Is the greening of Apple skin deep, or does it run to the core? The mobile and computing device juggernaut released its fall 2009 Macbook laptop and iMac desktop computer recently, touting “environmental,” among other desirable features in each.

These include: a polycarbonate case, longer life battery and LED-backlit display in the laptop, and the use of mercury-free glass and other “highly recyclable” materials for the desktop.

The flurry of comments that follow every Apple release and product review, web-wide, included questions about how well the computer juggernaut is doing from an environmental point of view. Especially considering the company just reported that in a single quarter, it had raked in $1.67 billion in profits!

Is Apple taking a green enough approach to be lauded? Or should they be called out for green-washing?

The head of the department of Technology Management at New York University’s Polytechnic Institute, Prof. Bharat Rao, says of course, “Apple has a vested interest in making a connection with their customer and upholding their image as a responsible, friendly brand.”  But, “It is still a great thing that they are now sharing information about their environmental impact, and seem to be conscious of the waste footprint of their products, and energy used through the full lifecycle.”

Rao like others still wishes for more green leadership from Apple. It could use retail stores to accept and recycle computers and displays, for example, not just iPods, he says.

Tune in to other ideas and debates surrounding Apple’s green marketing. And weigh in on the matter here.

Basic reading:

“Dragged kicking and screaming into the [eco] movement, Apple…removed the vast majority of toxic chemicals from its desktops…While it looks similar to other vendors in terms of content, it doesn’t have much of a disposal program—and since it doesn’t have removable batteries for its laptops anymore, safely disposing of them would be relatively expensive.” – @Macnewsworld.com feature story

“The 13.3-inch display, at 1,280×800, is now LED backlit (making that a standard feature across the entire Apple laptop lineup), which is better for both power consumption and environmental concerns.” – @CNET Macbook Fall 2009 review

“Battery Life and Wi-Fi…On our LAPTOP Battery Test, the MacBook lasted 5 hours and 10 minutes in Snow Leopard. That runtime is nearly two hours short of the Apple’s claim…” – @LAPTOP magazine Macbook Fall 2009 review

“Although it is a monster in size, [the fall 2009 iMac] has improved upon the previous iMac’s already stunning looks.”  – @Computerworld iMac Fall 2009 blog review

“Every new Mac is claimed to meet the strict low-power requirements of the Energy Star specification….[But] how much does ‘green computing’ matter to consumers…and [does] corporate marketing of ‘green’ IT devices amount to more image-spinning than substance?” – @TheAppleBlog.com opinion editorial

“[The] Clean Production Action and ChemSec have issued a report that highlights Apple as one of seven companies that lead the pack in terms of eliminating toxic substances from electronic products. The group said: ‘Apple established an innovative program that restricts the use of nearly all bromine and chlorine compounds across all their product lines…and offers computers that are free of BFRs and most uses of PVC.’” – @9to5mac feature story

Further resources:
iMac official press release @Apple via PRNewswire
Macbook Fall 2009 specs @Everymac.com, Guide to Greener Electronics’ Apple listings,
Apple First to Eliminate Toxic PVC @Greenpeace blogs

Editor’s note: This is the first installment of EcoMeme, a column featuring eco news, tech and business highlights by new EcoSalon writer and columnist Lora Kolodny.

Image: Andrew

Next time your iPod dies at the gym or your cell phone runs out of juice en route from one destination to the next, be prepared with this windup rechargeable battery. Convert kinetic energy to electrical energy by turning the crank to generate hours of power.

Whether you’re headed into the woods for a camping trip or hunkering down for a big storm, this crank LED flashlight is one handy gadget to have around.

Not impressed? Okay, then I dare you not to marvel at this crank radio flashlight iPod player. Yes, you can listen to music, get weather updates and light the way by winding up a single gadget small enough to fit in your backpack. Plus, it’s equipped with a solar panel for when your hand gets sore.

Your shaver keeps you on a tight leash, so trade it in for one that gives you room to roam. The Freedom shaver is a truly liberating device that makes it possible to groom on the go.

Bring picnics in the park to a whole new level by blending up some tasty shakes, smoothies or cocktails with the portable GSI Vortex hand crank blender.

I like to keep my morning coffee routine as peaceful as possible, and the obnoxious drone of an electric grinder just kills the mood. Instead, save the serenity of first light and some power with a hand crank coffee grinder.

Attention outdoorsmen and women: with this two-way crank radio, you can communicate with others on 22 different channels, listen to the radio, illuminate a dark path and blast an earsplitting emergency siren.

The concept of the hand powered portable washing machine is pure old-fashioned genius. Perfect for small loads, road trips and camping, this clever green device doesn’t require an iota of electricity.

Keep a can of gasoline and this hand crank fuel pump in your car, and you’ll never again have to call AAA in embarrassment when your car putters to a stop in between stations.

