Computers already run your life, should they run your fitness routine as well? An infographic looks at the impact of wearable technology on our health.

Technology is getting smaller, more efficient, and more embedded into our every day activities. Wearable technology, gadgets we attach to our bodies, is just around the next historical bend. Already we’ve seen smart watches and internet-enhanced glasses. Now, companies are ushering in the next generation of exercise with wearable technology that monitors and records our performance, encouraging us to greater physical fitness. But are these new technologies really necessary, or are we just making things more complicated? And where will this quest for wearable technology ultimately take us?

According to a 2013 report from Berg Insight, a telecom industry research company, about 8.3 million wearable computers were sold worldwide in 2012, and that number was projected to rise to 64 million by 2017. If correct, this means that most of us will wear some sort of wearable technology on a regular basis in the very near future.

No doubt many of these devices will be related to exercise or healthcare. Already devices like FitBit and Sony Core tell people everything from how many steps they walk in a day, to how well they sleep at night. Apps like MapMyRun and CardioTrainer replace personal trainers. Gadgets like the Spree Headband go even deeper, combining motion, heart rate and body temperature sensors to give serious athletes real-time feedback that designers claim will build strength, burn calories, and/or increase endurance.

We’re already building the internet of things, and adding wearable technology to the mix seems like a logical next step. But it’s not without risks, especially when it comes to accuracy and privacy. Scroll through the infographic below to discover more pros and cons of wearable technology.

Related on Ecosalon

IBM Predicts Future Technology Will Help Us Live Local and Learn Smarter

5 Tech Tools To Declutter Your Life

Now & Then: The History of Fitness Wear

Top image via Spree. Infographic via InsuranceQuotes

The post Wearable Technology: Can It Really Improve Your Health? appeared first on EcoSalon.

Move over sexpots and valley girls, there’s a new (nerdy) chick in town. She’s into tech, sustainability, and yes, she may even wear glasses.

There was a time, shamefully, when wearing glasses and knowing how to troubleshoot Microsoft Windows meant you were dismissed as a socially awkward brainiac. Thanks to the Internet, smartphones, and indomitable gamer culture, however, the nerds are finally getting their revenge with gorgeous tech accessories!

Girls of the geeky persuasion are no longer the object of ridicule. On the contrary! Sexy nerds like Gillian Anderson, Tina Fey, and Oliva Munn forever changed our definition of leading ladies, inspiring their own Tumblrs and hilarious posts like “How to Woo a Hot Nerd Girl.”

Who is this vixen of the video game, this siren of software? She’s an intelligent, tech-savvy lady who’s just as interested in bandwidth as bangles. Feel like we’re speaking your language? Here are 7 of our favorite green accessories for nerdy women who like to keep it sophisticated—yet Star Trek-worthy.

1. Urbanears Upcycled Headphones

Solar-powered headphones, while a popular concept, have yet to make it to market. So while we wait, these upcycled, rainforest-saving alternatives will have to do. The fourth style released under the Urbanears Editions line, the Re:Plattan headphones are made from unused parts left over from previous headphone collections. A portion of the proceeds from each pair of headphones sold is used to preserve 5 square meters of the Costa Rican rainforest, the equivalent of scrubbing half a ton of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, according to the company.

2. Clare Vivier Oversize Laptop Clutch

Who says stylish things can’t also be functional? For today’s member of the mobile workforce, Clare Vivier presents the combination laptop sleeve and oversize clutch. Padded with durable cotton lining this clutch will keep your laptop safe without bulkiness. This clutch also easily transitions as a day or evening bag with ample room for all your personal items.

3. Moonstone Compact Portable Power Bank 

What better accessory to slip inside your oversized clutch than a pocket-sized backup battery for all your gadgets? Designed to mimic the shape and size of a powder compact, the Moonstone power bank is hand-crafted and ergonomic, with a beautiful “Moon-Beam” baked gloss in a variety of brilliant colors. It also includes 2 USB ports and 1 Micro USB port to charge portable devices with a fast-charging interface and can be recharged over 500 times. The Moonstone power bank comes in 100% recyclable packaging and includes a fashionable woolen felt carrying case.

