Sunlight = free, electricity = not free, so doesn’t it seem like a no-brainer to charge up your gadgets and small electronics using a solar charging device? That’s exactly the thinking behind the Ray, which uses the sun’s rays to juice up iPhones, iPads, iPods, most cameras, and a plethora of non-Apple cell phones. The popular item has not even technically been released yet (it’s available for presale) but in just 1.5 days, it has already amassed 400 pre-orders. The ray operates via a standard USB cable and can easily be used while hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, on a plane, or just in the car as a cell phone battery backup.

+ Ray Solar Charger

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Post tags: brandon craven, eco design, eco gadget, green design, green gadget, ray, ray solar charger, solar charger, solar iphone charger, solar iPod charger, Solar Power, sustainable design

Solar activity sometimes causes disturbances through massive flares, but the energy can also be used to increase in-space propulsion capability – harnessing solar power with solar sails could expand future exploration potential by increasing spacecraft efficiency and lower operating costs. NASA recently announced plans to advance the technology by rolling out the largest solar sail ever created – in 2015, the next generation solar sail spacecraft will deploy and operate a sail with an area 7 times larger than any that has been flown in space. NASA’s Solar Sail mission is one of three proposed Technology Demonstration Missions set to “transform space communications, deep space navigation and in-space propulsion capabilities”.

Read the rest of NASA Announces Plans to Launch the Largest Solar Sail Ever Created

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Post tags: applied science, Climate Change, CO2, deep space atomic clock, eco design, eco-friendly, engineering, Environment, environmental design, gadget, green design, green gadget, green technology, harvest energy, laser communications, nano technology, nasa, photovoltaic, pv, recycled energy, renewable energy, Satellite, solar display, solar panel, solar sail, space, space debris, space travel, sustainable design, sustainable living, Technology, technology demonstration

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Post tags: ambient light, applied science, backlit, cheap energy, Climate Change, CO2, display, display screen, Eco, eco design, eco-conscious, eco-friendly, energy loss, energy recovery, engineering, Environment, environmental design, gadget, green design, green gadget, green living, green technology, harvest energy, iPad, LCD, liquid crystal display, liquid crystals, MIT, nano electronics, nano renewables, nano technology, organic electronics, photovoltaic, photovoltaic devices, pv, recycled energy, renewable energy, smartphone, solar display, solar panel, solar screen, sustainable design, sustainable living, Technology, ucla, yang yang

If you own an iPhone and want to protect it from everyday wear and tear while avoiding nasty plastic or rubber protectors, this awesome camera-shaped bamboo case might be just the thing you’re looking for. Created by William Mak from SigniCASE, this clever eco-friendly cover is made entirely out of fast-growing biodegradable bamboo. Ultra-slim and very lightweight (at only 22 grams), the camera skin will add a quirky retro aesthetic to your favorite gadget.

Read the rest of Awesome Bamboo iPhone Case Looks Like a Retro Camera

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Post tags: apple mac, bamboo accessories, biodegradable materials, Decorative Objects, diy design, fast growing, green gadget, green graphic design, green materials, green package design, green resources, iphone case, recycling/compost, Sustainable Materials

Riding a bike at night can be an exhilarating experience – the air is cleaner, there are fewer distractions, almost no cars, and the streets are yours! However night cycling can also be dangerous without the proper safety gear, as cyclists are hard to see when the sun goes down. With this in mind, bike lover and designer Lee Myung Su created a line of accessories that increase visibility while biking and even allow cyclists to signal drivers behind them.

Read the rest of Brilliant LED Backpack Lets Night Cyclists Signal to Drivers

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Post tags: accesories and fashion, bicycle safety lights, bycicle accesories, clean tech, eco travel bag, green backpack, green gadget, green lighting, green materials, green technology, Hanji paper, Korean Design

If you’re like us and have a drawer full of drained alkaline batteries that you’ve been hoarding just hoping they’ll somehow be usable again one day, we’ve got good news for you! WattsClever is a new kind of battery charger that allows you to recharge those dead Duracells – yes, even the regular kind that you usually need to take to a Best Buy to recycle. The new device uses a “microprocessor to minutely control the trickle charge so the batteries don’t overheat and die.” Depending on the age and quality of am AA or AAA alkaline battery, it can be recharged anywhere from 10-20 times and each recharge takes around four hours.