Aiming to bring affordable technology to the youth of developing countries, the XO laptop only costs $100 and can be powered by a hand crank.

The rumors are true: the bicycle industry is folding.

As much as I love being out and about on my mountain bike, there’s one experience above all that affirms my love for it…and that’s when I arrive anywhere. I step off – padlock – I’m done. But even this hassle-free process is becoming obsolete. Every year designers are squeezing and folding bicycles into ever more compact, portable shapes – take Brompton’s range, this beauty by Mercedes Benz, or Thomas Jowen’s “One” (below).

But you still have to lug these miniaturized marvels around by hand: portable, but still pretty hefty. And that’s why Bergmönch’s bicycle (top) is such a breakthrough. When the wheels have stopped turning, you fold it into a backpack and sling it around your shoulders.

The “crossbar” is actually a sturdy backpack in itself, with over 12 litres of storage – and when this is empty, the whole bike weighs less than 10 kilos.

Those wheels are designed for the roughest terrain. And of course, when you reach the other side of the hill…

Sign me up. That is, after I’ve finished paying off my glow in the dark bike.

And the grow-your-own bamboo bike…

More on Cycling:

Biking to Work

Where Facebook and Bicycles Collide

Old Bicycles Become New Art

…and furniture

A Guide for the Bike Curious

Images: Bergmönch and Thomas Jowen

Firewinder is a swirling corkscrew of LED lights that spins when the wind catches it, getting brighter the faster it turns. It’s as mesmerizing as when you wave a sparkler and your eyes can’t quite keep up, so you see glowing streaks in the air.

What’s it for? Well, to mesmerize you. But there’s a message, too. Here we are, at the bottom of an ocean of air (1 ton of it pressing down on each of us), buffeted by currents we can’t see, still just learning to tap the invisible energy roaring past us. Wind-triggered displays like Firewinder connect us with all of that.

Gorgeous as it is, Firewinder isn’t as directly useful as, say, Demakersvan’s Light Wind. But I can think of a few uses – for example, how about shrinking it down and adapting it for the spokes of bicycle wheels? There’s no way a driver will miss that coming.

In the meantime, it’s a calming novelty night-light with a deep eco-vibe. Give it a whirl.

Image: Firewinder

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 to support our family. But truth be told, I fear too much time spent with this year’s holiday gift will result in those Wii-related sports injuries on the rise- everything from tennis elbow to sprained ankles and severe eyestrain.

This week on Good Morning America, GiGi Stone coined the phrase “Wii-habilitaion” in her piece featuring a woman whose shoulder injury from boxing sent her to an orthopedic surgeon. A doctor told ABC News he is seeing 10 to 12 new Wii injuries per month and attributed the epidemic to “exuberant overuse.”

In other words, both kids and adults get hooked fast and play for several hours at a time. Gone are the days of exercise in the great outdoors. Since the virtual sports aren’t as strenuous as playing for real, you don’t feel the fatigue that signals it’s time for a break. The strain results from repetition. (As with any exertion, doctors recommend stretching before and after playing.)

A condition called Wii-itis first surfaced in a report by the New England Journal of Medicine in 2007 when the Nintendo game was gaining popularity. This holiday season it sold out nationwide (reports of the Wii being bad for the environment have yet to score big points). Nintendo says it provides plenty of guidelines with the equipment to prevent injuries.

At a site called Wiiinjury.com, victims from unstrapped remote accidents share their sob stories: black eyes, bruised cheeks, shattered wine glasses. There was even a bogus class action lawsuit in 2006 in which the plaintiffs argued the remote straps were faulty and caused injuries. Nintendo says when used properly, the remotes stay affixed to the wrist and don’t go flying into faces. The company’s precautions also suggest how far to stand from your opponent and from the TV screen.

Apparently, Wii humans aren’t the only ones who can take a beating from ignoring guidelines. The most reported accidents involve smashed televisions.

It was always a good idea; now it’s finally been done. Just in time for January fitness resolutions, sing up for the gym that’s partially powered by your workout. (It’s okay to admit that this conjures up images of hamsters on the treadmill, generating energy for the world to go round.) But rodent making the rounds it’s not. The Green Microgym in Portland, Oregon, has set the new standard for eco-fitness, indoors.

The gym is outfitted with Team Dynamo and Spin bikes set up to generate electricity, as well as extensive solar panels that help to offset the gym’s carbon track print. Treadmills use 30% less power than standard models, all lights are compact fluorescents, and the floors are made of recycled rubber and eco-friendly cork.

If you’re nowhere near Portland, all is not lost. What I like best on Green Microgym’s eco list is that personal trainers sometimes take their clients outside to exercise. Don’t forget the original solar-powered gym: the great outdoors.