4. Noon Style Solar-Powered Bags

Just because you cruise to your web design job on 10-speed road bike doesn’t mean you can’t carry your work gear in style. This gorgeous Elston messenger bag from Noon Style is just one of that brand’s ample selection of solar powered handbags. Made from chemical-free leather and naturally-dyed organic hemp canvas, the Elston offers a solar panel on the front flap. Expose this panel to sunlight for about 6 hours, and the internal battery will store the energy for several days, allowing the wearer to charge her cell phone or iPod day or night.

5. Scarves Based on Your Brainwaves by NeuroKnitting

Any Dr. Who fans in the house? If there are, you know the 4th Dr. never went anywhere without his beloved scarf. Now you too can boast a nerdtastic scarf, and this one is designed by your personal brainwaves. Created by two artists—Varvara Guljajeva and Mar Canet—who collaborated with a neuroscientist (Sebastian Mealla), ‘NeuroKnitting‘ is an exploration of brain signals through the medium of textiles. “Every stitch corresponds with a cognitive state, making each fleeting and ephemeral feeling permanent,” reports Ecouterre. “The ‘Knitic’ in real-time is able to control the needles to precisely modulate the troughs and peaks of the read-out.”

6. WeWood Watches

No self-respecting nerd leaves the house without a dependable timepiece. You never know when you’ll have to synchronize watches for a secret mission. Forget about that worn out old Timex, however. These amazing wooden timepieces from WeWood are made from scrap wood and high quality Miyota brand inner components. They are plastic- and chemical-free, and naturally hypoallergenic. WeWood has also partnered up with American Forests to plant one tree for every watch purchased.

7. Eco-Optics Recycled Glasses

Thick framed glasses used to be the scourge of a nerd-life, but now these vision correctors have become a must-have for nerdy-chic fashion. If your peepers need a little boost, why not choose frames that tread lightly on the planet? Eco-Optics is the first and only optical and sunglass collection made with 95% recycled materials. Eco is also a member of 1% For the Planet, a worldwide network of businesses in 38 countries that give at least 1 % of their annual revenue, not profit, to environmental causes.

Related on Ecosalon:

10 Style Tips Every Woman Should Know Now

12 Fun DIY Projects For The Chic Green Geek

Images: blacksnob, Urbanears, Clare Vivier, Lepow, Noon Style, Knitic, Eco-Optics

The post Nerdy is the New Sexy: 7 Tech Accessories for Geeky Green Chicks appeared first on EcoSalon.

With most of us already wishing for extra hours in the day, exercise often gets pushed to the back burner. But what if you could get some reps in without leaving your desk?

Exercise is the best way to boost mental and physical wellness, but it takes time, and time is something of a precious commodity these days. Even worse, most jobs today require long hours seated in front of a computer screen, the physiological equivalent of a tranquilizer dart.

CNN reports that sitting for a living can literally take years of your life. They cite a 14-year American Cancer Society study that found women who sat for more than six hours a day were about 40 percent more likely to die during the course of the study than those who sat fewer than three hours per day. Men were about 20 percent more likely to die. Even if sitting doesn’t kill you, it could lead to serious illness. Recent research from the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney, Australia demonstrates that prolonged sitting at work raises the risk of dying from cardiac and metabolic diseases.

Frightened by the knowledge of what “taking a seat” is doing to us, a number of active workstation concepts have recently appeared on the market. Here are four gadgets that can help you burn calories and build muscle at work. Even if you’re a freelancer or just a busy parent, these devices could help you squeeze a little exercise into your hectic schedule.

1. Standing Desk

Some research suggests that even working out a few times a week won’t counteract the negative effects of sitting eight hours a day. Standing desks are professional workstations that can support your laptop and phone sans chair. Standing while engages your muscles and keeps your blood circulating well. This in turn keeps your blood sugar better regulated and lowers blood pressure. Even if it feels weird, using a standing desk will put you in some prestigious company. They’ve already been spotted at high profile companies like Google and Facebook.

2. Dumbbell Alarm Clock

They say getting up and moving around once an hour can do wonders to counteract the negative effects of sitting. But it can be hard to remember when you’re facing a deadline or on a long conference call. It may seem like a novelty toy, but this weight-shaped alarm clock by Neewer can help break up your day with a few much-needed reps. When the alarm sounds, only the upward swing of the 1.3 pound dumbbell shuts off the repeating buzz – 30 upward swings of the dumbbell that is – and you can watch your total count down from 30 in the LCD display. It’s not going to give you Michelle Obama arms overnight, but it’s a fun way to get your blood flowing throughout the day.

