Tech Talk

Joe Hutsko, author of “Green Gadgets for Dummies” chats about how to save money and energy with your tech gear, and the Times reporter Matt Richtel talks about the rise of technology devices on the road.

Read the full story: Tech Talk | NYTimes.com: Green Gadgets For Dummies author Joe Hutsko | JOEyGADGET

Here are links to videos of my interviews with HP and Panasonic execs at the Greener Gadgets 2010 conference:

Maria Tate, Senior Industrial Designer, HP

Peter Fannon, VP Corporate and Government Affairs, Panasonic

Source: Greener Gadgets 2010 Video: Joe Hutsko interviews HP and Panasonic execs | JOEyGADGET.

Talking about “green-er gadgets” on Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane | WHYY.org

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 | Hour 2

What do you do with your old cell phone when you’ve bought your upgrade? Are you using your home computer in the most energy-efficient way? Technology enthusiast JOE HUTSKO explains how to use our home entertainment devices in a more environmentally-friendly way in his new book, Green Gadgets for Dummies.

Listen via Green Gadgets | Radio Times | WHYY.

Had a great time speaking with Marty Moss-Coane about greener gadgets at the WHYY studio in Philadelphia. Special thanks to Patty and Denis for the invite and proper care and feeding of this on-air guest.

Via: Green Gadgets | Radio Times | WHYY | JOEyGADGET.

Ten Green Gadget Money Savings Tips | Green Gadgets For Dummies

From Green Gadgets For Dummies, by Joe Hutsko:

Ten Green Gadget Money Savings Tips

Here are some quick tips that can help you save money by using gadgets the green way:

1. Replace single-use disposable batteries in your gadgets with rechargeable ones – then properly dispose of all of those dead single-use cells at your local grocery, hardware or office supplies store
2. Turn down your TVs brightness and contrast settings to the lowest comfortable level; new TVs leave the factory with all of their picture-related settings cranked to the max to standout on the showroom floor, so adjust yours when you bring it home
3. Unplug cell phone, MP3 player, and other gadget chargers after the battery is charged, as well as other “energy vampire” devices that go into standby mode when they’re turned off to stop them from sipping power; or plug them all into power strips so you can instantly turn them off all at once
4. Disable your computer’s screensaver and adjust its power savings settings to turn off the display when you’re not using it for more than five minutes, then switch the computer to standby or sleep mode after ten minutes, then switch to “hibernate” mode after thirty minutes (if the feature is available)
5. Turn off any energy wasting features and settings you’re not using on cell phones, computers and other gadgets, including wireless (Wi-Fi) networking and Bluetooth, and GPS; also, reduce the screen’s brightness and activate auto-lock or screen dimming and shutoff options on gadgets that offer these options
6. Read and review documents on the screen instead of printing them on paper – if you must print, reduce your printer’s quality setting to 300 dots-per-inch, print on both sides of the page, print in color only when necessary, and refill inkjet and toner cartridges rather than buy new ones
7. Reduce fuel consumption and auto emissions by shopping and banking online, and renting or buying downloadable and streaming movies and TV shows instead of renting DVDs at the local video store, or Netflix’s rent-by-mail; instead, choose Netflix’s “Watch Instantly” movies and watch on your computer, TiVo-equipped TV, or other streaming gadget
8. If your thermostat isn’t programmable get one, then set so it’s only heating or cooling when you’re actually in the house; even inexpensive models can accommodate workweek and weekend turn ons and turn offs based on your schedule
9. When purchasing new gadgets, look the most energy efficient models by visiting mygreenelectronics.org, energystar.gov, and the green gadget-aware websites below to stay up on the latest news, reviews, trends and feature stories that can help you make the eco-friendliest choices possible – the longer term benefit can shave more than a little green off your utility bill
10. If donating your mobile phone, MP3 player, or computer isn’t an option when you need to replace it, consider selling it locally on Craigslist, or trading it in for cash or credit toward a new, more efficient model by visiting the gadget trading website EZTradein.com.

via JOEyGADGET.com.

