Eco Friendly Cell Phones
Think tech hasn’t yet caught up with a green vision that skims the horizons of the future? Think again—green tech is here.
Let’s explore the greening of the cell phone, and review the environmental and health-based impacts of this most relied-upon tech tool.
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[edit] Green Tech on the Horizon
Cell phone technology has been in use for about a decade, and while it has advanced by leaps and bounds, widely available green tech is still in the proverbial womb. Stateside, manufacturers are obsessed with adding features for increased functionality, like the iPhone’s touch screen dial and visual voicemail capability. Chinese suppliers are setting their sights on a cleaner, greener tech—Hi-Tech Wealth Co., a Chinese telecommunications producer and distributor has introduced the first light-powered cell phone, the HTW S116 Solar Mobile Phone.
The S116 sports a clamshell design whose topside is splayed with solar cells. The cells recharge a Li-Ion battery that boasts a lifespan 2.5 times longer than its traditional counterparts. Sources report that this mean, green mobile phone delivers 40 minutes of chat time for every 1 hour spent in the sun. And though it’s formally referred to as a "solar mobile phone," this model squeezes energy juice from other light sources like candles and desk lamps.
This green cell phone also packs standard features like a 1.3 mega pixel camera, MP3 player and capability for supporting T-Flash cards. The price is on the high end at 510 U.S. dollars, but the environmental implications are priceless—China is currently home to over 400 million cell phones, and this first green mobile model marks a compelling step in the right direction for reducing (or eliminating!) the energy consumed by electrical recharging. The model is currently available only in China, but manufacturers plan to release 6 solar-powered models this year and 30 more in 2008, so it remains to be seen how quickly green cell phones catch global fever.
A green mobile feature in the U.S. consumers’ future is a cell phone with an integrated solar panel battery charger. Motorola has recently patented a model with a screen that recharges when exposed to direct sunlight. Not much has been released about this model, though it’s conjectured that the solar feature would only provide a back-up power source for the cell when an electrical outlet is not at hand.
Currently available is the Solio Universal Solar Charger Kit, which retails at $79. This kit is a compact back-up charger with a Li-Ion battery, offering 8 hours of charge time. The kit fans out 3 solar panels into the shape of a small propeller, with the battery centered in the middle. You can plug an iPod or cell phone directly into the battery, and if it dies, the solar panels will draw in energy to keep you rockin’ out.
[edit] Eco-Friendly Cell Phones
While cell phones have become a trend-setting fixture in many parts of the world, our recent reliance on this technology does not bode well for one corner of the world in particular. Africa contains a cradle of civilization, sprawling savannah lands, deep jungles, and . . . coltan. Coltan (short for Columbite-Tantalite) is a metallic ore containing niobium and tantalum, substances located mainly in the Democratic Republic of Congo. With processing, this ore is transformed into a heat-resistant powder capable of storing electrical charge.Coltan is a coating component of tantalum electrolytic capacitors, which make their way into our cell phones, pagers and PCs. These capacitors store the minute amount of electricity required for cell phone circuit board operation. Tantalum is so coveted for electronic use because it is considerably smaller, lighter, and longer-lasting than its aluminum counterpart. The U.S., Belgium, and Japan hold somewhat of a monopoly on the coltan industry, sparking fierce competition (in the form of civil wars) between legitimate mining teams and rebel armies that smuggle out the ore for resale to the highest bidder.Also devastating, coltan is mined in areas that contain many of Africa’s national parks. Large-scale deforestation has cleared the way for mining in these areas, an act that robs resident gorillas of their natural habitat and food sources. Local human populations are also displaced by the mining, exposing the gorillas as a prime target for poachers who create a niche selling this "bush meat" to miners and rebel armies. Environmental action programs estimate that some gorilla populations in affected areas have decreased by 90% over the past 5 years.
Certainly we don’t want our dollars to support civil wars or gorilla-endangerment efforts, but how can we make sure that our cell phone purchases are truly worthy of the label "eco-friendly?" The world’s largest tantalum capacitor manufacturer is American-based Kemet, a company requiring suppliers to provide certification that their coltan is from regions other than the Dem. Republic of Congo and its neighbors. This certification could place "gorilla safe" cell phones on the market.
But what can be done in the meantime? A company called Eco-Cell has partnered with zoos in most states to create cell phone recycling programs, designed to reduce the need for coltan mining and to keep hazardous waste out of the environment. It works like this—you send your old phone to an Eco-Cell recycling center and specify that proceeds go to gorilla conservancy efforts. The phone is refurbished and donated to low income families or a charitable organization, and Eco-Cell donates a portion back to the Dian Fossey Gorilla fund. Search for an Eco-Cell recycling center near you.