3. Balance Ball Chair

According to a 2008 study, performing clerical work at a desk while sitting on an exercise ball burns about four more calories an hour than the same activity in a chair, or roughly 30 extra calories in a typical workday. And that figure doesn’t include the additional burn that would come from bouncing or leg lifts, which many users say the balls inspire them to do. But no one wants to accidentally slide of the balance ball while on an important call with the boss, which is why we prefer this balance ball chair, complete with a topple-proof frame and back rest.

4. Mini Under-Desk Stair Stepper

We all love the stair stepper at the gym, but few of us could fathom buying one for our home or office. Now, mini stair stepping machines offer a portable and more affordable alternative. These small machines are ideal for combined use with a standing desk, but can still be used while seated. According to Prevention.com, you can burn around 91 calories with 20 minutes of stepping, and you don’t even have to leave your workspace.

Top image: e skene

The post 4 Gadgets That Let You Workout While At Work appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnGreen marketers want us to believe in their products while hiding their dirty laundry.

To listen to the marketers, it’s a brave new green world of products out there. But greenwash is greenwash and Burmese teak is bad news no matter how you slice it. A gas hog SUV is still a planetary parasite even with a hybrid emblem. And some of the so-called sustainable successes are merely bad ideas passed off as alternative chic.

We pulled a handful of products for you to take a closer look at.

Curtain Call

Many are pondering the utility of the Energy Curtain,the solar-powered alternative to the window blind. It is designed to store energy all day to switch off lights at night. But since it has to be drawn all day to charge up, you have to turn on lights inside to get the electric glow when it goes dark. Maybe it’s best to use natural light during the day, and as little power as possible at night.

Less Packaging, Higher Price

Touted for 24% less packaging and more concentrated powder for smaller scoops, the new Ultra Tide simply doesn’t do the trick, according to users who say it’s the same chemically enhanced powder as the old one except they shrunk the box and raised the price. Boxes that are bite-sized are great, but it’s still the same harsh formula for fighting stains. In other words, it gets under your skin in a bad way.

Green Thumbs Down

For those desperately in need of seeing green in their cubicle, the USB powered Mini Greenhouse from DreamCheeky has arrived, letting you grow your own marigolds with the artificial soil and seeds provided. Fresh, faux or freaky? As Mainstreet points out, the so-called good green system calls for a PC with Intel Pentium 4 operating at 2.4 gigahertz or faster, at least 128 megabytes of RAM, a Windows compatible soundcard, a CD-ROM drive, plus a specific type of display adapter capable of Microsoft Windows XP. Yes, installed on your Windows PC, you can monitor nature at work (sans the sunlight). Really?

It’s A Wash

The Swiffer Vac mopping system may appeal to us slobs who are looking for a quick clean-up in our dirty nests, but the non biodegradable, plastic cleaning mop isn’t actually greener than the old tools, despite claims of saving gallons of hot water. Instead of the precious water, this nifty gadget uses single-use chemically-soaked cleaning wipes destined for the landfill heap. We love all the green (color) branding that tries to distract you into thinking Swiffer is really eco-friendly.

Teaked Off

You hear the floor or trays are teak and you are certain that means eco-friendly – from certified plantations, right? But when it comes to Burmese teak, logs yielding as much as $25,000 are stolen from ravaged forests and shipped to Japan, the U.S and Europe and turned into nice patio furniture. Over 24.7 million cubic feet of teak is taken from the Myanmar’s forests by Thai companies helping to finance the Burmese military government’s long border war against ethnic insurgents. While many floor companies are shunning the teak, you can still harvest it online through many sources.

Images: Torely; Cushnie et Ochs‘; DreamCheeky; Procter &  Gamble; Chevrolet; Procter & Gamble; Perpetual Kid; Teakworks4U, redwood1

Editor’s note: The Beige Report is an open EcoSalon team column showcasing the most ridiculous in green design and marketing greenwash. Buyer beware.

The post The Beige Report: Greenwashing Makes Us Feel Dirty appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnWhere we’re going, little lady, you won’t need this.

Edward Abbey had his dust and rocks from which to cry; I have my HTML. Today I hone my hypertext on Hammacher Schlemmer, proud purveyor of uselessly clever objects and distraction of last resort from the pressure earaches I always get when the plane’s about to land. One word: Skymall.