Apple today announced two eco-friendlier-products milestones:

Apple ships PVC-free power cords with the new iMac and MacBook

Apple’s most popular computer systems — iMac and MacBook — now ship with PVC-free power cords in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Venezuela. PVC has been used in computer power cords for decades, and while it poses few risks under normal use, toxic compounds can be generated and released if PVC is manufactured or incinerated without proper controls. That’s why Apple is continuing to eliminate it from all our computer systems.All currently shipping Mac systems have PVC-free internal cables, and now MacBook and iMac systems are completely PVC-free. Apple engineers worked closely with our partners and tested dozens of materials in order to find a safe, reliable alternative to power cords that contain PVC. We are currently working with agencies in regions outside those mentioned above to achieve the necessary certifications to ship PVC-free power cords worldwide.

Apple completes transition to mercury-free LED-backlit displays across Mac product line

With the introduction of the new 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac and the new MacBook, Apple offers energy-efficient, mercury-free LED backlight technology on every Mac with a display. So while other companies make promises to move away from power-hungry displays containing toxins such as mercury, Apple is taking action.iPod and iPhone have featured LED technology since their inception. In 2007, MacBook Pro became the first Mac to feature a mercury-free LED-backlit display. During the past year, we’ve added LED backlight technology to all MacBook Pro models. And we introduced the 24-inch LED Cinema Display: the first large-screen display to use LED backlight technology. This transition to LED backlight technology is yet another way Apple is working to lessen environmental impact through smarter product design.

via Apple – Environment – News.

September 30, 2009, 9:30 AM

NYTimes.com | Green Inc.: Apple Expands Environmental Disclosures

By JOE HUTSKO

Apple last week updated its Apple and the Environment Web site to include a life cycle impact section that, the company says, accounts for its total carbon footprint of 10.2 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

The emissions, organized by category, include those arising from manufacturing (38 percent); transportation (5 percent); product use (53 percent); facilities (3 percent); and recycling (1 percent).

“Because 53 percent of Apple’s greenhouse gas emissions are a result of the power our products consume, we design those products to be as energy-efficient as possible,” the company stated on its new Web site, adding that “Mac OS X even regulates processor activity between keystrokes, saving milliwatts of energy.”

A recent BusinessWeek article reported that carbon emissions for Hewlett-Packard and Dell were 8.4 million tons and 471,000 tons respectively. However, both companies “exclude product use and at least some manufacturing,” the article noted, and those companies “have said that including those factors would boost their carbon totals several-fold.”

Downloadable reports for all of Apple’s existing and recently retired products provide detailed breakdowns of each product’s environmental virtues (or shortcomings) — including whether it uses mercury-free LED displays or arsenic-free display glass. Also covered are the use of toxic substances like brominated flame retardants and polyvinyl chlorides, which are noxious when burned.

Apple says that all of its handheld products — iPhones and iPods — are now “PVC-free,” and that the majority of circuit boards and internal cables in its plastic-housed MacBooks are free of BFRs and PVCs. It also describes its remaining desktop, notebook, display and server products as being “BFR-free” and having “PVC-free internal cables.”

Asked whether any other electronics manufacturers are reporting the CO2 life-cycle impact for entire product lines, Casey Harrell, Greenpeace International’s toxics campaigner, said, “Not the way Apple is.”

“Others are doing some interesting reporting of their supply-chain emissions,” he added, “and HP is doing a lot of work there.”

via Apple Expands Environmental Disclosures – Green Inc. Blog – NYTimes.com.

Excellent story in the New York Times about advances in making it easier to properly dispose of unwanted or hopelessly useless consumer electronics products.

Read the full story at: A Green Way to Dump Low-Tech Electronics – NYTimes.com.

via A Green Way to Dump Low-Tech Electronics – NYTimes.com | JOEyGADGET.

My new book, Green Gadgets For Dummies, is now available in paperback and Kindle editions.

Below is a brief description of the book, followed by the book’s foreword by Tom Zeller Jr., editor of the New York Times Green Inc. section.

Thanks to everyone who provided so much support and assistance throughout the writing of the book.

(Special thanks to Wiley project editor Nicole Sholly, who made the process a learning experience that set me up for my next book, Macs All-in-One For Dummies (2nd edition).)

