Recycled Mice

Google have just released a wireless computer mouse made completely from recycled plastic.

If you need to replace your current mouse, or you want one for use with your laptop while on the move, this might be an idea choice. Ergonomically designed and available in red or blue, the Google branded mouse has an WiFi dongle integrated inside the housing so you just pop it our, plug it into a spate USB port and off you go.

The packaging it is delivered in also uses recycled materials and the whole thing only costs $19.20 (about £9.90). Available from the Google Store.

Eco Apple in the Air?

This week Apple launched the world’s thinnest laptop computer, the MacBook Air. Apart from being an elegant, and desirable, piece of industrial design it also aims to answer come of the criticism levelled at the company for their eco credentials.

The new machine's casing is manufactured from recyclable aluminium, the display contains no mercury or arsenic and the computer has no brominated flame retardants. On top of this they have drastically reduced the packaging.

Apple’s environmental statements can be found here: www.apple.com

Recycled CD holders

If you work with computers you have CDs around.
Perhaps you use them to store your music, archive your photos or back up your hard drive. You have probably realised that buying in bulk is an economical alternative to all that packaging. The thing is, you end up with all those strange plastic containers.

Artist Julie Frith has a solution - convert them into toilet paper dispensers!! A brilliant idea, simple to make and great fun. Give it a go, you only need a sharp knife and the desire to pull the cardboard tube out of your toilet paper roll!

Julie also has an interesting blogsite: http://www.curbly.com/frithmobiles/posts.rss

The Digital Allotment

How about having your allotment inside your computer?

Here at the EcoList we are constantly enthusing about making little steps towards large changes. One of those steps is to “Grow your Own Veg”. Both Andy and Karina, who edit the EcoList, do just that in the Shared Garden Project.

Allotments have changed over the past few years – waiting lists of young people and families are growing across the country and the image of ‘Grumpy old men’ leaning on garden fences is changing rapidly.

Now there is something for the computer literate generation which will help you plan your planting. GrowVeg.com is a new website which allows you to electronically plan where to grow veg, how to rotate the crop, the best way to utilize the space you have and, at the same time, get advice on planting, growing and eating.

One of the GrowVeg.com team is Jeremy Dore. A computer programmer and keen organic gardener who dug up his front lawn in 2004 to plant vegetables. He is the developer of the online garden planning tool – a graphic and very simple to use system.

Take a 30 day free trial at www.growveg.com and if you like it you can extend the service for £15.00 a year.

This might be just the site to engage children and get them more involved in growing their own veg.
[Via Hippyshopper]

Virtual Trees - with Eco Value

Remember the dreaded Tamagotchii?? All those disturbed children lamenting the ‘death’ of their cyber pet because they inadvertently dropped it down the side of the sofa and forgot about it?

Well the world has moved on and you can now own a virtual tree with educational value.

The Raise a Tree website is designed to help primary school children learn about trees, the environment and climate change. You register with the site, get your tree and ‘take care’ of it in its virtual growing environment. As the tree ‘grows’ various situations occur, such as natural disasters which might have an effect on its progress. The website explains that information about these ‘situations’ is provided to help the owner understand what happened. I think we are talking about when your tree dies!!

You can access your tree from any computer, so get your kids involved before you go on holiday for the summer and they can log in and keep an eye on it while you are away. The positive side is that you never have to hunt for discontinued batteries to make it work!

Eco Electronics?

If you recently bought a new flat screen LCD computer monitor you will know how difficult it is to recycle the old one. I drew a complete blank - no one wanted it.

Help is at had with a new web site www.mygreenelectronics.com which aims to provide useful info on the three ‘R’s’ Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink. It was just launched and will be added to on a daily basis. There is a long list of Green electronic providers as well as info on the recycling aims of famous companies. Perhaps a good place to look when you want to find out just what to do with that redundant box of electronics.