's Greenheart line strives to encompass everything an eco-friendly cell phone should be - great looking, feature packed, and planet safe.

• Handsets give new life to water bottles and CDs rather than producing new plastic;
• Locally sourced water-based paints lower VOCs and decrease CO2 emissions;
• Harmful substances like PVC and Beryllium are completely eliminated;
• Phone chargers are Energy Star compliant and feature an unplug reminder;
• Small, lightweight packaging reduces transport emissions by at least 80%;
• E-manuals, stored within the phones, saves about 13,000 trees;

Greenheart phones also come with eco-friendly applications, including WalkMate, EcoMate, and the Eco Calculator.  By 2011, Sony Ericsson plans to have all their products and accessories within the Greenheart line.

The Elm and the Hazel

Both of the latest Greenheart handsets feature fun and functional applications, including a camera, video and music player, and an innovative Widget Manager that allows convenient access to social networking applications like Twitter and Facebook.

The eco-friendly cell phones also boast Noise Shield and Clear Voice features to filter out background noise for a clearer, crisper call experience and Intelligent Volume Adaptation to further enhance call clarity.

Visit the Greenheart website for additional information.

The Eco-Friendly HDTV That Knows if You're Watching: Sony KDL-VE5

It happens every day in households across the planet - the television's on, but no one is there to watch it.  Whether the kids get distracted with a game, the telephone rings in another room, or you just simply forget to turn off the set when you walk away, the problem can add up to a lot of wasted energy over the course of time.  Sony has the solution.

The new KDL-VE5 series from Sony offers an energy efficient, high-quality HD display with an added bonus - the set has an integrated presence sensor that turns off the TV for you when you leave the room.

The Features

Available in 3 sizes - 40, 46, and 52 inch models - the Sony KDL-VE5 has a sleek design, an interactive menu system, and most of the features found in other comparable HDTVs on the market today.  The energy-saving presence sensor is what sets this model apart from similar sets.

The sensor, located in the middle of the speaker bar, can be set for 5 minutes, 30, or 60 and detects movement within 10 feet of the TV.  If nothing is sensed within the given time limit, a warning appears on the screen and the television's screen goes dark.  Power consumption drops to about half of full operation during this time.

If the sensor detects motion again, the picture will come back on.  After 30 minutes with no movement in the room, the sound is also cut - dropping power consumption to nearly nothing.  During CNet tests, the Sony KDL-VE5's sensor worked relatively well, although forced movement was required occasionally once the 'TV is about to turn off message' appeared.  Regardless, this sort of feature could provide a drastic improvement in energy use for modern households.

The Sony KDL-VE5 series ranges in price from $1,269 to $1,530 and is available from most authorized Sony dealers.  You can find more information and read the full review at CNet.

 Images: The Pug Father; CNet

Dell Raises Bar for Greener Electronics

After a disappointing finish in the latest 'Guide to Greener Electronics' report by GreenPeace, Dell has made significant environmental progress with a formal ban on all e-waste exports.  

Electronics recycling programs, typically rewarded by GreenPeace's rating criteria, are only the first step toward greener electronics.  While many manufacturers and resellers take back old electronics, as much as 80% of these toxic components are shipped to developing countries for recycling - adding to a sickening and hazardous e-waste problem.

In the past 5 years, about 290 million pounds of Dell components have been collected for recycling by a large network of recycling contractors and subcontractors.  Until now, Dell's export policies were similar to those of Apple and HP - requiring contractors to refrain from sending hazardous components to developing nations, but without a clear definition of handling and with little enforcement.

Dell's promise to eliminate the use of toxins in manufacturing would have reduced the need for the new export policy, but the formal regulations should encourage other electronics producers to follow their footsteps.  How e-waste is handled by the US plays a significant role in a sustainable future and it is vital for manufacturers to take responsibility until the US adopts the international Basel Convention.

Under the new policy, parts under warranty or in need of repair will be the only broken, non-working Dell components allowed in developing countries.  Other nonfunctioning parts - toxic or not - are banned for export.  Dell plans to track the activity of each of their contractors, monitoring each step of the recycling progress, and will end their relationship with any company that fails to comply.

Don't let us down this time, Dell!

Source: Dell Bans E-Waste Export via Yahoo

Images: Basel Convention via Inhabitat, GreenPeace

The Greener Flat Screen - CA Plans for Energy-Sipping Televisions

Decreasing energy consumption is an essential part of a sustainable future, especially within our own homes.  Residential energy accounts for nearly a quarter of all the power consumed in the United States.  In 2001, just our televisions gobbled up 3% of that energy - and that was before the craze of plasma and LCD flat screens that require more power than the traditional cathode-ray tubes.

California is taking initiative to minimize that consumption with new efficiency standards expected to be enacted this summer.  All televisions manufactured after the beginning of 2011 will have to use half the energy of the sets currently on the market by 2013 if the rules are approved.  

The Consumer Electronics Association argues that the manufacturers should be in control of the solution - leaving the energy savings in the hands of the consumer by installing adjustments to control brightness and contrast settings rather than researching and developing cleaner technology.

 

Some manufacturers have already taken the time to do their homework and are producing flat screens that use a fraction of the power.  Samsung's new LED flat screen is only an inch-and-a-half thick and requires 40% less energy than conventional models.  New technology never comes cheap so the thinnest and greenest TV comes with a price tag of close to $3,000.

Prices should drop in the not-too-distant future when competition increases with the introduction of similar low-energy televisions by Sony and LG.

Sources: New York Times; WWAY TV

Images: CNET, peasap via Flickr