Book Description

Save some green by going green with these environmentally friendly gadgets!

With concern for the future of our environment growing stronger and more serious every day, there has never been a better time to take a new approach to some of the most popular gizmos and gadgets on the market and learn how you can convernt to electronics that have minimal environmental impact.

Green gadgets encompass everything from iPods to energy-efficient home entertainment devices to solar laptop chargers and crank-powered gizmos. This helpful resource explains how to research green gadgets, make a smart purchasing decision, use products you already own in a more environmentally friendly way, and say goodbye to electronics that zap both energy and money.

• Explore the environmental and financial benefits of green gadgets with this friendly reference
• Discusses which gadgets save energy-and which ones create energy
• Learn ways to offset your carbon footprint when you can’t reduce consumption
• Get tips for understanding products labels and avoiding “greenwash”
• Discover how to calculate the energy and money your gadgets consume

Get moving and start living green with this informative guide to environmentally and wallet-friendly gadgets!

From the Back Cover
Think green, save green, love Mother Earth, and have your gadgets too

No doubt about it, we’re a society of gadget freaks. But if you love your gadgets and the planet and saving money, here’s where it all comes together. Discover new environmentally friendly gadgets, ways to use the ones you have more efficiently, and steps to safely recycle or dispose of out-of-date or broken gizmos. You’ll even find out how being green saves green!

• Start thinking green — learn the “four Rs” of green gadgetry, understand carbon footprints, and starve energy vampires
• Save energy now — by using rechargeable batteries, monitoring power use, adjusting settings on TVs and video game consoles, and more
• Control your computer — discover how to adjust power conservation settings for Macs and PCs
• Know green from greenwash — find out how to choose electronic devices that are truly environmentally friendly
• Recognize when it’s time to say goodbye — know what you can donate, how to erase your personal information, and how to find reputable recyclers

Visit the companion Web site at www.dummies.com/go/greengadgetsfd to find more online resources and information about green gadgets!

Open the book and find:

• How many dollars you can save with energy-saving settings
• Sneaky ways your gadgets steal energy
• The six sins of greenwashing
• Safe ways to dispose of dead batteries
• How (and why) to deauthorize iTunes before donating your PC
• Steps for wiping Windows or Mac hard drives
• Greener gadgets for your home, car, and outdoor activities
• What EnergyStar ratings mean

Foreword

The very idea of “green gadgets,” to many, might seem an oxymoron. After all, it is a fundamental tenet of the environmental movement that less stuff is better, and that consumerism – the thing that makes us want to have that snazzy new cell phone, or to covet that nifty new digital camera – is at odds with maxims like “reduce, reuse, recycle.”

There’s some truth to this paradox – but it is hardly the only way to frame the contribution that technology can make to a greener, cleaner world. Setting aside the efforts underway to develop large-scale, clean-energy technologies like wind and solar power, which promise to address the steady march of climate change, there remain myriad ways for ordinary consumers to make simple adjustments in how they live – and what they buy – to generate substantial environmental gains.

In many cases, gadgets can help. Sure, we could all do better to manage our electricity consumption at home – but what if there were a product that could provide detailed data on when and where we were being most wasteful? What if there were “greener” versions of the technologies – like computers and cell phones – that we use frequently, and upgrade regularly?

Of course, such technologies do exist, and that’s part of what Joe Hutsko has assembled here: A guide to green gadgetry and how you can best deploy it to your own personal environmental advantage.

But this is not just a buying guide, and there’s a key point in that: Making better, less wasteful use of the gadgets you already own, and finding sensible ways to reduce, reuse and recycle those things you no longer need, are first-order strategies for consumers seeking to limit their overall footprint.

So, too, is learning to understand the increasingly complex eco-friendly and energy-efficient labeling systems used to keep consumers informed. You’ll find guidance on these matters here as well.

There is no magic wand – no magic gadget – that will neutralize consumers’ impact on the planet. But I think few green advocates would quibble with the idea that every consumer can make simple, informed choices about the technologies they buy and the energy they use – and that these decisions, factored collectively, are an indispensable part of any environmental movement.

Tom Zeller Jr.
Editor, Green Inc.
The New York Times