Treehugger recently posted an article about the newest gadgetry to hit the green scene. It’s a USB hub that allows you to switch off certain USB cords in order to reduce unnecessary power.

They were reasonably excited about this new product. Claiming it will help eliminate“vampire power.”

While I’m very glad to hear energy saving ideas are being generated, I think this new helper is a big step in the wrong direction.

The amount of plastic and metal used just to make this thing completely defeats it’s environmental purpose.  The world would just be a bit cleaner if this tiny chunk of plastic didn’t exist.

Of course, we would have to muster up all the energy to unplug our USB devices by hand, but something tells me we could handle it.

I think products like this one are just riding the environmental bandwagon. I hate to see companies producing more stuff in order to “go green.” It’s a little counter productive and it does nothing to help one of the main pillars of eco-living: cutting down consumption.

It’s one thing to create a greener computer, car, mp3, etc. Those are all electronics we would use anyways, so it is actually wonderful when advancements are made to improve their efficiency.  However, this USB plug does not need to exist and it’s usefulness seems too minimal to justify the costs of making it.

I think it’s time we all remember what word comes first in the phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle.”

-Alysa

Be sure to recycle your electronics!