KATU-TV: Earth Friendly Gadgets (AM Northwest)

For Earth Day on KATU's AM Northwest I took to the streets of Portland to show eco-friendly gadgets... and how to responsibly recycle your old, unwanted, technology.



Click on the image above to watch the piece on KATU.com, or browse the list of featured products below.

eMotion Solar Portable Media Player -- MediaStreet
"Solar-powered media player"
For the times you're "off the grid", flip open the solar-power panels and charge up this universal portable entertainment device. It plays MP3s, shows digital movies, reads eBooks aloud and best of all? The eMotion Solar charges off the sun – an environmentally friendly alternative to those energy-consuming gadgets. Added bonus? Every unit comes pre-loaded with tunes from Beyond.FM. ($170, mediastreet.com)

Hybrid 1000 Charger – Solio
"Portable electronics charger"
How many times have you run out of juice and wished for a quick top-up or a battery-less charger? Leave it out in the sun for a charge, then use it to charge any number of portable devices- iPods, cellular phones, or many USB devices. It holds juice in its internal battery for cloudy days and can also be charged the old-fashioned way. ($70, solio.com)

Eco Friendly iPhone Shield -- Agent 18
"iPhone Protection from Recycled Plastic"
Buying recycled goods are a great way to send a message to gadget and accessory makers that you care about the environment. Agent 18 -- makers of cases and protective gear for music players, phones and more – created an effective protective shield for the popular iPhone from recycled plastic. Even the case's packaging is eco-friendly – it, too, is recyclable. Pick one up at the Apple Store, Target or online. ($30, agent18.com)

Crank-Powered Radio, Flashlight, Charger – LifeGear
"Emergency broadcasts, flashlight, phone charger"
Great for emergencies or taking out to the beach, this gadget requires no batteries… wind the hand-crank and listen to your favorite local radio station, NOAA and weather alerts – it even has a half-watt flashlight to find your way around. Need a top-off for your mobile phone? The unit plugs into many phones to double as a mobile charger! ($30, lifegearcompany.com)

Earth Day: Free Electronics Recycling Event Sat. 19 April (Vancouver, WA)

IMS Electronics Recycling Press Release

Dell Inc. is offering residents of the Washington’s Clark County area and the Portland, Oregon area a free computer recycling event, Sat., April 19, 2008, at IMS Electronics Facility in the Port of Vancouver. The event is being hosted in celebration of Earth Day and will provide area residents an opportunity to recycle electronics for free.

The collection event will accept any make or model of computers and related equipment, including monitors, printers, scanners, keyboards, mice, and laptops. Televisions, stereo equipment, cell phones, gaming consoles and mobile entertainment devices are also accepted. Electronic items NOT accepted include: appliances, lamps, batteries etc.

All materials collected at this event will be recycled at IMS Electronics under Washington State’s new Preferred Processor Standards. Participants should remove all data from their computer's hard drive and any removable media such as disks, PC cards, flash drives, CD-ROMs.

Free Drop off At:

IMS Electronics Recycling
2401 Saint Francis Lane
Vancouver, WA 98660
(360) 750-8883

If you know of other Recycling events, please email: techexpert (AT) brianwestbrook (DOT) com -- or post a comment in this blog. Look for future "Go Green" specials on this blog all week...

Power-hungry TVs, Mobile Gifting and a Wii Tip

KXL Tech Expert Segment for 21 December 2007

Today on Portland's Morning News on Newsradio 750 KXL we discussed how the TV you buy may affect your power bill, how to give a mobile phone as a gift, and gave listeners one last-minute tip to update the Holiday Wii Hunt.

For more information and tips on buying a TV for the energy efficient consumer, check out this post. You might also consider equipping your home with a "Green Switch" to completely cut off power to devices that drain juice even when in power save mode. The kits start at $1125 and more information is available here. If that sounds like an expensive accessory, consider you'll make it up in energy consumption from idle devices in just a few years!

Considering a mobile phone for that recipient on your gift list? I explain on today's show why giving a gift certificate or "IOU" may be the wiser choice. Many phone users prefer to pick their own phones. Some considerations:

• Will this phone be used for work? Some employers only support certain models when interfacing with corporate systems such as email.
• Is size, form-factor, style or the presence of a full keyboard important?
• Does the intended user require WiFi web browser or the ability to connect to their laptop as a makeshift wireless modem?
• Are they willing to switch carriers (are there contract implications?) to get a particular model such as Apple's iPhone?

As you can see, it might be best to talk this over with the recipient before making a purchase.

Finally, because dozens of you have written in asking where to buy a Wii -- I'm happy to share a special alert I received from Santa's Helpers. Seems St. Nick himself will be stopping by the Game Crazy in King City with 100 Wii consoles available for purchase. How they managed to schedule the last-minute delivery on Santa's busiest day of the year, I'll never know... but for those still on the Great Wii Hunt 2007 edition? Read this entry carefully!

Listen to this report, originally broadcast on KXL-AM Friday December 21: kxl_techexpert-plasmaenergy&lastminutegifts_20071221.mp3 (MP3)

Got a question? Need help deciding what gift to buy? Drop me an email techexpert (AT) brianwestbrook (DOT) com (remove CAPS before sending)... I'm here to help!

Nightclub Powered by Dancing -- Literally.

Did you know that the average nightclub consumes 150 times the power of a typical 4-person household? This and other energy conservation observations serva as basis for a dance floor that will turn the kinetic energy of those dancing into electricity to fuel the lights, sound, and other power-guzzling needs of a nightclub. It'll take a spin in Rotterdam, Netherlands soon and you can read all about it and check out the photos on the PopularMechanics site. Happy (green) dancing!