Image: iconocast

Who says your air filter has to look like hospital equipment and command lots of space in your bedroom? The compact module Blueair AirPod is taking the allergy world by sneeze and storm. Call them the little purifiers that could.

Perhaps it’s the packaging, even more magnetic than those perky patterned paper tissue boxes. Perhaps it’s the idea you can alleviate your allergens at a rate of 45 cubic feet per minute for $100. These adorable systems, sold at A Store Called Spring (one of my favorite home design sources) are only 13″ tall and cradled in a docking station just like your iPod.

They contain the patented Blueair HEPSilentTM technology which is a new approach to HEPA, with large surface air plus larger openings in polymer-based filter media. This allows higher air flow with less noise from the fan. More efficiency, fewer sniffles.

Bicyclists in Copenhagen will soon be able to take part in a project that will allow them to track the roads they’ve traveled, get a boost up tough hills, and maybe even improve their social lives.

The Smart Biking Project is being developed by the SENSEable City Laboratory, an MIT research group focused on technology and cities, part of MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning.

Using a Facebook application called “I Crossed Your Path,” cyclists will be able to make connections with each other by exchanging information – online or through a smartphone – about which routes they took that day. The program, which formally gets underway in 2009, will work through a smart tag that functions a lot like RFID (radio frequency identification) technology. The tag, which they expect to be the size of a USB flash drive, can be installed under a bike seat, inside the frame, or on a headlight

“MIT’s smart tags will have low power consumption, low bandwidth, and will be affordable at under $30 per tag,” said Christine Outram, project leader and a graduate student in the Master of Science in Architecture Studies program.

“If I ride past a particular point, and a friend from Facebook or another social networking site rides past, I can get a little ping on my bike, or a text message on my cellphone, or a message that will appear on my social networking site,” Outram said.

The application will also allow individuals or groups to monitor the distance they travel as part of a citywide green-mileage initiative, similar to a frequent-flyer program, where points are awarded and prizes earned for those reducing their carbon footprint through biking.

“You can interpolate the data for a variety of things, like monitor how well you do month-to-month, or challenge your friends,” said Outram, who already holds degrees in both architecture and urban design.

With the information it collects, the project might also help urban planners make better decisions on things like where new bike paths should be built.

Professor Carlo Ratti, the lab’s director, suggests that fine-grained monitoring of urban activities could allow cities such as Copenhagen to enter into carbon trading, in which cities could then get funding for sustainable city services in exchange for their efforts to cut carbon dioxide emissions.

“The impact could be considerable,” said Ratti. “For the first time in history, cities now contain over 50 percent of the world population and are responsible for an even higher share of carbon emissions.

“In addition to the smart tags, Ratti’s lab is collaborating with the Smart Cities Group, headed by William J. Mitchell, at the MIT Media Lab to develop a smart hybrid bicycle called the GreenWheel. Although the GreenWheel can be used as a traditional bicycle, it also has a motor that offers riders more torque when going up a hill, and power when accelerating.

“The regenerative battery and motor harvests energy when braking and releases it while cycling, a system similar to hybrid cars,” explained GreenWheel project leader Michael Lin, a graduate student at the Media Lab who also holds a Master of Science in Architecture and Urbanism.

All of the elements are housed in the rear wheel.

“I combined the battery into the hub, did the drawings, and sent out the plans for fabrication,” said Lin. “The motorized hub fits into any size and kind of bicycle.”

Other components include a wireless control module, reduction gearbox that reduces wheel speed and allows more torque, and an accelerometer, a chip that detects incline, decline, and acceleration.

Currently the SENSEable City Lab has a three-year partnership with the city of Copenhagen to look at how technologies can improve understanding of the city’s sustainability.

City Lab’s associate director, Assaf Biderman, said in a press release that sharing this information and showing individuals the environmental impact of their actions could be formidable, as research has shown that behavioral change is one of the most powerful forces in tackling climate change and reducing carbon emissions.

The system in Copenhagen allows residents to “borrow” city-owned bicycles, which are stored in stands and released for a small sum of around 20 kroner (about $3.40). The coins are returned when the bicycles are returned to any housing station in the city.The city of Copenhagen is looking to increase its five-year-old fleet of 1,200 City Bikes to 5,000.

Many bicycles, said Outram, have turned up in canals and have to be fished out and repaired. She said in some cases residents are riding the bicycles downhill, but not back up, an issue that the GreenWheel could potentially obliterate.

Outram said the ultimate goal is to get the contract and build the prototypes for CityBike in Copenhagen, but if MIT doesn’t get the contract, it will continue to produce the wheel as a stand-alone that can be sold to individuals. And the smart tag device can easily be distributed to people in Copenhagen and incorporated into their own bicycles.

“Practically it wouldn’t be hard to incorporate the smart tag systems into any city,” said Outram. “The model, however, would vary depending on government structure, support for deployment, and maintenance and incentives for citizens to engage in these programs.”

