If you’ve every bought Hewlett Packard ink jet cartridges you probably noticed that they each come with a postage paid envelop in which to ship your empty cartridge back to HP for recycling.

In the 5 years that I’ve owned my HP ink jet printer I’ve probably gone through 4 or 5 black cartridges and I have to say this program left me feeling pretty good about HP. More...

Thanks to companies like Credo Mobile (formerly Working Assets) and recyclers like CollectiveGood.com, environmentally conscious consumers have long been able to choose a socially responsible cell phone plan and recycle their phones when they’re ready for a new one.

But consider that surpassed 3.3 billion last year (equivalent to about half the world’s population). That’s a lot of cell phone handsets. And when you think about how often people upgrade their phones without recycling that’s a lot of handsets heading to the trash. In fact, more than half a billion cell phones are already in landfills.So it’s a relief to hear that Nokia, the world’s largest maker of cell phone handsets, is trying to create a greener cell phone. At last weeks Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas (nirvana for any tech junkies like me), Nokia debuted a non-working prototype of the Eco Sensor Concept they announced last year. The concept is a hybrid of eco friendly materials, energy efficiency and - get this – “a wearable sensor unit which can sense and analyze your environment, health, and local weather conditions.” Now that’s allotta phone. More...

When you think of helping children in the developing world you probably think of food, medicine or clothing. Now you can add a laptop to that list too. The “Give 1 Get 1” program allows you to donate one laptop to a child in a developing nation and also receive one for the child in your life. But you’d better hurry – the program has been extended until December 31st.

Everyone reading this blog probably takes computers and the Internet for granted. We are blessed to live in a country with 235 million computers – that’s only 1.3 people per computer (1). Computers help us do our work, plan our life, pay our bills and even find the love of our life. Our children use computers to learn and to play – they can’t imagine a world without them. More...

If you followed my advice from last week, you’ve managed to get yourself a sweet new laptop that’s also easy on mother Earth. But choosing a socially responsible computer is just the beginning. Computers (and the people that sit in front of them) are notorious for binging on a high carbon diet of energy, paper and printer toner. So today I’ll cover ways you can curb your computer’s gluttony or as I like to say, reduce your carbon mouseprint.

Okay, let’s start with energy. We’ve all been guilty of leaving our computer on when we’re not using it. The good news is that most computers and their peripherals come pre-set to save energy by going into “sleep” mode after a period of inactivity. The bad news is that this tricks us into thinking they’re off, when in fact they’re still sucking energy. More...

Attend workshops at Metro Blooms to learn how to make rain gardens and use native plants. Check the site for monthly sales on rain barrels or ask at the ReUse Center (2801 21st Ave S, Suite 180), which sometimes has barrels at half-off. More...

The Twin Cities are an excellent place to be a gardener. With so many options for native plants, it’s easy to create a beautiful plot that thrives with little watering. More...

Go solar for your home — everywhere. Use solar thermal for your hot water and radiant floor heating, and install solar photovoltaic for your home energy. More...

We may be farther North than warmer states, but our solar potential is nearly the same as states like Texas and Florida. There are solar options for just about every home, and rebates to make it easier than ever. Still need convincing? More...

If you’re not ready to install your own green power system, you can purchase green power through your utility company. The more people invest in green power, the cheaper it will become. More...