There's never been more interest in eco-friendly gadgetry, and with Live Earth coming up (you could be there by entering our competition, you know), I thought it was time for a fresh roundup of green gizmos helping you improve your environment.
Companies such as TVonics have long been associated with greener practices, but many more have made announcements about cleaning up both their products and their working environment; for example, the Philips Green Flagship range, following on from its EcoDesign initiative, now ranks all products according to energy consumption, packaging, hazardous substances, weight, and recycling and disposal.
1. Philips HTS8100 Cineos Sound Bar Home Theater
Part of that Green Flagship range, the eco-friendliness of this home theatre is in its energy consumption. Featuring Ambisound, a DVD player and two speakers, this claims to deliver "full, multi-channel surround sound in any sort of room whilst also providing a full home theater experience with excellent sound and picture quality." Philips add a claim that this is 50% more efficient than its nearest competitor, and if you compound this by remembering not to leave electrical items on standby, this is definitely a good place to start.
2. TVonics MDR-200 Digital Set Top Box
A little sister to our much-reviewed favourite, the DVR-250, this is just a receiver, not a recorder, but it bears an "Energy Saving Recommended" certificate. It's definitely one to have if you're short of space, as it's teeny, and can even be strapped to the back of the telly, and it comes in as a mid-to-low budget option at £49.99. Best of all it produces under 4W when fully operation, and just a single watt on standby.
3. Eco-Electricals Switch Off Extension Lead
Okay, it's not quite Bye Bye Standby, but if you do have a lot of devices plugged into one extension lead and it's easier to reach than the wall socket, then this aims to encourage you to be bothered to turn them all off. Plus if you regularly mislay the remote for all your other gadgets, you can't do that with this; there isn't one.
4. Freeplay Energy Wind-up Indigo Lamp
Even though Glasto's been and gone there are still more festivals ready to assail us with music and mud over the summer. And what better accessory to see you through campsite nights than a windup lamp? You can even see it in action in our video review.
5. Toni Electroni is an almost-silent, 2.2Kw moped that's clean as a whistle, emissions-wise, and even comes with WiFi and iPod features that can keep you entertained without distracting you as you're zipping in and out of the traffic.
For more tips on making your lifestyle more ethical and environmentally friendly, check out Shiny sister site Hippyshopper.
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