Rocking Baby to Sleep just Got a lot More Interesting

It's awards season and you can now add to your list of events - The Greener Gadgets Awards. Eco-celebs Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio didn't walk the carpet, but it is only the 2nd year of the event. On Feb 27th, 2009 in New York city, the Greener Gadgets conference showcased some of the most innovative environmentally friendly electronic products from this past year. Items like eMetric and a printer that uses coffee grinds for ink are sure to be a hit in the office. Another item, which I thought was really cool and ingenious, is a rocking chair that harnesses your movement and turns it into electricity.

For the majority of us, electronics make our everyday life easier and our businesses more productive. I like being able to text message my friends in LA and Montreal and I don't' put much thought as to how it gets there. Electronics just work - but when they don't we get pretty frustrated and are quick to toss them - to the tune of 20 million tons a year! According to the US Environmental Protection Agency only 15% 20% of that gets recycled.

Most electronic items can be fixed for a fraction of the cost, but we often choose to buy the newest and the latest to replace them. With rapid technology changes, low initial cost and even planned obsolescence by many manufacturers (cell phone and digital music player companies want you to replace your gadgets every 8 to 12 months), electronic waste (e-waste) is consuming our landfill sites, leaching chemicals in our land and waterways. Unwanted e-waste ends up in 3rd world countries that do not have the same waste management standards North America has. The great news is manufacturers (with pressure from waste management bodies) are coming up with in-store recycling programs to happily take back your used/broken products so you can buy nice new shiny green ones.

I was in East Africa a few months back and I have to say I didn't miss my Blackberry one bit. Being forcedly out of touch was difficult - at least for the first week - then I loved it. Its make me wonder how many of my gadgets I truly need.

Need help deciding if you should nix or fix your electonic? Check out Green Choices for tips.

By Emmanuel Belliveau

Emmanuel Belliveau, Generation Green
		About the author:
		Emmanuel Belliveau's knack for transforming dated objects into modern classics landed the designer a successful television career. During his 4 years on My Parents House on HGTV, he was known as the handy and handsome designer - often shirtless - who designed and built creative household furnishings from coffee tables to water features for deserving parents. He can hold his own when featuring with world renowned architects on HGTV and Discovery's World's Greenest Homes.
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