It’s hard to make generalizations about Americans. But here’s one I’ll buy: We tend to rush things. Especially our shopping. Right now, in fact, millions of us, having left our holiday buying to the last minute, are scurrying about picking up our remaining gifts, including those we planned on purchasing since we saw that Canon, Panasonic or Nintendo ad months ago.

What we don’t do is think a lot about stuff. Like the stuff we rush to buy and where the stuff that makes up that stuff comes from. For example, how many people in that insanely packed Best Buy I passed by this morning are going in thinking about where the tungsten in that cell phone they’re about to purchase comes from – and who’s making a load of cash on it way up the product’s food chain?

Well, somebody’s thinking about it. And they want you think about it, too.

The Enough Project is a group dedicated to “helping to build a permanent constituency to prevent genocide and crimes against humanity.” Their focus is primarily on Africa where, 15 years after the murder of more than 800,000 people in Rwanda, the global response to current bloodshed on the continent is pretty much the same today as it was then – way too close to nil.

And your next trip to Best Buy may play a starring role in this drama. A large percentage of high-tech gadgets in today’s marketplace are made using “conflict minerals” mined in the Congo (where diamonds are also at issue), the profits from which are fueling and encouraging mass murder and rape, and other atrocities throughout the region. (This is according to the U.N. Security Council’s “Final Report of the Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of Congo” released last month.) As for the size of the problem, consider this: in the last 15-plus years, conflict in eastern Congo alone has caused more deaths than from any war since WWII.

The deal with the minerals is this, says the Enough Project: “Worth hundreds of millions of dollars per year, the conflict minerals trade [the ores that produce the ‘3Ts’ – tin, tantalum, tungsten – and gold] provides incentives for rebel groups, militias, and criminal networks within the Congolese army to control strategic mines and trading routes through patterns of violent extraction and deeply exploitative behavior.”

Tantalum, tin and tungsten are critical elements used in laptops, mobile phones and other common electronics most of us use every day. Electricity is stored in tantalum, tin is used in circuit board soldering, gold is essential to wiring and tungsten is used to make mobile phones vibrate.

Here are five product areas the Enough Project thinks we all should be asking manufacturers questions about:

Laptops

MP3s

Digital Cameras

Video Game Devices

Mobile Phones

To deal with the problem, the Enough Project recently began working with major electronics companies, engaging (or attempting to engage) 21 industry leaders to call their attention to the issue and inquire about the steps they are taking to ensure their products are “conflict-free.” Last week, it released a report called “Getting to Conflict-Free Assessing Corporate Action on Conflict Minerals,” which ranks the companies as to how well they’re doing in identifying where their minerals come from and taking action to eliminate or at least minimize the use of materials from the region. High marks went out to HP (the best of the bunch), Intel, Motorola, Nokia, Microsoft and Dell. Worst of breed on the issue were Canon, Panasonic, Sharp and Nintendo.

The group’s objective is to have companies at the top of the minerals supply chain “use their buying power to influence their suppliers, exerting pressure down the supply chain, a model of change that has had success in the apparel, forestry, and diamond sectors.” The project’s website reports that it has “seen dramatic changes” since the group began its work, including the passage of conflict minerals legislation in the United States.

The Enough Project is not attempting to instigate coordinated boycotts of certain companies or products, but the group is asking you to take action by learning about which companies are cooperating with efforts to end such blood profits and which are not, and is providing a easy way to engage in the latter in a coordinated campaign.

“We would hope that consumers understand that some companies are clearly taking positive steps toward becoming conflict free, however there is still a long way to go,” Enough Project Policy Analyst Aaron Hall told EcoSalon. “Consumer driven action is one of the most powerful tools for change in our country, and we would encourage people to visit our website, click on the ‘take action’ tab and contact your favorite companies as well as elected representatives and let them know your concerns. If they have been productive on the conflict minerals issue, thank them and ask them to continue to do more. If they are behind the curve, ask them why and demand action. The reduction of violence and mass atrocities in eastern Congo will not be possible without the momentum and pressure created by consumer based action.”

