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Vancouver's Olympic Medals Are Geeky and Green!

GeekSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:33:31 -0700

Last week, the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic Games revealed the designs for the gold, silver, and bronze Olympic Medals, and it turns out they have a geeky touch. The medals, designed by Canadian artists, are made from recycled materials from used electronics - 6.8 metric tons of circuit board diverted from landfills.

The medals are the first to feature a curved design, and are individually laser etched - no two are the same. I love the Olympics even more now!

Website of the Day: Chegg

GeekSugar — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:05:48 -0700

I may talk a lot of game about refreshing your gadgets and accessories before you head back to school, but let's face it - things can get pretty expensive. Between a new Fall wardrobe, books, and tech, you may blow your budget before the school year even starts.

But good news! I found one way to save you some serious cash during your school year - rent your textbooks from Chegg instead of buying. Chegg is an online textbook rental service that lets you use your book, as you need it - with super fast shipping and returns - instead of dropping a load of dough on a book you'll only need for a semester. The process of book renting and reusing is eco-friendly in its own right, but Chegg will also plant a tree for every book you rent. So now, good for the environment also means more green in your wallet.

Have an interesting website you want to share? To learn how to post your favorite websites to our Website of the Day group, read more.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group.
Click "New Post" under the website of the day tab at the top of the page.
Give your story a "Title."
Fill in the "Body" with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Type "Technology and Gadgets" in the Categories box
Add keyword(s) in the tag field with relevant tags (for example mine for this story was "Website of the Day").
Choose whether you want the post to be private or public.
Click "Create Post" to submit content.

So join the Website of the Day group and share information about all your favorite sites! Yours just might end up on the GeekSugar homepage!

Go Green! Fashion Your Own Chip Clips

YumSugar — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 07:00:06 -0700

Ever since Party suggested using wine bottles as darling water holders, I've been wanting to share an eco-friendly tip of my own. If you're like me, you've got a surplus of plastic clamped clothes hangers sitting in your closet. I often return hangers to the dry cleaners, as a way to recycle them - but I save the ones with clamps, and turn them into chip clips.

It's beyond easy: carefully twist the clips off (or, if they're soft plastic, you can remove them with a sharp knife), and you've got a useful (and completely free!) clip for chips or anything else that needs preserving in your pantry. Have you ever done this before? What other upcycling or eco-friendly tips do you have for keeping a green kitchen?

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Are Rejected Melons the Next Form of Renewable Energy?

YumSugar — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:00:03 -0700

A colossal food fight is one way to use up the season's supply of subpar produce. But scientists have discovered another: convert rejected fruits into biofuel. The study, conducted by USDA researchers and published in the journal Biotechnology For Biofuels, found that the 360,000 tons of fruit rejected by US retailers each year could be converted into roughly two million gallons of biofuel. Research team leader Wayne Fish said that 50 percent of the fruit, which is typically left in the fields and not sold due to cosmetic imperfections, is fermentable into ethanol, which can be used as fuel, “We’ve shown that the juice of these melons is a source of readily fermentable sugars, representing a heretofore untapped feedstock for ethanol biofuel production." I'd never considered that fruit could be a viable source of renewable energy - but I find it refreshing (although perhaps not as refreshing as, say, an In-Sandíary).

Are you surprised to hear that watermelon could have potential past the typical Summer barbecue?

Website of the Day: My Boneyard

GeekSugar — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:15:25 -0700

I think everyone wants to recycle their gadgets, sometimes they just can't figure out the hows. That's why the website My Boneyard makes it painfully easy to do it online. Not only do they provide you with a prepaid envelope you print yourself to send in with your old or dead gadget, but in many cases, they send you a cash reward in exchange for it. You can even assign your reward to go to the charity of your choice!

Just register the gadget you want to send in with its specs and condition, and you'll get an estimated reward, which will be assessed when My Boneyard receives your old goods. And they attest that your old info will be erased, so security isn't an issue.

At this time, My Boneyard only accepts MP3 players, cell phones, computer monitors, and CPUs, but they plan on accepting cameras, GPS units, and more soon (if your gadget isn't accepted at My Boneyard, check my guide for where to recycle other gadgets).

Got a useful website you want people to know about? To learn how to post your favorite websites to our Website of the Day group, read more.

I know that this long list looks scary, but trust me, once you get the hang of it, it'll be a snap the second time around.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group.
Click the pink "Share" menu on the top left side of the page.
Choose "Blog" and "Regular Post."
Give your story a "Title."
Fill in the "Body" with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Click "Next."
Choose the audience for your story to "Website of the Day" in the dropdown menu.
Add keyword(s) (for example mine for this photo was "Website of the Day").
Change channel to "Technology and Gadgets."
Fill in tag field with relevant tags.
Click "I’m done" to submit content.