Allow me to introduce for posterity the self stirring pot. This is, of course, making the rather bold assumption that we will have posterity springing forth from the kind of stupid sires who invent things like self-stirring pots.

I discovered this marvel of ingenuity not seen since Billy the singing bass by way of Roger Ebert on Twitter. EcoSalon retweeted Ebert, helpfully adding @hammacher. (Only on Twitter will you find a movie critic, a green publication and a manufacturer of wasteful gadgets keeping company.)

The nonstick self-stirring electric pot, with its built-in autonomous spatula and virgin ore, will set you back $99.95 and civilization back a bit more, as noted by perennially snarky Jezebel and Calorie Lab. (Year ago, the latter’s publisher sagely advised a much younger me to pick up the phone before embarking on a product rant, but Scrimscher, you’ll have to forgive me this one. My hands are both too busy stirring.)

Meanwhile on the tweet, one reader, @abbesol, declared it “Lazy!” while another, @rufola, staked out the gray area: “At first glance: bad. But my Mum loves to cook and has bad arthritis, maybe this would help.”

Hammacher’s own defense was charmingly no-means-yes:

Upon further grilling (but not stirring), Hammacher explained that the product is great for those who are busy doing other things when preparing the meal. I thought stirring was part of preparing the meal, or at least a boring chore to entrust to a fourth grader. Once again, I am out of touch with what’s going on in hands.

I’m unfamiliar with the Hammacher demographic but I’m duly impressed by its cohort’s apparent adherence to cooking so many courses simultaneously at least one pot is left to a tragic fate of sink or swirl. Too many cooks in the kitchen? Try too many hands. The EcoSalon audience, by contrast, prefers to stumble along in the beleaguered darkness of doing more than one thing at the same time. And I, your fearless leader, shall stumble, as well as possibly burn, clump, stick and scald right along with you, most likely because I didn’t get off the phone. On the multitasking brink of the twentieth century, and also every century before that since the invention of cookery, we stand firm.

This is the latest installment in your editor’s column, The Insider’s Guide to Life, exploring topics such as media, culture, sex, politics, and anything else. Cheers and spellcheck!

Image: ginnerobot

The post The Insider’s Guide to Life: Vox Clamantis in Absurditas appeared first on EcoSalon.

1. The Electric Lightbulb

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“… good enough for our transatlantic friends … but unworthy of the attention of practical or scientific men.” British Parliamentary Committee, referring to Edison’s light bulb, 1878.

“Everyone acquainted with the subject will recognize it as a conspicuous failure.” Henry Morton, president of the Stevens Institute of Technology, on Edison’s light bulb, 1880.

The Brits get sniffy about American innovation (not for the first time) – and miss the invention of the century. Now our light bulbs comes in all shapes and sizes, and we’re eco-innovating faster than ever. Not too shabby for a conspicuous failure.

2. The A/C

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“Fooling around with alternating current is just a waste of time. Nobody will use it, ever.” Thomas Edison, 1889.

Oh Tom, you were doing so well. Edison enjoyed sniping at the efforts of his rival George Westinghouse (who bought the patent for a/c transmission from Nikola Tesla), and look where it got him. Fact is, it’s easier and far more efficient to distribute power with a/c than with Edison’s darling direct current. Oops.

3. The Personal Computer

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We have reached the limits of what is possible with computers. John Von Neumann, 1949

Somewhat wide of the mark. Along came the integrated circuit (better known as the microchip), and things went crazy. Computers have allowed our species to really connect. We can even study and regulate our own planet – and there’s still no computing limits in sight.

4. The Microchip

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“But what… is it good for?” An engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, commenting on the microchip in 1968.

Hardly anything – well, apart from virtually every piece of electronic equipment in gadgets, vehicles, computer networks, power stations, homes, offices and every other conceivable part of everyday life for this century and probably the next. But otherwise, yes – useless.

5. Data Transmission

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“Before man reaches the moon, your mail will be delivered within hours from New York to Australia by guided missiles. We stand on the threshold of rocket mail.” Arthur Summerfield, U.S. Postmaster General under Eisenhower, 1959.

“Transmission of documents via telephone wires is possible in principle, but the apparatus required is so expensive that it will never become a practical proposition.” Dennis Gabor, British physicist, 1962.