The Smart Biking Project is scheduled to be implemented throughout Copenhagen in time for the November 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference that will take place there.

Note: also printed at the Boston Globe.

Image: malias

Sure, you’ve switched to greener cleaning products, but how eco-friendly is the storage and folding apparatus in your laundry room? Are you still married to cold chrome and first-use plastic?

Here’s the scoop on several better choices for the oh-so-natural laundry maven.

Roll out the bamboo because it’s a better way to store and hang your laundry. It may be designed for the guest room but the bamboo rack, $130, from The Container Store is a natural in the laundry room.

 
Take stock in how you’ve been schlepping those tees and towels. The Whitmor totes from Kohl’s  (below) are so much more wholesome than their woven plastic rivals. The ample Vetiver bins from VivaTerra sell for $69 and are made of wild root and grass and also deliver a more gentle storage option for hauling clean and dirty clothes. And for splashes of color to contrast with the neutral green textiles, stir in the Rice and Feed bags, just $20-$36, also from VivaTerra.

 

We always had wicker hampers when I was a kid and these canvas and woven houses for dirty clothes are also woven of healthy fibers. The folding cedar hamper with a cotton canvas bag is only $30 at Organize and is another space saver with adorably simple lines. Station one in every room and bring them down for laundry time. Other pure storage containers include the reed or sea grass hampers from The Container Store.

 

We have sung the praises of resurrecting the clothesline for sustainable drying (and we’ve also shared a bevy of green laundry tips, including how to make your own detergent, so don’t miss it). Just tell nosy neighbors who don’t like it to nose right out! There are many sources for picking up rotary and rectractable lines, including Green and More, where I found this rotary model for around $120.

For indoor drying of delicates, a wall-mounted bamboo folding rack is a good way to go, such as this one for $80 from Gaiam.

In the mad dash to go green, grow green and glow green, some  energetic gadget makers are marketing devices that are so darn friendly, we might as well ask them to move into our homes. Plug into these and see:

Philips Eco TV

A 42-inch, flat-panel LCD, this TV broadcasts power-saving features, such as a backlight dimmer the viewer controls for darker scenes. It also has a power-saving mode for capping peak light output. It retails for around $1,400 at Amazon and other electronics suppliers. (Shown above.)

Bamboo Laptop

How chic can a computer get? The green batteries in the Asus boast a 35 to 70% longer life. The bamboo exterior houses all the usual extras of a notebook. Check it out at Ecomoves.

The Studio Hybrid Eco-Friendly Small Desktop

Ideal for the little green home office that could, this engine has optional upgrades to include built-in Wi-Fi Blue Rayâ„¢ and a wireless keyboard and mouse. This PC is Dell’s greenest and most powerful desktop to date, using 70 percent less energy while arriving 80 percent smaller than a typical desktop minitower.  Beginning at $499, it’s available in cool color options. It gets a 4.0 Energy Star rating with packing material made from 95 percent recyclable material.

Jonta LED Flashlight

Described as one of the best “human powered” flashlights, you can recharge this wind-up toy by cranking it to your heart’s content. Keep one handy in your nightstand drawer, the kitchen cabinet, in your kid’s room. Let it shine the new fashioned way. $49.99 at Green and More.

Solar Christmas Lights

If you are inclined to deck the halls and the roof, opt for these solar lights from Eco Geek Living, $39.97 for a set.

Spin-X Spindryer

This will cut down on drying time so much, it will make you dizzy. It costs $599.95 (plus shipping) but saves an estimaed $1,104 in three years. I believe it. The Spin-X can remove one quart of water from clothes taken out of your machine. The extracted water goes into a storage container. It also removes soap, detergents, perfumes and chemicals into the container. You can order one at Spin-X.

Helios Solar Grill

Invented by Sean McGreevy, this energy-efficient outdoor grill (great for that Thanksgiving turkey in Miami) has a coil inside that heats up like the hottest coal. The dish looks like it should be receiving your favorite show, Top Chef, but instead it collects the solar power while you cook away. Fire up your curiosity at Coolest Gadgets.

Eco Fan 800

No batteries, cords or chargers required for these blades of glory. The Eco Fan generates its own electricity using the heat of your wood burning stove. The thermo-electric module inside acts as the generator, letting you cut down on those insane power bills. $119 at Northline Express.

Barbar Ceramic ECO 8000 Blow Dryer


A hair greener than other styilng tools, the ceramic ECO Dryer is equipped with a low EMF heating output, negating radiation while keeping your locks soft and shiny. $109 at Beauty Choice.

Kill-A-Watt

It’s the favorite gismo of Alter Eco’s Darren Moore. This tool lets you test how much energy is being sucked out by your appliances, helping you to calculate and cut costs. $23.89 at Smart home.