Motorola recently filed a patent for a cell phone display that doubles as a solar cell.   Apparently, the screen will be able to charge a cell phone’s battery when the display is exposed to the sun.  It’s doubtful the phone would get all its juice form the sun. Rather, sunlight probably would power the handset while it’s away from an electrical outlet.

I wish my Q had this, maybe then and only then could I leave my house without my spare charger.

Source: CNet

With summer approaching, air conditioners buzzing, and energy bills reaching unseen levels… it couldn’t be more perfect timing for Nokia to unveil the first mobile phone to include energy saving alerts.

Kirsi Sormunen, Vice-President of Environmental Affairs at Nokia said, “Around two-thirds of the energy used by a mobile phone is lost when it is unplugged after charging but the charger itself is left in a live socket. We want to reduce this waste and are working on reducing to an absolute minimum the amount of energy our chargers use. The new alerts also play an important role, encouraging people to help us in this goal by unplugging their chargers.”

The alerts indicate when the battery of a charging phone is full and prompt the user to disconnect the power source. Nokia claims that the feature could save enough electricity to power 85,000 homes a year.

I LOVE this idea but, I think it puts a lot of responsibility on the owner. Maybe it would be better if the phone automatically knew to stop charging and resumed, on its own, when the battery was depleted to a certain level.

Nokia Press Release

UK - Monetary incentive not to buy

‘If everyone in the UK who owns a mobile delayed its replacement by a year, it would equate to 187,000 cars being removed from the road annually.’

That’s O2’s estimate of how much CO2 is produced during the manufacturing of the UK’s mobile phones. So in order to do its bit for the environment, O2 is now offering a £95 cash back offer to any new or existing customers who choose to keep their existing phone rather than opting for a new handset.

US - Solution for waste

65,000 tons of cell phones are discarded every year. Instead of giving money to those who don’t buy the latest gadget, a few states are implementing cell phone recycling programs at retailer locations. California and New York already have legislation in place. Vermont and Maine are working similar measures through.

Want to do your part regardless if your State makes cell phone recycling mandatory? Check out these sites:

• The Wireless Foundation CALL TO PROTECT – This national non-profit program established by CTIA generates funds to provide phones, with matching airtime, to domestic violence agencies as well as grants to national organizations working to prevent domestic violence.

• The Body Shop – This personal care products retailer began offering its “National Cell Phone Collection Program” in September 2002 at all Body Shop stores. Proceeds are donated to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

• The Charitable Recycling Program - Provides a fundraising program for non-profit organizations and municipalities, or donats proceeds to a charity of your choice.

• CollectiveGood – CollectiveGood collects cell phones to benefit charities specified at its website through the mail (mailing costs may be covered by selected charity) and through collections organized by local partners (including Staples retail stores).

• ECO-CELL – ECO-CELL partners with conservation and public organizations to set up profitable local collection programs.

• GRC Wireless Recycling – Through its “Recycling Alliance” and “Shelter Alliance” programs, GRC Wireless offers cell phone fundraising and recycling programs for schools, non-profits, religious organizations, community groups,, municipal recyclers, shelters, and social service groups. Donations of used cell phones are accepted from businesses and consumers.

• Rechargeable Battery Recycling Program (RBRC) – RBRC accepts cell phones for recycling through its rechargeable battery collection program. RBRC collection boxes are currently available at over 150 retail locations throughout Maine ; RBRC provides free collection boxes and shipping to municipalities.

• ReCellular – ReCellular offers cell phone collection and recycling program support to all kinds of organizations, including big box retailers, to help these organizations raise funds for charitable and environmental programs.

Sources: Pocket Picks, Maine.gov, Cellular News, and Electronics Supply & Manufacturing

Once again two worlds that are part of my life that I never thought would collide have collided. As many of you in the cell phone industry probably do not know the East Coast United States has recently lost 70% of its commercial bee population, with the West Coast not far behind those numbers to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).

In other words, beekeepers are coming back to their hives only to find that during the winter some of them have just up and disappeared.

I only know this because my father and I are beekeeping hobbyist and some people very close to me are professional beekeepers. Id love to hear their thoughts on this :-).

Well, apparently one theory has attributed the mysterious occurrence (which has devastating effects on our agriculture by the way since bees are key to pollination) to cell phone and cell phone towers.

A limited study at Landau University has found that bees refuse to return to their hives when mobile phones are placed nearby….Dr George Carlo, who headed a massive study by the US government and mobile phone industry of hazards from mobiles in the Nineties, said: “I am convinced the possibility is real.”

This, by the way, in a very high school policy debate fashion allows people to make claims like some scientists suggest that our love of the mobile phone could cause massive food shortages, as the world’s harvests fail.

The theory is that radiation from mobile phones interferes with bees’ navigation systems, preventing the famously homeloving species from finding their way back to their hives. Improbable as it may seem, there is now evidence to back this up.

The article then also goes on to point out the other possible dangers of mobile phones in terms of cancer and mens sperm count, but the latter is a different type of pollination concern, isn’t it?

[via the Independent]

Technorati Tags: bees, ccd, colony collapse disorder, mobile, policy debate

This of course is a good idea for the sustainable future of Green Phones. Gizmodo found a cell phone prototype that runs on solar energy. While not ideal yet lets work on it!!!

[read]

Technorati Tags: solar power, cell phone