A brilliant scientist, Gabor received the Nobel Prize for inventing holography – but entirely failed to anticipate e-mail and the modem. (To be fair, so did everyone else). Nowadays, entire bookshelves can be transmitted for a few cents in the blink of an eye, making scientific collaboration a truly global enterprise. And all without rockets.

6. Online Shopping

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“Remote shopping, while entirely feasible, will flop – because women like to get out of the house, like to handle merchandise, like to be able to change their minds.” TIME, 1966.

It’s true that both sexes like the tactile experience of shopping in person. But e-commerce? As PayPal‘s proft margins will attest, remote shopping is here to stay – and helps get money to where it’s most needed.

7. The Automobile

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8. The Television

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9. Possibility

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“Everything that can be invented has been invented.”

Supposedly said by Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899 – except he probably didn’t. So the last word goes to actor and humorist Peter Ustinov:

“If the world should blow itself up, the last audible voice would be that of an expert saying it can’t be done.”

In green tech, there are some truly audacious ideas that plenty of “experts” have been quick to write off. As they relate to every day living and things you can do to help the environment, we’ll be covering them here, so be sure to bookmark us. If the history of technology offers any lesson, it’s that today’s most cynical eco experts could very well end up with egg on their faces. Naturally we’ll be diligently reporting on it all.

Further reading: 87 bad predictions about the future, courtesy of 2Spare.

Each week here at EcoSalon, the editors choose a post from the archives that we think you’ll love. The original post can be found here.

The post 9 Life-Changing Inventions the Experts Said Would Never Work appeared first on EcoSalon.

The lightbulb. The telephone. Email. If you’re a specialist in your field, there are two ways to become a household name: create something new, or claim it can never be done. If you want to be remembered on the Internet, choose the second one. Here are 9 examples of breakthroughs, inventions and innovations the experts were completely wrong about.

1. The Electric Lightbulb

“… good enough for our transatlantic friends … but unworthy of the attention of practical or scientific men.” British Parliamentary Committee, referring to Edison’s light bulb, 1878.

“Everyone acquainted with the subject will recognize it as a conspicuous failure.” Henry Morton, president of the Stevens Institute of Technology, on Edison’s light bulb, 1880.

The Brits get sniffy about American innovation (not for the first time) – and miss the invention of the century. Now our light bulbs comes in all shapes and sizes, and we’re eco-innovating faster than ever. Not too shabby for a conspicuous failure.

2. The A/C

“Fooling around with alternating current is just a waste of time. Nobody will use it, ever.” Thomas Edison, 1889.

Oh Tom, you were doing so well. Edison enjoyed sniping at the efforts of his rival George Westinghouse (who bought the patent for a/c transmission from Nikola Tesla), and look where it got him. Fact is, it’s easier and far more efficient to distribute power with a/c than with Edison’s darling direct current. Oops.

3. The Personal Computer

We have reached the limits of what is possible with computers. John Von Neumann, 1949

Somewhat wide of the mark. Along came the integrated circuit (better known as the microchip), and things went crazy. Computers have allowed our species to really connect. We can even study and regulate our own planet – and there’s still no computing limits in sight.

4. The Microchip

“But what… is it good for?” An engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, commenting on the microchip in 1968.

Hardly anything – well, apart from virtually every piece of electronic equipment in gadgets, vehicles, computer networks, power stations, homes, offices and every other conceivable part of everyday life for this century and probably the next. But otherwise, yes – useless.

5. Data Transmission

“Before man reaches the moon, your mail will be delivered within hours from New York to Australia by guided missiles. We stand on the threshold of rocket mail.” Arthur Summerfield, U.S. Postmaster General under Eisenhower, 1959.

“Transmission of documents via telephone wires is possible in principle, but the apparatus required is so expensive that it will never become a practical proposition.” Dennis Gabor, British physicist, 1962.

A brilliant scientist, Gabor received the Nobel Prize for inventing holography – but entirely failed to anticipate e-mail and the modem. (To be fair, so did everyone else). Nowadays, entire bookshelves can be transmitted for a few cents in the blink of an eye, making scientific collaboration a truly global enterprise. And all without rockets.

6. Online Shopping

“Remote shopping, while entirely feasible, will flop – because women like to get out of the house, like to handle merchandise, like to be able to change their minds.” TIME, 1966.

