3.5.09

Green-geeks, eco-nerds and quite a few of the big-boy manufacturers of electronic devices we live for (Dell, Intel, Fuji, EnergyStar and Panasonic) converged in Manhattan, for the second annual GREENER GADGETS Conference.

Responding to an increasingly urgent call to arms to improve the handling of billions of tons of global e-waste and to redefine recycling, directors and designers of large and small companies, .orgs, and .coms gathered to duke it out, over organic wine, artisanal cheeses and a great deal of dialogue.

This intensive green day began with an introduction by Saul Griffith, best known as a sassy genius (he’s the rare recipient of a McArthur Genius Grant) and designer of dozens of progressive products. He succeeded admirably in setting the standard high for the designs, content and, thankfully, humor to follow.

Three star-studded panels discussed Measuring Your Hue of Green, Green Design for Good, and ended with Closing the Loop in Cradle to Cradle. Heady topics with no easy answers, the participants addressed issues ranging from how to really recycle cell phones to off-the-grid solutions for our energy hungry products.

After several hours as spectators, bloggers and twitter-ers, we were finally able to vote for our favorites among the fifty silly to slick Greener Gadget product entries. Moderated by Core77, an industrial design websponsor, we were encouraged to applaud loudly, while an IPhone, the king of e-gadgets, digitally calculated the decibel levels from our manual efforts!

Tweet-a-Watt, a twittering power meter, was the first place winner. It wirelessly broadcasts energy usage (or abuse) for the world to see, and was a real wake up call for our current cultural approach to energy consumption, product design and e-waste. My mind ran wild with product placement possibilities… the White House, the Big 3, Letterman ?

Check out these photos from the day:

Posted by LoftLife expert Sherry Jo Williams