Intro

THE PUSH FOR

all things "green" is gaining momentum and gadget makers are taking note. Not only are some companies cleaning up their acts through recycling efforts and other earth-friendly practices, but they're also creating some pretty nifty eco-gadgets while they're at it.

Now you can find devices that promise to save energy, be fully recyclable or merely simplify your life. Just don't be fooled into thinking the makers of these gadgets are being 100% altruistic. They know there's plenty of money to be made. According to a 2007 holiday-spending survey by consulting firm Deloitte & Touche, nearly one in five people said they planned to purchase more eco-friendly products than in prior years, while 17% said they'd be willing to pay more for green gifts.

Among the latest in green offerings: wind-powered universal chargers, solar-paneled tote bags and a fully recyclable USB drive, to name a few. Of course, compared to their less eco-friendly counterparts, you'll pay a premium for these green gizmos. The payoff, though, comes in the form of peace of mind and, hopefully, a cheaper electricity bill.

For the environmentally-conscious, here are seven eco-friendly gadgets worth considering:

USBCell Rechargeable Double-A Batteries | $17.49

Americans purchase nearly three billion dry-cell batteries every year to power up their radios, toys, cellphones, watches, laptops and portable power tools, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. That's a lot of heavy metals mercury, lead, cadmium, and nickel just waiting to contaminate the environment. USBCell's double-A cell batteries offer an eco-friendly alternative. These rechargeable batteries don't even need a socket to juice up. Just pop on a special cap containing a built-in USB connector, plug it into a USB port on your computer, and the battery will charge in five hours. Even better: The USBCell can be reused hundreds of times.

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The HYmini may look like the fan you had strapped to your bunk at summer camp, but it's actually a universal charger powered by the wind and sun. The lightweight device captures energy from winds of up to 40 miles per hour. (It needs wind speed of at least nine mph to activate the fan.) Take it biking, jogging, driving or just walking on a breezy day, and in 20 minutes you get enough juice for half an hour of playtime on your iPod, 40 minutes of PDA use or four minutes of cellphone talk time, according to the company's tests. The solar battery, called the miniSOLAR, comes as a separate attachment (20 minutes of sunshine gets you similar output for your devices as the wind charge).

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Sony introduced this 11-inch three-millimeter

at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. The OLED stands for organic light emitting diode a technology that could eventually replace LCD (liquid crystal display) screens. Because it uses organic materials to light up the screen, these TVs require no backlight (as LCD screens do). And when these elements are in their "off" state, they consume no power. The result? OLED TVs eat up 40% less energy than LCDs, according to Sony. You won't sacrifice picture quality, either. The OLED produces a contrast ratio of one million to one that's significantly more brilliant than most televisions on the market today. Consumers may want to wait before buying an OLED, however. The hefty price tag should come down once Sony starts ramping up production and offering larger versions of the TV.

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A little sun and elbow grease is all you need to power up this radio, flashlight and cellphone charger. Wind up the crank for just one minute and you'll be able to listen to the radio (at normal volume) for 20 minutes or shine the flashlight for half an hour. Compact, rugged and weatherproof, the FreePlay is well-suited for weekend camping, a road trip or a nasty power outage, says Jill Fehrenbacher, editor and publisher of

, a green design web site, and co-chair of the Greener Gadgets Conference.

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Noon Solar's bags may be made out of biodegradable materials and dyed with sustainable harvested rhubarb and walnuts, but that doesn't mean they completely sacrifice fashion. The biggest design perk: the flexible solar panels stitched into the side of the bag. Leave the bag on the windowsill or next to you at the caf and the UV light these panels capture charges a battery pack that can supply power to your cellphone, MP3 player or other devices. "I can take it everywhere I go, and I don't worry about juice as long as it's sunny outside," says Dave Anderson, founder and publisher of environmental web site

.

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Even if your television or computer is turned off, it's still sapping energy from your electrical outlet. This idling power, called "phantom" or "vampire" power, can account for up to

of your electric bill, according to the National Resource Defenses Council, an environmental action group. Instead of running around the house unplugging everything, the Belkin Conserve surge protector allows you to turn off the power to six of eight outlets all at once using a wireless remote control. The device also has two "always-on" outlets for devices such as modems or digital video recorders that need to stay powered up. "We don't want people missing out on their favorite TV show," says Gid Herman, senior product manager at Belkin.

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Just thinking about all the old cellphones, computers and printers one blows through in a lifetime can make any green-minded person feel a little guilty. Electronics maker ATP hopes to ease some of that guilt by creating the first fully-recyclable USB drive. Released earlier this year, the shockproof, waterproof and dustproof

, is made of purely bio-recycled materials and comes in capacities ranging from 2GB to 8GB. With a price tag of between $20 and $100, the drive is a little pricey. But the extra cash goes toward a good cause: ATP donates a portion of EarthDrive sales toward planting trees around the world.