20 Best New Green Tech Products

Thu, 2012-04-19 13:55

With new advances in eco products and LGBT folks leading the charge on the tech front, it’s more common than ever to be gay and green. Last year a Harris poll found that 55% of LGBT adults surveyed said they care about the environment and 48% were likely to think green when making purchases (double the rate of hets). Since it's Earth Day this Sunday we scoured the interweb for the 20 hottest new green tech products. 

Water Jug Meets Mainframe

With new advances in eco products and LGBT folks leading the charge on the tech front, it’s more common than ever to be gay and green. Last year a Harris poll found that 55% of LGBT adults surveyed said they care about the environment and 48% were likely to think green when making purchases (double the rate of hets). Since it's Earth Day this Sunday we scoured the interweb for the 20 hottest new green tech products. 

Water Jug Meets Mainframe

Greening computers isn’t so easy, and that’s why it’s amazing that the Lenovo ThinkPad L420 and L520 both incorporated up to 30% recycled material from office water jugs and used IT equipment in their LCD cover, palm rest, and case. Both are 40% more energy-efficient than their predecessors and promise lower carbon dioxide emissions, and even the packaging has been reduced 20% (and is now 100% recyclable, meaning no giant Styrofoam blocks in that box). $669 and up, Lenovo

Other Eco Computers

More eco award-winners in the computing category include the HP Pavilion, which boasts a mercury-free screen, and the Sony Vaio W Series notebook, with a plastic chassis made partly of recycled CDs and a carrying case made from old soda bottles. Better yet, Apple’s iPad 2 is eco- and energy-efficient with a 10-hour battery, casing made from recyclable aluminum and glass, and a display that’s made without arsenic, mercury, bromine, and polyvinyl chloride—all toxic chemicals found in other computing products. $299 and up, HP; Sony; Apple

Alarmingly Efficient

There is probably no cooler home swag than the Bedol Water Alarm Clock. It uses no batteries or electricity, and you only have to replace the water every six months in order to keep it running smoothly. The new Squirt model even looks like a cute, colorful water drop. $26, Bedol

Solar Speakers

Even if these speakers weren’t solar, they’d be cool. The Etón Rukus wireless speakers, available this summer, will come with an AC adapter and solar panels, making the product one of the few portable speakers that can run as long as the sun is shining. It connects via Bluetooth, sports an e-ink display that is more energy-efficient than others regardless of the source you use, and has a powerful sound being lauded by tech pundits. $150, Eton Corp

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