While putting the onus on you – the consumer – is debatable in terms of its ultimate efficacy, it seems that few companies are in any mood to police themselves and governments seem to have little to no interest in atrocities occurring in the region. In any case, maybe the next time the tungsten in your cell phone gives you that little bzzz letting you know so-and-so is calling, consider it a reminder to maybe take some time to better get to know your stuff.

Images: Axel Bührmann, MC4 Army, blogefl, Creative Tools, doobybrain, cloneofsnake

The post Rise of the Killer Gadgets: The 5 You Need to Know appeared first on EcoSalon.

With technology accompanying us wherever we go, more and more companies are realizing that we need stylish protection for them.

Matt & Nat, known by many in the sustainable community for their vegan handbags and accessories, has collaborated with Apple to give us the techy style we so crave.

The inspiration behind the Apple collection is “hinged by both clean architecture and functionality,” says their site.

With four “design-centric shapes,” the collection is made from vegan leather and the lining is 100 percent recycled suede. Bags to suit your ever-connected lifestyle include laptop and netbook sleeves as well as shoulder and messenger bags to hold all your gadgets.

The bags also have custom pockets for Apple accessories, including MacBooks, iPods, iPhones, and in the larger bags, iPads. The bags are available in four different colors, including black, teal, red, and gunmetal.

You can purchase these items from Matt & Nat and from the Apple store.

The post Matt & Nat Take a Bite of the Apple appeared first on EcoSalon.

I never put my laptop on my lap. It really functions as a desktop computer, or rather a coffee table-top computer, and the only physical harm it brings me is a sore back, which is more my fault than its. (I tend to slam away at the thing while hunched over said coffee table.) So the following problem isn’t an issue for me, though it apparently deserves mentioning. At least according to a friend, who often uses her laptop in the manner for which it was named. Just a moment ago, after hearing me read the lead of this AP article, she cries out, “Oh my God, yeah! I’m way scared of that!”

“That” is the dreaded Toasted Skin Syndrome.

Toasted Skin Syndrome is a mottled skin condition caused by long-term heat exposure. It kind of looks like a red cobweb beneath the surface of the skin (fair warning: that link is to The Dermatology Blog and is, by definition, not something you want to look at if you and I have anything in common) and is also less well-known by its other name – Erythema ab igne. (As if Toasted Skin Syndrome needed an even stranger name.)

Evidently, anything hot and prolonged can cause the condition, from overuse of heating pads to sitting too long and too often by the fireplace to, yes, dumbly getting too much touch time with your 125-degreeish laptop. There has been some links to skin cancer, but that’s rare, and this unflattering toasting is pretty much harmless. The skin discoloration can be permanent, though, so unless you’re into spidery body art, you might want to make sure to get some chill time in between laptop sessions.

The article notes two recent cases of the syndrome. One involved a 12-year-old boy who toasted his left thigh after over-enjoying computer games for hours a day for many a month. The other involved a law-school student who spent about six hours a day working with her laptop on her laptop. All told, there have been 10 reported cases in medical journals in the last six years.

Had these folks read their users manuals, they might have avoided the syndrome, as it seems Apple, Hewlett Packard and Dell all have verbiage warning about exposing their laptops directly to skin for long periods. I wonder if they also warn dudes about “elevated scrotum temperatures,” which can lead to infertility. Hmm.

Anyway, my friend here says she’s taken to putting an oversized pillow in between her and her beloved Macbook (“MacBook Pro, bitch,” I’ve just been informed). I’m not sure what that means for her have-laptop-will-travel approach, but it sounds comfy enough. Sure beats a bizarro new tattoo.

