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EU Introduces New Battery Recycling Requirements

Batteries

Stores in Europe that sell more than 32kg a year of batteries (the equivalent to one pack of four AA batteries a day) are now required to comply to new legislation that forces them to provide in-store recycling bins in an attempt at cutting landfill battery waste.

According to the BBC, the UK currently recycles just 3% of portable batteries and this legislation aims to raise that figure to 45% by 2016.

The recycling bins would be emptied free of charge, but many are skeptical whether consumers will be aware of the new rules or if ...

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Wattson Wireless Energy Monitor

Monitoring energy usage in your home is a fun and easy way to save energy. The Wattson Wireless Energy Monitor is a great gadget to help you monitor and save energy.

Wattson

How does it work?

Wattson comes with a sensor clip and transmitter. The sensor clip attaches to the mains electricity cables leading from your home's meter box to the fuse box. The transmitter then sends electricity usage information wirelessly to the receiver, which can be placed anywhere in your home.

The ...

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The Eco Showerdrop

Eco Showerdrop Taking showers is better for the environment. The average bath uses 80-100 liters of water. Modern showers can easily use around 20 liters of water a minute. So by keeping your showers under 5 minutes, you are using less water and less energy to heat hot water. Or are you? Simply timing your shower doesn't really let you know how much water you're using because usage varies depending on your house and facets.

Eco Showerdrop is an affordable fun ...

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Portable Solar Chargers

Harness the sun's energy to charge your laptop, iphone, or other electrical devices. Currently, solar cells aren't efficient enough to produce enough Watts to power and charge a demanding electronic device such as a laptop, while maintaining a portable size. Current panels are 15-20% efficient. To get around the portability factor manufacturers can simply add more panels and have them fold nicely away. Soon though, as efficiency increases smaller cells will be able to produce enough power to make solar portability feasible for larger electronics

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HP Compaq 8000f Elite Eco-friendly Desktop

HP has announced a new eco-friendly desktop, the HP Compaq 8000f Elite, at CES 2010. Often companies attempt to pass off "eco-friendly" products by using carbon offsets or other effortless methods, when there is really nothing eco-friendly about the product itself. Not so with this product, actual effort and thought was put into it. Like most HP products, this PC was built and marketed with businesses in mind, but this product would fit just fine in any ...

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Portable Water Bottle with Filter

Why do people drink bottled water? Because it's healthier, some people claim. Not so, say doctors and scientists. The ABC television show 20/20 put bottled water to the test in 2005. They took five common brands, along with samples of tap water from drinking fountains in New York City and sent them to a microbiologist. The verdict, no difference.
"Tap water tastes yucky" is another common response. I always thought water just tasted, well... like water. Not so, according to this website ...

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10 Greenest Electronics Manufacturers

Each year since 2006 Greenpeace has released a list of major manufacturers who produce computers, mobile phones, TV's, and game consoles, and ranks them according to their environmental record on things like toxic chemicals, recycling and climate change.
The most recent list was released in December 2009. Here are the manufacturers that stood out. The point value indicates how they scored in the survey.
1. ...

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Embertec Smart Power Saving Module

Embertec has designed a automated power saving module for consumer electronics. The chip monitors human interaction and electrical parameters and then intuitively manages and controls the appliances power needs. The technology aims at preventing wasted power in two common situations.
Passive and Active Power Savings
The first situation is Passive Standby Power, which is electricity that is used by appliances when they are turned off (standby mode, also called

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Ultralast Green Rechargeable Batteries with Solar Charger

Traditional disposable batteries are a rat's nest of chemicals. Many of today's gadgets work these batteries to exhaustion in a matter of months. Placing used batteries in the trash is often considered a no-no. Place them into recycling and they often just end up a more expensive landfill. Fortunately, green batteries are beginning to make an appearance in the market.
Last year, Fuji released their Enviromax Batteries, available in AAA, AA, C and D varieties. They have a 7 year shelf life and even the packaging is made from recyclable materials. Free of cadmium, mercury and PVC, they offer peace of mind to the battery-guzzling ...

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Regen’s Reverb: A Massive Solar-Powered iPod Dock with a Price Tag to Match

Regen’s latest announced entry into the iPod dock market is a behemoth of photo voltaic manufacturing. Designed to be the bigger brother of the company’s more modestly sized ReNu solar-powered dock, the Reverb adds more power but sacrifices versatility in the process. The ingenuity of the ReNu lies in its removable solar panel that allows you to power various docks. This adds a much needed degree of flexibility when it comes to finding ample sources of sunlight. It also means you don’t need to position your dock or iPhone in an awkward or inconvenient ...

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