Being green and eco-friendly doesn’t have to be boring. I’ve compiled a list of 5 gadgets that are either have low power consumption or help you reduce your carbon footprint.
Unfortunately some of the gadgets might not be available in the US. I’m sorry guys, but the Americans are far behind Europe in terms on energy conversation.
- Electronic Housekeeper is a Danish invention. The small box controls all the electronic devices in your home and gives you a complete outline of the power consumption of every power plug in the house. If thats not enough your Electronic Housekeeper can play mp3, stream online TV, update you with the latest news, make VoIP phone calls, check your mail and calendar, see whats going on in your house using the inbuilt webcam or text recipes and shopping lists to your cell phone.
- A cheaper and more simple solution is The Wattson. You simply plug the sensor on the power cord and The Wattson will show you how much energy you are using. A strong red light indicates that, you are using too much energy. You can share and compare your energy use with other Wattson owners on DIY Kyoto. The Wattson is illustrated above. A great looking device.
- Tesla Roadster is an electric car. The resemblance to a certain Porsche with a similar name isn’t coincidental . The Roadster is just as fast as a Lamborghini Murcielago with it’s 13,000 rpm and 248 horse powers and top speed at 200 km/h (120 mph), it can go from 0-100 km/t in less than four seconds. Despite the cool specs the Roadster is more economical than a hybrid car. I have no idea how expensive it will be, but I bet it’s more than my Toyota Avensis.
- At a more reasonable price, you can buy a Vectrix Scooter. It runs 109 km (67 miles) on one charge and has a top speed of 100 km/h. You’ll never see me on a scooter, but I like the idea. These are available in the US too.
- The Honda FCX Clarity might just be what you are looking for. This car runs on a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. It is bascially an electric car, that fuels itself. The top speed is 160 km/h, it has 135 horse powers and the range is 430 km (267 miles). The car is expected to be released this summer. The price is still unknown.
This is part one of my “Green Gadgets”-series. In the next post I will look at gadgets made of recycled materials.
In the mean time I would like to know what gadgets you have that help reduce carbon emission. Do you ever consider buying environmentally friendly gadgets and appliances? How big is your power bill? Too big? Mine certainly is. I blame it on my PC.
UPDATE: Robert Scoble a.k.a. Scobelizer just launched FastCompany.TV. He was lucky enough to get a test drive in the Tesla and streamed it live using Qik.
29 February, 2008
Technology