It’s true that both sexes like the tactile experience of shopping in person. But e-commerce? As PayPal‘s proft margins will attest, remote shopping is here to stay – and helps get money to where it’s most needed.

Image: Cyberesque
“The ordinary “horseless carriage” is at present a luxury for the wealthy; and although its price will probably fall in the future, it will never, of course, come into as common use as the bicycle.” Literary Digest, 1899.

8. The Television

9. Possibility

“Everything that can be invented has been invented.”

Supposedly said by Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899 – except he probably didn’t. So the last word goes to actor and humorist Peter Ustinov:

“If the world should blow itself up, the last audible voice would be that of an expert saying it can’t be done.”

In green tech, there are some truly audacious ideas that plenty of “experts” have been quick to write off. As they relate to every day living and things you can do to help the environment, we’ll be covering them here, so be sure to bookmark us. If the history of technology offers any lesson, it’s that today’s most cynical eco experts could very well end up with egg on their faces. Naturally we’ll be diligently reporting on it all.

Further reading: 87 bad predictions about the future, courtesy of 2Spare.

Each week here at EcoSalon, the editors choose a post from the archives that we think you’ll love. The original post can be found here.

Image: Fabbio

The post 9 Life-Changing Inventions the Experts Said Would Never Work appeared first on EcoSalon.

Once, for a short period of time, I had The Man by the balls. And when I say “The Man,” I mean The Man – a corporate giant who keeps us down, corners us and our pocketbooks, gives us no choice, frustrates us at every turn and manufactures, along with his product, that helpless feeling in our gut that we’re up against something unbeatable. When I say “The Man,” I mean my cell phone service provider. And by provider I mean AT&T. And for a brief shining moment, my contract was f’in up. Booyah!

In fact, though it seemed to pass in a heartbeat, it was more than a brief period that I enjoyed the pleasure of having AT&T over a barrel. (Provider. What a generous title.) My Golden Era lasted two years (ironically the same amount of time they make you commit to those inane contracts which ensure you that you are joined at the mobile hip for a full, glorious sentence.)

The freedom – both real and imagined – was extraordinary. When I received my monthly bill, I’d simply have a gander and pick out those charges that I really just didn’t think were fair. “That call to Eastern Europe cost how much?!” ” I thought I had unlimited texts!” “You mean I wasn’t covered for Internet usage?!”

All it took was a simple call and a moment for the front-line customer assistant to figure out who I was – an off-contract customer, An Opportunity for Customer Retention.

“Sir how can help you? Are you ready to re-up your contract?”

“Um, no, I’m shopping providers right now and will be making a decision very soon, but in the meantime, there’s this thing on my bill”¦”

“Oh dear, Mr. Adelson, I am so sorry! Just give me a moment here and”¦ there now, all those nasty charges have just been deleted. So about your contract”¦”

“Oh hey, gotta run. Thanks though! You just kept me from jumping ship! Back to you soon on the contract thing!”

Such sweet pleasure.

But how real was it? In the end, was it a mere illusion of freedom? Just a voice on the other end of the line telling me what I wanted to hear? Did I have Him or did He have me?

On the can-we-really-get-along-without-certain-gadgets front (here we’re talking the penultimate gadget; the Cell Phone), I’ve recently seen a few articles fly by on the power of living without. What would it be like to be off the grid completely, beholden to no cell-phone Man?

Joel Stein, writing for Bloomberg Businessweek, posits that the “Luddites may actually be power brokers,” and that “not having a cell phone means that the world has to run on your time.”

In the article, he sums up what we’re up against: “Everyone has a cell phone now. There are more than 280 million mobile subscribers in America, according to the Federal Communications Commission. According to a 2005 international study by Advertising Age, 15 percent of Americans have interrupted sex to answer their phones. Even people who are videotaping themselves having sex, like Paris Hilton, stop to answer a call.”

Stein goes on to say not having a cell phone is a way we can take back power, noting that a few people who know power on first name basis, like Warren Buffett and Russian billionaire and New Jersey Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, have dumped the gadgets. (Some heavy-hitter celebs, too, have chosen to hang up.) The article goes on to tell the tales of a number of other people who have given up the habit, folks who have had enough and are not gonna take it anymore. I read each of their stories. I was impressed.