+ WattsClever

Via Red Ferret via Dvice

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Post tags: alkaline battery charger, Battery Charger, battery recharger, eco design, green design, green gadget, green gadgets, Rechargeable Battery, watts clever, WattsClever

Nowadays, it’s pretty common to have more than one mobile device per household – if not per person. But charging all of those electronics can not only be electricity-intensive, it can also be a cluttered eyesore. Belkin is hoping to solve both of those issues for you with their Valet USB charging station. Part of the Conserve line of energy-saving products, the Valet can hold and charge up to four devices at once, shuts off automatically when your gadgets are done powering up to eliminate vampire power drain and keeps all your cords nice and neat.

+ Belkin Conserve Valet

Via LostatEMinor

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Post tags: belkin, belkin conserve, belkin conserve valet, belkin valet, Charging Station, eco gadgets, electronics charger, energy conservation, energy saving, green electronics, green gadget, green gadgets, green products

eReaders are popping up these days like dandelions on an un-mowed lawn, and truthfully it’s hard to sing the praises of their individuality. But Toshiba has decided to give their next gadget a green twist by announcing that their new eReader, the Biblio Leaf, will be solar powered. We’re wondering what the reader is going to look like with a solar panel built in — and whether it will resemble the Kindle, shown above — but we’re sure this new sun soaker will look great on your electric bill.

Read the rest of Toshiba Unveils New Solar-Powered E-Book Reader

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Post tags: biblio leaf, electronics, environmetally friendly gadgets, ereader, gadget, green electronics, green gadget, sustainable electronics, Sustainable Gadgets, Toshiba, toshiba environment

If you’re part of a family that’s really into technology and the bounty of entertainment options it has to offer, then the Roku Box may just be the thing you’ve been looking for to streamline your entertainment system. This hardworking gadget is the perfect way to compact your home entertainment into a lightweight little black box that’s both Wi-Fi ready and able to stream content directly to your TV! A great way to reduce your carbon footprint by dropping away all that plastic, packaging and other material related to DVD and blu-ray disc distribution, the Roku will let you uncoil yourself from the pile of wires collecting behind your TV and bid adieu to all the Earth-unfriendly clutter of the “olden days”!

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Post tags: family hone entertainment, gadgets for moms, green gadget, green home entertainmen, green home entertainment, movies, Neflix box, netflix, netflix box, roku box

Nokia has released a pedal powered cell phone charger kit slated for developing nations where the power supply is limited, unreliable or expensive. The kit includes a bottle-dynamo, like the ones used to power a bike light, plus a cell phone holder that attaches to the handlebars. Nokia hopes to begin selling the kits by the end of 2010 for around 15 euros in countries that have a large bicycling population. These dynamos are great sources of renewable and human power and make it that much easier for people to want to choose biking as their main mode of transportation.

Read the rest of Nokia Unveils Bike-Powered Cell Phone Chargers

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Post tags: bike charger, bike-powered cell phone charger, cell phone, dynamo, eco design, Eco Travle, green design, green gadget, Greener Gadgets, human power, Nokia, pedal power, sustainable design

Recently we reported that U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Cell-All had developed a chemical-sniffing iPhone add-on that can potentially offer early information on a chemical attack, confirm suspicions of methane emissions, and give users information about the chemicals present in their everyday environments. Now Cell-All has announced that it wants to integrate its technology directly into smartphones — much like GPS sensors, cameras, and MP3 players are embedded into our phones. The stamp-sized chemical sensor can sniff small amounts of chemicals like methane, ammonia, and chlorine gas.

Read the rest of Homeland Security Developing Smartphone Tech That Sniffs Deadly Chemicals

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Post tags: cell all, chemical, chemical sniffer, chemicals, Design for Health, green design, green gadget, green technology, homeland security, iPhone, sensor, smartphone, sustainable design

The makers of the Solar Roadway just got a little closer to their dream of making every road in the United States a high-tech thruway that carries more than just cars. They’ve completed their first prototype and unveiled the photographs of the revolutionary energy-generating road surface. If installed on a real thoroughfare the Solar Roadway would carry vehicles, generate electricity for messages to drivers, self-heat to melt snow and ice, and deliver high speed phone and internet cables to the front steps of every home.

Read the rest of Energy Generating, Self-Heating Solar Roadway Unveiled

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Post tags: alternative transportation, economy, energy production, green gadget, green transportation, messages, power generation, road, road surface, Solar Power, solar roadway

Inhabitat reader Raven tells us about the Solar Plant – a flowerpot-shaped charger that uses the sun’s rays to charge all of your portable electronic gadgets. This clever design from Ku Bon-Seop of South Korea features a set of solar panels that are mounted on the top of the charger. Just like real plants these panels convert light into renewable energy by utilizing the mighty power of the sun. The design is clean and simple, and its portability makes it easy to keep your gadgets powered wherever and whenever you find the need for some extra juice.

