Greener Gadgets conference: the highlights

Despite talk of green IT, the computer industry is not particularly green. It's very energy-intensive, and many toxic chemicals and heavy metals are used in the production of electronics -- plus, recycling rates are very low. The Greener Gadgets conference in New York saw exhibitors show off green technological alternatives, and we've summed up some of the most interesting ones.

HYmini
First up are the HYmini and its namesake pocket wind power generator. The handheld generator can charge up portable electronics, such as cell phones, cameras, or iPods. With a strong, steady wind, the HYmini could charge a cell phone in a few minutes.

Nokia Eco Sensor
Next, Nokia, with its long commitment to environmental practices and products, has drawn up an "Eco Sensor" concept (pictured above) that provides people with environmental information like alerts on air quality and weather.

Solio Magnesium hybrid solar charger
The Solio Magnesium hybrid solar charger packs five watts' worth of solar panels with a lithium-ion battery. The company started as a way to reduce the waste associated with all of the wall chargers that people get with electronic devices.

MTI Fuel Cells
Another form of renewable energy exhibited at the conference was liquid fuels. MTI Fuel Cells is developing as a small fuel cell that can run on methanol, which would be sold in cartridges that snap into consumer-electronics devices.

HP ink cartridges
Ever wonder where your recycled HP inkjet cartridge goes? Back into a new cartridge. Hewlett-Packard, which has been doing recycling and sustainable design for many years, changed its manufacturing process so that it uses largely recycled content to make its cartridges, according to John Solomon, a vice president and general manager of HP's consumer business in the US.

Nokia bioplastic
Nokia is also set to release a phone using bioplastic in the casing of the device this spring. Eighty per cent of the device is recyclable -- higher than Nokia's typical rate of 60 to 80 per cent recyclable. Voltaic Systems' laptop bag sports a 14w solar panel and an integrated lithium-ion battery with adapters for different devices, including laptops. It was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in January but won't be available until spring.

SunNight Solar
Some makers of renewable energy or sustainable design products focussed on social issues. SunNight Solar has a BOGO (Buy One Give One) program, in which people can buy one solar flashlight for themselves and the company donates one to someone in a developing country. The goal is to reduce the use of kerosene lamps, which are unhealthy and dangerous.

ReCellular
The Environmental Protection Agency in the US estimates that 130 million phones are replaced every year, but only 20 percent are recycled. Many metals, like gold, can be retrieved and the plastic recycled. Cell phone recycler ReCellular refurbishes and resells about 60 per cent of the phones it collects and sells them to retailers of prepaid phones or cell phone vendors outside the US.

Mary Lou Jepsen
Mary Lou Jepsen, the former chief technology officer of One Laptop Per Child and now president of design firm PixelQi, attended the conference and said that the key to greener gadgets is to design products for the millions of people in the developing world where low energy usage and simplicity are so important.

"If we rely on industrial designers to lead the green revolution and electronic gadgets, we will fail," she said, because they are trained to create high-end products, rather than the "bottom of the pyramid." Some sustainable design products follow a certification process called Cradle to Cradle, which provides guidelines for products' materials and efficient use of energy and other resources during production.

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