The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is a gadget geek’s dream date and the source of many tech news “leaks,” debuts and reviews. So why were green issues apparently under wraps as the world’s biggest tech executives made early keynote speeches there, on the mainstage of the trendsetting tradeshow, Wednesday?

Nobody was asking – or so it seemed – green questions, discussing environmental issues or highlighting eco-friendly features of the technologies on display. Not live, on blogs or in broadcasts. And certainly not in detail.

Microsoft executives, for example, …

Tags: Al Roker , C.E.S. 2010 , CES 2010 , CNN , consumer electronics show , e-waste , EcoMeme , electronics , electronics recycling , environment , EPEAT , greener gadgets , Jeff Omelchuck , LG , lora kolodny , Microsoft , Paul Hochman , recycling , Sony , Tech bloggers

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A newsletter from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) this December predicted that 80% of shoppers would purchase new electronics over the holidays. Meanwhile, the gadget-loving blogosphere has fanned the flames of this worldwide appetite, with a flurry of year-end picks, pans, on sale and what’s next lists.

Hard to believe we’re not yet sated. In 2009, the worldwide sale of DVD players alone has already reached 115 million units (worth some $15 billion) according to GfK Retail and Technology. Add to that the …

Tags: CEA , consumer electronics association , e-waste , EcoMeme , electronics , green consumer , green tech , greener gadgets , market research

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Phantom energy sucks. Even when turned off, plugged-in electric devices are draining the juice in your house, a phenomenon that can add up to more than 65 billion kilowatt-hours of power each year. Save energy, and you save major cash.

The Union of Concerned Scientists calls the culprits of this waste vampires which silently suck away more than $5.8 billion annually of extra energy, which sends more than 87 billion pounds of heat-trapping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year. Although few of us are in the dark about this …

Tags: adapters , appliances , carbon dioxide , cell phones , chargers , circular saws , computer monitors , computers , Conserve , consumers , cordless phones , cordless power tools , digital camerals , digital clocks , drills , DVD players , eco , electronics , green , grid , idle currents , microwaves , outlets , phantom energy , power , power strips , power tools , serge protectors , stand-by power , waste

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I see ads all the time for green business cards at sites like Green Printer. What sets them apart?

Their little squares for doing business are printed on 100% recycled paper using soy and veggie zero-VOC inks with chemical-free plate processing and scuff-resistant, non-toxic aqueous coating. Some of the newbies are not even squares at all, but 3×3 disks for “making a unique impression.”

But what kind …

Tags: apps , buisness , buisness etiquette , business cards , conservation , electronics , facebook , forests , Friendbook , gadgets , green cards , green printing , handsets , iPhone apps , Japanese businessmen , jobs , Linked In , paper , rmbrME , social networking , whales

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If we can swap party dresses and soccer shoes, why not club chairs, throw pillows and framed art prints, too?

You can probably convince a designer friend to work for food, trading services for a veggie burger and a smile. Even IKEA organized a swap at its Amsterdam store in February, advertising the husselmarkt as a way to get customers to think like designers by exploring the rearranging of vignettes in their own homes. Up to 250 people were invited to bring in unwanted pieces to shuffle around and …

Tags: art , bby furniture , decor , dishes , electronics , Father's Day , hotel furniture , IKEA , make-overs , pillows , reuse , swaps , trading services , upholstery fabric

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It’s time to get something off my chest: an idea that could protect entire forests, save millions – and get me fired.

What does paperless actually mean in today’s world? Despite increasingly living in a world where the electron is king – where even business cards are under threat – we still cling to our slivers of bleached, flattened wood pulp with an obsessive, needy love. We pretend that we’ve found an ingenious way to avoid turning pages, but after a while …

Tags: digital reader , electronics , paper , photography , technology

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In an ideal world, all consumer electronics would be repaired, refurbished or reused. Or at least recycled. But unfortunately, it’s not an ideal world.

According to the EPA, less than one-fifth of obsolete electronic gadgets are recycled. Most are simply thrown away and end up sitting in landfill leaking toxins and chemicals into the soil which then percolate into the groundwater.

This is mostly due to lack of knowledge and information on what to do with unwanted electronics. But now, thanks to the PCMAG’s The Electronics Recycling  Superguide, you’ll find …

Tags: electronics , guide , PCMAG , recycling , Superguide

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I’m a pretty sore loser at tennis, especially when my husband rockets those serves toward my face and I want to throw my racket at his head. But my arm never aches after as it does with the Wii tennis video game.

I notice I emulate the real motion of the swing with my remote while my daughters execute abbreviated swipes at the screen to place shots, serve and return. They’re so aggressive, if it were the real thing, I’d take them out of school and put them on the circuit …

Tags: electronics , gadgets , gaming , lifestyle , medicine , news , safety , technology , trend , women

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The other day I saw an advertisement for The Digital Recipe Reader. Kinda cool, as it has a 7″ touch screen, holds up to 2,500 recipes and not a single tree was hacked nor CO2 emission spent delivering cookbooks. Sold through Neiman Marcus, the ad said that owners have access to a gaggle of exclusive NM recipes in addition to the few hundred preloaded ones. The Reader also syncs to an online database that can be customized. Pretty nifty – this, too, can be yours for a …

Tags: cookbook , cooking , digital reader , electronics , gadget , iphone , Recipe , recipes , tech

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