In many ways, we present a paradox of gadget infatuation. We talk about what’s cool and new, shiny and green, all with a what’s-happening-now bent. But we also talk about ways to avoid being slaves to The Man, thinking outside the proverbial box, not being afraid to “just say no” to obvious trends that aren’t healthy for you. Recently, I posted a story about the green and not-so-green aspects of the iPad, in which I posed a question of awareness regarding our decision to buy any gadget: do you need it or do you want it?

This question – and freedom from gadgets and the Men and Women who service our addictions – is something I wrestle with almost every day. And while I’m happily a later-than-some adopter when it comes to toys and I think I do a pretty good job distinguishing between my needs and wants, I will say this when it comes to certain products: When I fall, I fall hard.

Which brings me back to my cell phone moment in the sun. Oddly, it was a moment in the sun that brought it all to an end. I was sitting on my balcony, doing some hardcore Ra worship, talking into my contract-free, trusty little Razor (my connection to freedom – as long as that little baby held up, I was safe). And the screen went black. Literally. It died in the heat that day, and though I cannot say exactly how long I held out after that moment, it was probably mere minutes before I realized what had to be done.

I crawled back to The Man. I took the deal on the iPhone and I smiled big when they handed it to me. So there it is. Was I really ever going anywhere? A new “provider,” maybe. But true freedom? Was I threatening the man or was I blowing in the cell phone wind? The answer came way too easy: Two years? Where do I sign?

Image: lemuelinchrist

The post Hung Up on Cell Phones appeared first on EcoSalon.

We do love our green gadgets. But though we do profess more than a passing degree of eco-acumen, the reality is (shhh!) it sometimes takes an inordinate amount of time for us to truly understand what we’re talking about. (I’m talking about me, really, but I’m passing the buck here to the entire EcoSalon team. Again, shh.) So I’ve found a book for “us”! Green Gadgets For Dummies.

Part of the now classic “Dummies” series, the book covers “everything from iPods to energy-efficient home entertainment devices to solar laptop chargers and crank-powered gizmos.” It’s written by New York Times Green Inc. blogger Joe Hutsko, who’s also contributed some seriously non-dummy stuff to Fortune, MSNBC.com, Wired, the Washington Post, Newsweek, Time, Macworld, PC World and others. His personal blog, JOEyGADGET, is also pretty cool.

The book’s basically a primer on researching and purchasing green gadgets, and also provides pointers on using what you already have in smarter, more environmentally friendly ways. It includes info on financial savings, reducing your carbon footprint and even ways to avoid “greenwashing” – being deceived by BS green PR and marketing practices. There are also chapters on green lifestyle, computer energy savings specific to both Mac and Windows, mobile phones and recycling.

The book is now a part of the EcoSalon reference library, for all of us (well, for me) to use when needed.

The post One for the Reference Section: Green Gadgets for Dummies! appeared first on EcoSalon.

Ever since Re-Nest posted this stylish recycling station, we’ve been craving a chic solution of our own. Recycling isn’t one-size-fits-all (natch), so we’ve rounded up five recycling options to fit any size space.

1. Flip Lid Recycler (pictured above)
   Simplehuman is known for their sleek, yet practical designs, so we weren’t the slightest bit surprised to find several options on their website. This one has two inner buckets for sorting trash and recyclables. It also comes with a five year warranty.
2. Front Load Recycler
   At just $29.99 a piece, this recycler is probably the most economical option outside of DIY. Available in black or grey, they also come stackable, so you can rearrange them according to your needs.
3. Premium All-in-One Home Recycling Center
   This gadget may resemble a desktop computer, but it’s actually a super-cool compaction system capable of crushing cans, bottles, and jugs, saving you space. Other notable features include a one-step foot pedal, a recycle day reminder, and an odor eliminator on top.
4. Top Mount Recycling Double Bins
   If you’re going for a minimalist kitchen, then keeping recyclables out of sight may be your best bet. These 35-quart bins can be concealed inside a sliding cabinet for easy access. Here’s another hidden recycling option from Organize-It.
5. The DIY Option
   All you DIYers no doubt have a fabulous system for keeping recyclables nicely sorted and organized. Apartment Therapy shares one option using a Crate & Barrel media console and some colorful bins. Here’s another system courtesy of Re-Nest.

Tell us! How do you handle your recycling? Do you keep it hidden or incorporate it into your home’s decor?

The post 5 Stylish Recycling Stations to Fit Any Space appeared first on EcoSalon.