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Post tags: "solar energy", green design, green gadget, Ku Bon-Seop, photosynthesis, portable charger, solar panels, solar plant, Solar Power, solar powered charger

For global travelers who can’t survive without their personal electronics, there is now an eco-friendly and convenient solution to minimizing their energy consumption while on the go. iGo, a Scottsdale, Arizona-based company known for their innovative and supremely efficient power management devices, has recently unveiled a new portable eco-friendly charger that literally brings the outlet directly to the traveler. This is just one of a wide range of products that iGo provides to offer conscious consumers smarter, more efficient power management solutions.

Read the rest of iGo Eco Chargers for Global Travelers On the Go

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Post tags: eco-charger, green design, green gadget, green gadgets, Greener Gadgets, iGo, power management, power management solutions, smart technology, sustainable design, travel charger

By now you probably know that your gadgets still suck power from the grid when they are plugged in but not turned on — this phantom power drain can cost you hundreds of dollars a year. But how are the forgetful greenies out there to remember to unplug that charging cell phone right when the battery is full or click off the power bar for the Plasma TV when Mad Men ends? Well, the answer might be here — the Fair Energy Clock is one of this year’s entries into the Greener Gadgets competition and it vows to cut off phantom power when you’re not there to unplug.

Read the rest of Cut out Vampire Power With the Fair Energy Clock

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", appliance, Eco Travle, energy conservation, energy saving, fair energy, fair energy clock, gadget, Green Appliances, green gadget, Greener Gadgets, low-energy, new york city, outlet, phantom energy, phantom power, power strip, power supply

If you keep up with the latest gadget news, you’ve undoubtedly heard about some of the innovative products coming out of this week’s Consumer Electronics Show. One of our favorites is the Sony Vaio W series “Eco Edition”, an ultra-green mini laptop that even comes in a green-tinted plastic enclosure made from 23% recycled CDs.

Read the rest of Sony Unveils Ultra-Green Vaio W Series Laptop at CES

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Post tags: ces, consumer electronics show, eco edition, green design, green gadget, laptop, sony, sustainable design, vaio, w series

The Reclaim – Samsung and service partner Sprint’s newest green phone – has innovative features that go beyond the bare bones that similar products like Motorola’s W233 Renew phone offers. This eco-conscious smart-phone is 80 percent recyclable and made mostly of corn-based bio-plastics, but that’s not all this compact phone has up its green sleeves.

Read the rest of Samsung Unveils Green Phone Made From Corn

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Post tags: bioplastic, Cooper Hewitt, corn-based bio-plastics, eco cell phone, eco-phone, green cell phone, green gadget, green phone, phone packaging, reclaim, recyclable cell phone, recyclable materials, samsung, samsung reclaim, smartphone, soy ink, sprint

Imagine you’re lost in the woods, having wandered off the hiking trail. It’s looking like you may have to bed down on some pine needles with what’s left of the granola bars, when your friend whips out a little device that looks like a small fan. What’s that? It’s the K3 Charger – a compact hybrid wind-and-solar power generator about the size of a flashlight. The handy green gadget allows consumers to recharge an iPod, cell phone, PDA, or other electronic device using renewable energy!

Read the rest of K3 Charger: Solar and Wind Power to Go

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Post tags: alternative power, green design, green gadget, k3 charger, kinesis industries, portable energy generator, renewable energy, sustainable design

Designer and inventor extraordinaire Knut Karlsen recently unveiled an inspired approach to portable power that can’t be beat for its elegant simplicity: a prototype battery capable of charging itself when exposed to sunshine. His slick set of SunCat C-cells are wrapped in flexible photovoltaic panels and will slowly recharge when left to bask in the sun – just like a cat.

Read the rest of SunCat: Solar Batteries Powered by Sunshine

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Post tags: green design, green gadget, integrated solar cell batteries, knut karlsen, photovoltaic batteries, solar charging batteries, solarcat batteries, sustainable design

Even if your local skyline isn’t hazy with smog, there are a number of environmental factors that impact your daily life but fly under the radar of your senses. Seeking to increase awareness and familiarity with environmental phenomena, Hernando Barragan has conceived of an Environmental Traffic Light that monitors and visualizes CO2 levels, air pressure, humidity and a host of other measurements. One of fifty top entries in this year’s Greener Gadgets Design Competition, these open-source eco outposts are sure to spark increased interest in the environmental factors that affect us all.

Read the rest of Environmental Traffic Light Gives Urban Residents Sixth Sense

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Post tags: air quality monitor, environmental monitors, environmental traffic light, green gadget, greener gadgets design competition, hernando barragan, social-environmental station, sustainable design