So join the Website of the Day group and share information about all your favorite sites! Yours just might end up on the geeksugar homepage!

What Electronics Can Be Recycled?

GeekSugar — Thu, 28 May 2009 09:01:16 -0700

You can't escape the grocery, electronics or movie rental store without seeing a small cell recycling drop box, but how can you dispose of larger, more ecologically dangerous gadgets? Electronics companies have - or been forced to! - put considerable resources into making their products recyclable. A handful of states have even passed laws that require companies to take back their goods (Apple, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and Sony all do so at no charge), but you can always be green by selling or gifting the item, or giving it to a reuse effort.

To get the scoop on electronics that can be recycled, read more.

Accepted AT All Locations	Accepted AT Most Locations	Rarely Accepted
Computer Monitors CPU's (Central Processing Units) Televisions with Cathode Ray Tubes and Flat Panel Displays Printers Laptops Cables Keyboards Mouses	Answering Machines Camcorders Compact Disc Players Copiers Duplicators Electric Typewriters Fax Machines Hard Drives Mobile Phones Modems Pagers Printed Circuit Boards Radios Remote Controls Stereos Tape Players Telephones Telephone Equipment VCRs Word Processors Batteries PDAs Games (Video)	Microwaves Smoke Detectors Large Household Appliances (Refrigerators, Washing Machines, and Air Conditioners) Toasters Fans Vacuum Cleaners Lamps Specialty Cookers

This list is based on data from the EPA. Check out the EPA's guide to where you can donate or recycle your electronics.

Website of the Day: Last Year's Model

GeekSugar — Fri, 15 May 2009 13:25:34 -0700

I'm not making any promises about what I'll do if/when the new iPhone is announced next month, but I'm entirely behind the philosophy of the website Last Year's Model.

Last Year's Model advocates the virtues of not upgrading your gadgets - whether it's to save money, to be earth-conscious, or because you simply don't need to.

It seems especially timely because of the current recession, but being conscientious about upgrading (especially if you tend to do it just because you want something new) is something we should all be thinking about at any time.

To participate, just go to the Facebook page and sign up, and say why you're sticking with one of your older gadgets. Mine? My Canon Rebel XT SLR, because it still takes, and will continue to take, gorgeous photos.

To learn how to post your favorite websites to our Website of the Day group, read more.

I know that this long list looks scary, but trust me, once you get the hang of it, it'll be a snap the second time around.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group.
Click the pink "Share" menu on the top left side of the page.
Choose "Blog" and "Regular Post."
Give your story a "Title."
Fill in the "Body" with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Click "Next."
Choose the audience for your story to "Website of the Day" in the dropdown menu.
Add keyword(s) (for example mine for this photo was "Website of the Day").
Change channel to "Technology and Gadgets."
Fill in tag field with relevant tags.
Click "I'm done" to submit content.

So join the Website of the Day group and share information about all your favorite sites! Yours just might end up on the geeksugar homepage!

Do You Recycle Food Packaging?

partysugar — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:15:06 -0700

From egg cartons to aluminum cans, there are a lot of recyclables when it comes to food packaging. Since today is Earth Day, I want to know what you do with this excess of packaging? Do you recycle it?

Source

Go Green! Turn Old Wine Bottles Into Water Holders

partysugar — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 07:50:44 -0700

Plastic water bottles produce a lot of waste; one way to cut back is to use larger, refillable bottles for drinking water at home. This works well in an area like San Francisco where the tap water is drinkable and delicious.

Since I entertain a lot, I thought it would be eco-chic to make my own! Here's what I did:

Start by saving several wine bottles. I collected three clear bottles with smaller labels and screw caps.
Wash the bottles and their caps in the dishwasher.
Part of the labels will be removed. There are several ways to remove the rest of the label. You can heat them in the oven for a couple of minutes or warm with hot air from a blow dryer.
Scrub any of the label's residue off with a good sponge or a cotton ball soaked in nail polish remover.
Fill with water, close the cap, and place in the fridge to chill.

A set of these also makes a thoughtful gift. Has anyone else made their own water bottles?

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Daily Tech: See a US Gadget Recycling Plant In Action

GeekSugar — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:40:06 -0700

Sims Recycling Solutions has 15 locations across the United States and recycles everything from cameras, printers, to computers. - Wired
Stroke patients are using video games to help their debilitated vision and the results have been phenomenal with some patients' receiving 90 percent of their vision back. - Switched
Check out some amazing gadget deals of the day including a refurbished HP Mini for $275. - Gizmodo
This video demonstration show you some great ways to help relieve carpal tunnel syndrome. - Boing Boing
According to environmental activists, Earth Hour proved to be a big success, with more than 4,000 cities and towns in 88 countries participating. - Forecast Earth