[edit] Health Hazards—A Buzz from the Bees
Aside from raising environmental concerns about species endangerment, cell phones are also receiving credit for worries about our food supply and general health. Though our wireless tech may not be the only factor to blame, British studies now directly link the presence of cell phones with the recent shrinkage of global honeybee populations. The phenomenon is called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), by which worker bees desert the hive, leaving only the queen and eggs. Though a few main staple crops like wheat and corn are wind-pollinated, the overwhelming majority of crops rely on honeybees to work their pollination magic. This implies that our global food supply could potentially be threatened to an even greater extent than it already is in some areas. While some scientists remain skeptical and offer up other theories about the population decline, the fact remains that our communication technologies affect the world’s bees in substantial ways—German studies echo this in linking altered bee behavior with the presence of power lines.
If pollen producers from the natural realm are affected by our tech innovations, we should take a cue and keep on top of new research about potential health hazards that affect our bodies and minds. There has been much ado about RFs (radio frequencies) from the electromagnetic energy produced by cell phones. Studies come out each day that support or deny the possible role of cell phone use with respect to altered brain activity, cancer, and reproductive disorders. Many of these studies are alarmingly inconclusive or unsubstantiated, as cell phone technology is so relatively new and studies on long-term effects cannot yet be conducted.
What we do know is that British studies from 2005 positively confirm a causal link between the storage of cell phones on a belt or hip pocket and a negative affect on the quality and motility of sperm in males. Studies from 2006 indicate that the radiation from mobile phone use in general can put males at risk for infertility. The determining factor is the amount of exposure based on how long and how often the phone is used, the proximity to a base station, and the age of the phone (older phones increase concentration of exposure).
As we’ve seen, the tech industry is busy brainstorming the latest green gadgets, and conservationists are working overtime to promote gorilla safe, eco-friendly mobile phones. Definitely keep your media-tuned ear out for credible reports of research studies and information on gorilla-safe or gorilla-free components.
Keep in mind that the best preventative measure you can take for your own health is to limit the amount of time that you spend on a cell phone—best to use a land line, host a web tête-à-tête, or coffee-klatsch with your contacts.
[edit] “Eco-Friendly” Cell Phone Powered By Coke
Chinese designer Daizi Zheng has created a conceptual mobile phone for Finnish brand Nokia that could be powered by sugary drinks. Zheng proposes that the phone could run on a battery that uses enzymes to generate electricity from carbohydrates.
This is a client project for designing an eco friendly phone for Nokia. Through out my research, I found that phone battery as a power source, it is expensive, consuming valuable resources on manufacturing, presenting a disposal problem and harmful to the environment.
The concept is using bio battery to replace the traditional battery to create a pollution free environment.
Bio battery is an ecologically friendly energy generates electricity from carbohydrates (currently sugar) and utilizes enzymes as the catalyst.
By using bio battery as the power source of the phone, it only needs a pack of sugary drink and it generates water and oxygen while the battery dies out.
Bio battery has the potential to operate three to four times longer on a single charge than conventional lithium batteries and it could be fully biodegradable.
Meanwhile, it brings a whole new perception to batteries and afternoon tea.
The concept is using bio battery to replace the traditional battery to create a pollution free environment. Bio battery is an ecologically friendly energy generates electricity from carbohydrates (currently sugar) and utilizes enzymes as the catalyst. By using bio battery as the power source of the phone, it only needs a pack of sugary drink and it generates water and oxygen while the battery dies out.
[edit] Sony Ericsson launches eco-friendly biodegradable cell phone
Sony Ericsson is venturing in the field of manufacturing environmentally safe biodegradable cell phones. The company seemingly wants to prove that a biodegradable phone is a feasible idea.
This phone was conceived under the the ‘GreenHeart‘ concept which encompasses green technologies, using bio-plastic housings, recycled plastic keypads, zero charger with 3.5mW standby power, digital manuals, a game style educational application ‘Ecomate‘ and environmentally conscious packaging.
Mats Pellback-Scharp, Head of Corporate Sustainability for Sony Ericsson, was reported to have said, “The global take back scheme and the GreenHeart project bring us closer to our vision of being a leader in sustainability in the mobile phone industry.”
