Sprint has recently pushed out their latest new cell phone called the Samsung Reclaim. They’ve hailed it as “Eco fun for the environmentally conscious.”

The phone boasts 80 percent recyclable materials and a casing that was made with 40 percent bio-plastic materials extracted from corn. However, when I clicked the “get it now” link the information on that page tells me the phone is made from 80 percent recycled materials.

Both ideas, recyclable and recycled, are two very different things. Recyclable means the phone can be discarded in an environmentally friendly way and recycled means the phone is made from parts that once belonged to an older phone. Either way, it’s a forward thinking phone from a forward thinking company.

In addition to recyclable packaging and a one click green button that gives you access to the latest environmental news, the phone comes with all the great basic features associated with a smart phone. It has a full QWERTY keyboard, 2.0 MP camera and is GPS enabled.

Sprint has developed a page devoted to it’s environmental efforts, which include getting 80 percent of it’s power from a local Kansas wind farm.
Sprint has also pledged to increase cell phone recycling on all carriers, models and cell phone types. An idea we are, of course, very fond of.


According to their website, Sprint is the first and only U.S. telecommunications provider to publicly commit to significantly increase phone-recycling efforts. “We’re pledging to collect an amount equal to 90% of what we sell per year by 2017,” they said.

Though the phone is exciting, I would have liked to see a few additional green features added to the mix. Perhaps their eco friendly home page could include information on where to buy refurbished or used phones for the eco conscious who don’t want to create more devices. Sprint also could eliminate the need for a new charger by making the outlet the same as older models and not including new ones in the box.

But overall, it’s nice to know that consumers really do vote with their dollars. Manufacturers are responding by creating products like the Samsung reclaim that can appeal to our environmental consciences, even if they are motivated by the bottom line.

Let’s say you recently upgraded your laptop or tech device to a newer model. You’ve selected a great new gadget that’s faster, uses less energy and is made with recyclable materials. You’ve even traded in your old model to berecycled or reused<. Hooray! Pat yourself on the back because you’re a conscious consumer.

But, why stop there? No doubt you’ll need to outfit your new toy with a case or backpack to carry it in. Somehow, after all that eco-conscious thinking, schlepping down to Walmart to pick up a mass produced laptop case made with new plastic padding and PVC plastic buckles just doesn’t feel right.

Of course, using what you already have is the best option. But if you don’t already have a case, check out Vy and Elle. The company creates accessories out of used billboard posters. They have some cool looking laptop holders and ipod cases. According to their website, the company was founded in 2002 by two designers dedicated to eco conscious products. Billboards are made from PVC plastic which makes them a great material for reuse.

Billboards are typically thrown away in landfills after they are used for only a short period of time creating a toxic hazard. In addition, the colorful way billboards are printed makes some pretty cool patterns too. Each case looks a bit like art. Plus, the straps, lining and trim are made with PET (recycled plastic bottles).

We’ve all been there: an expensive item that’s only a few months old suddenly ceases to function. The retailer can’t help, and the manufacturer is deaf to your issues. You’re stuck with a broken gadget and nowhere to turn.

Unfortunately for Xbox 360 owners, failure seems to be more of the norm than the exception. According to a recent survey by Game Informer the Xbox 360 fails an astounding 54.2 percent of the time, compared to only 10.6% for the PS3 and 6.8% for the Wii.

Although the results may be a bit skewed (the study also showed that Xbox owners use their devices far more than PS3 and Wii owners) the numbers are still startling. Just over 30 million Xbox 360s have been sold since the product’s launch in 2005. With each console weighing in at a hefty 16 lbs (including all peripherals) consumers have been left with a whopping 259,200,000 lbs of broken Xboxes.

Our question is: what’s happening to all the broken consoles? Some are repaired and reused. Unfortunately, however, many are ending up in the trash. Thankfully, this doesn’t have to be the case! YouRenew.com has recycled dozens of Xboxes (although most we receive are still working!), and there are plenty of other options. For a local electronics recycling option, you can check out Earth911 to find a responsible, local option.

Ever found yourself stranded with a dead cell phone or camera and not a AA battery or charger in sight?

I know I certainly have, which is why I’m excited to hear about Green Cell. Green cell is a universal rechargeable battery that is safe, environmentally friendly and made without toxic chemicals. It’s an idea designed by Theo Richardson, Charles Brill and Alex Williams of RBW and it’s similar to the universal charger. The battery would fit any electronic device on the market. And here is our favorite part, when it runs out of juice; it can be swapped for a new one at a vending machine!

The Green Cell program would run similar to ZIP car or the Velib program in Paris. Users could purchase a fully charged battery at the vending machine and then return it to receive their money back. The battery would be recharged for the next user.

I just love this idea because it would eliminate the need for multiple batteries and chargers. We’ve written before about universal chargers, but chargers would be unnecessary with this program! Every home would be able to operate with just one universal charger between them. Plus it would save money for consumers who could opt out of a battery when upgrading to a new cell phone. The battery is a surprising additional cost many people don’t think of.

Even if manufacturers can’t agree on a universal prototype, it would be great if Green cell could create rechargeable batteries to fit devices that run off of alkaline batteries too. Their idea for charged battery vending machines is exciting enough! They wouldn’t even need to have a universal battery; they could give the user a choice on the size and type of battery needed. Just giving people the option to recharge on the go would allow more people to take advantage of the environmental benefits of rechargeable batteries.

Although this would fundamentally change the way manufacturers make their money and therefore make it tough to implement, I think it’s time to step forward and consider options that are good for both the environment and consumers. All for one and one for all!

While Apple is pushing for recyclable batteries in its laptops, Gert-Jan van Breugel has taken a very different approach to environmentally friendly gadgets.

His new product, The Bamboo Phone, is a biodegradable phone that once discarded, will turn from cell phone to bamboo plant in just a few months. Every Bamboo Phone comes fully equipped with a fresh supply of bamboo seeds making it ready to “grow” whenever you’re done with it.

The phone is made out of environmentally friendly plastic that will feed the bamboo plant once the phone is composted. Of course you do have to remove the battery, antenna and print board before tossing the phone, as those parts aren’t biodegradable quite yet.

So this phone might be a little bit extreme, and has some serious down sides like the hand crank charger, but it does remind us to think outside of the box when considering progressive technology.

Imagine a world where all your old consumer products can be used in your garden once they become obsolete. It may seem impossible, but this phone certainly proves that degradable plastic can be put to good use and should be embraced as one of the materials of the future.