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When it comes to tech and transport, we've identified the 7 big green concepts affecting conscious consumers. Below are the trends that inspire us most and prove that—despite a recession—green is still steadily moving into the mainstream.
- Bike-Sharing Programs
We've seen quite a pick up in interest in using bikes as a form of daily transportation. First, it was due to rising gas prices. But even as gas prices begin to sink, interest has remained. Why? People are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of driving, as well as the money-saving potential and health perks of bike riding. Bike sharing programs help make riding around easier for someone who doesn't have the space or desire to buy a bike for themselves, buy allowing users to "rent" bikes that can be picked up and dropped off at locations throughout a city. Need to run a quick errand but took the subway to work? No problem. Bike-sharing programs are already big in Paris and other European cities, and are beginning to catch on in the States, too. Washington, D.C.'s bike-sharing program has been a hit, for example, and college campuses across the country are having success with bike sharing, too.
- Car-Sharing Programs
While bike-sharing programs are picking up speed, there are still a lot of people who want or need to drive to get around, but don't want to own the car. If that sounds like you, a car-sharing program is a great solution, and as market demand increases, so is the number or companies offering car-sharing services. Zipcar has long been a leader in this growing market; now Hertz has also rolled out a program called Connect to enter into the popular green alternative. - Infrastructure for Electric Cars
As electric cars become more widely available, one of the buzz topics is developing an infrastructure for charging. From Berlin to Hawaii, cities and states are getting ob board, providing electric-car charging stations and building out infrastructure. Meanwhile, organizations like Better Place, which seeks to bring electric cars to the masses, are a big help in pushing this burgeoning concept into reality. - E-Waste Awareness
As little as a few years ago, most people didn't know how incredibly harmful it is to just toss an electronic gadget in the garbage can, where it would end up in a landfill. Even worse, for those who did recycle their electronics, many were unaware that they would often go straight to developing countries, where unregulated recycling methods wreak havoc on the health of the local people and ecosystems. Today, e-waste awareness is growing rapidly. With increased media exposure, people are learning how and where to properly recycle e-waste. - Corporate Take-Back Programs
As consumer awareness about e-waste grows, corporations, electronics manufacturers, retailers, and even third parties are increasingly launching take-back programs. In some cases, manufacturers are in a race to see who can do it better, as take-back programs are quickly becoming a measure of being environmentally sound. Some states, such as New York, are regulating e-waste programs and requiring manufacturers to get serious about take-back programs. - Eco-Friendly Packaging
Green packaging is one of the easiest and most obvious places where a company can show their green mettle. Designers and manufacturers are picking up the pace when it comes to reducing the amount of packaging used and making more sustainable materials choices. Even companies like Adobe are working to help designers with new software tools for planning greener packaging. Some companies are finally starting to catch wind that unsustainable and wasteful packaging doesn't fly with consumers anymore, and so are focusing on smaller packaging—or are elimating packaging all together. Others are using recycled or eco-friendly materials. You can vote with your dollars, and help the cause, by choosing products with smarter packaging, and writing to let manufacturers know when you or don't like their packaging. - Smaller Computers
While cell phone sizes have pretty much stabilized (there's only so small you can go!), notebooks and desktops continue to shrink. The current buzz is mainly around netbooks. Netbooks are tiny laptops that you can cart around and allow you to run basic programs like a word processor and surf the web. They use very few materials and little power, making them really eco-friendly for general use during traveling or business meetings. Laptops are also shrinking into a hybrid category named sub-notebooks or ultra-mobile PCs. You can view them as either a super small notebook, or souped up netbook. Either way, they also use fewer materials and less power. New OLED display technology is also helping them to go smaller, since screens can be made as thin as 1mm. Desktops are getting tinier as well, with the Dell Studio Hybrid and Apple Mac Mini as key examples of desktops that give users all the power they need in energy efficient packages.