Mats Pellback-Scharp, Head of Corporate Sustainability for Sony Ericsson, was reported to have said, “The global take back scheme and the GreenHeart project bring us closer to our vision of being a leader in sustainability in the mobile phone industry.”
Sony Ericsson reportedly setup collection points for acquiring used cell phones. There are more than 500 collection points in contries like India, Taiwan, China, Thailand, Singapore, USA and Mexico presently. The company expects to expand this project in all the countries where it provides service by the year 2009.
[edit] Top 7 Eco-Friendly Mobile Phones
1. Sharp SH002 Solar Phone
This eco-friendly mobile phone provides a number of useful features like GPS and Bluetooth; besides, it's waterproof. The solar panel incorporated here requires only 30 minutes of sunlight exposure, to give you 140 minutes of standby and 2 minutes of communications. If you expose the phone to the sun for 90 minutes, you'll be able to communicate for 9 minutes or get 560 minutes of standby. The phone also has one interesting feature - Golf Mode, which unfortunately works only in Japan. It includes information on 2300 golf courses throughout the country, thus using the GPS you can get to the desired golf field.
2. LG Solar-Powered Phone
Another solar-powered mobile phone comes from LG. The device includes a solar-powered battery mounted into the back cover. Ten minutes of sunlight exposure allow you to talk for 10 minutes. Logically, the more you expose the phone to the sun the more talk time you get. In future the company hopes to pack its green devices into environmentally-friendly boxes, using recycled paper with cardboard that won't include laminate coating. In addition, the company wants to remove from the phone-manufacturing process such chemicals as brominated flame retardants (BFR), chlorinated flame retardants (CFR) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) by 2010. This model also has the HFB-500 Bluetooth solar car kit that allows you to drive your car while talking on the phone without having to hold the device.
3. Samsung Blue Earth
Samsung unveiled an incredible eco-friendly phone with a full solar panel installed on its back, able to generate power when exposed to the sun. Besides, for an eco gadget the Blue Earth is quite small and comfortable to use. But Samsung went on with its device, making its body from recycle water bottles, without using brominated flame retardants, beryllium and phthalates. You can use the phone's features to turn on the energy saving mode, use a CO2 calculator, as well as a pedometer. The phone's packaging is made of recycled paper.
4. ZTE The Coral-200
The solar-powered device you see here comes from a Chinese mobile phone maker ZTE. Coral-200 represents a solar-powered handset that has one very important feature - its price, which is $ 40. The phone uses the Dutch-based technology and will help those who do not have access to regular power. One hour of sunlight exposure gives its users the possibility to talk for 15 minutes. It's not much considering the previous models, but it definitely catches on them with its (let's face it) incredible price. The company wants to sell its phone to 2 million people who do not have access to the energy network, which is why is achieved a partnership with Digicel, a network provider that does business in developing countries and provides solar-powered charges.
5. Natural Year Phone: Biodegradable Grass Handset
This device might look like a brick of grass, enriched with a keypad, but the Natural Year Phone concept developed by Je-Hyun Kim focuses on the lifecycle of mobile phones (which you don't see that often). After two years of functioning the bio phone degrades into pieces of grass so it would later be recycled - pretty weird, which is why it was listed here. What is worth mentioning here is that the phone biodegrades automatically, right after its two-year lifecycle ends. After that, the pieces can be recycled to create a new cellular phone.
6. Motorola Renew W233
Motorola registered a great slump in sales and it looks forward to come back among the best with a touch of eco-friendliness. With the world's first carbon neutral mobile phone the company wanted to show that it now pays more attention to e-waste. It is worth mentioning that Motorola's Renew W233 is the first certified Carbonfree mobile phone on the market today. It features a 100 percent recyclable case created from recycled water bottles. The phone includes a variety of other green features. After the phone reaches the end of its lifecycle, it can be recycled - all you have to do is place it in a prepaid envelope that comes with the box. Besides, the packaging uses 22 percent less material and the phone's manual is printed on a recycled paper with the help of soy-based ink.
7. Sony Ericsson C901 and Naite
The popular mobile phone manufacturer was not left behind in the field of eco-friendly gadgets. Recently it introduced two incredible phones, the Naite and the C901 cybershot phone. The "green" features of both models include reduced packaging, energy-saving chargers and 100 percent recycled headsets. Besides, you can recycle the phone as soon as you want another device. The paper manual is included in the headset, which eliminates the need of using paper and thus reducing the carbon footprint of the device by approximately 15 percent.