Image: Daquella manera

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Since we’ve been on a bit of sun kick lately (hey, it’s August), here’s a solar-powered gadget that’s going to multi-task today. First, it’s going to thrill you with its ingenuity and get you thinking about how quickly personal solar-powered charging is coming along. It’s going make you think about all the times you looked down at your laptop, saw the “7 percent charged” note blinking on menu bar and thought, “Wouldn’t be nice if I could just plug this thing into something and keeping working?”

Yes, the Voltaic Generator Solar Laptop Charger is a solar-powered carrying case powerful enough to charge a laptop. We first showed it to you a few month’s ago in a solar-powered gadget round-up, but here are some details on what’s in the bag:

The case does its thing with high-efficiency monocrystalline cells and a battery pack that stores and converts electricity generated by a 15-watt, 20-volt panel. It’s being billed as more of a “mobile office” deal, as the case will also charge cell phones and most other handheld electronics.

The Lilon (lithium ion) battery has a capacity similar to a typical small laptop battery and is stored inside the bag, so it’s good to go whenever you need it (as in, “Hello! Hello! Still there?! Damn!”). When the bags not in the sun (with direct sun, a full charge takes five hours), the battery can be juiced using an AC travel charger. An Indicator light inside the handle shows it working.

The bag itself (shell, webbing, mesh and lining) is comprised of fabrics made from recycled PET (soda bottles). It’s strong. It’s water-resistant. It has an aluminum frame and a silicon handle, and weighs in at 4.5 pounds, including the solar panel and battery. It’ll hold something as large as a 17-inch MacBook Pro and comes in four colors.

Cost for packing sunshine: about 500 bucks.

And now, this case is going to serve its second solar-related purpose of the day. Writing about the Voltaic Generator Solar Laptop Charger requires no more from me. Nope, no 1,000-word tome today on Darwin, global warming or the evils of The Man. I’m outta here. It’s gonna be a scorcher and I’m hitting the chaise lounge that’s screaming at me from my balcony. Lates.

The post Case on Point: Laptop Carrier Bags Solar Battery Charger appeared first on EcoSalon.

I’m just a wee bit crazy for all my electronic devices, but all the expensive power they use? Not so much. Solar-powered gadgets are the perfect answer, sucking energy from the sun instead of money from my pocketbook. Here are five of my favorites:

YAYA Power Solar Portable Charger

Perfect for charging cell phones, iPods, video games, and other electronic devices, this baby is definitely something you want to keep in your handbag for emergency charges. It has its own solar panel to draw juice from the sun, but on cloudy days you can can still recharge devices with it via your car’s cigarette lighter or a USB port on your computer.

Ripe Radish Solar Energy Lawn Lamp

How cool is this? Forget those boring black, plastic solar pathway lights. Nab a batch of these solar lamps that collect power during the day and glow red an night The center is a hollow flowerpot perfect for holding young radish plants. If there’s a cuter way to light your lawn, I haven’t seen it.

Solar LED Address Numbers

These nifty address numbers attach to the front of your home and glow for eight to ten hours each night after collecting energy from the sun. Two LED backlight the number cutouts so they’re easy to read, and the entire affair is made from weather-resistant anodized aluminum so it will last a long time. This gizmo beat numbers glued to a mailbox, hands down.

Voltaic Generator Solar Laptop Charger Bag

I’m in love with this bag. Made from recycled soda bottles, this laptop charger doubles as a computer tote. Solar panels on the outside generate enough power to charge the custom-designed battery pack in only five hours. It includes adapters for laptops, phones and other handheld devices, and can even be configured to adapt to the unique MagSafe port on a MacBook. The charger bag may not be much to look at, but functionality, it is to die for.

Solar Bluetooth Car Speaker

Forget fiddling with those goofy-looking Bluetooth cell phone ear pieces, slap this puppy on your windshield and chat on speakerphone. This car kit features call waiting, voice dialing, redial, and more. It stores 200 phone numbers and has a built-in rechargeable battery that provides up to 14 hours of talk time – perfect for those extra long car trips.

Image: david.nikonvscanon

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