By Nicole DiGiose, content editor
Earth Day is April 22. Image source: Pixabay.
The 48th celebration of Earth Day this month will be buzzing with talk of our impact on the environment and what we can do to live in harmony with it. If you want to show support for Mother Earth, don’t think you have to abandon your electronics, because there’s no shortage of eco-friendly technologies available. Below are six useful green gadgets that are beneficial to both you and our planet.
Recycled phone cases
Image source: pelacase.com.
Just about everyone with a mobile phone has a smartphone case, but did you know that most cases are made of silicon or plastic? Neither are very friendly toward the environment. With this in mind, one company, Pela Case , began creating phone cases out of recycled and biodegradable materials. What’s more, its cases fall in the average price range compared to most iPhone and Android cases at about $35.
Wemo Insight
Image source: belkin.com.
Manage energy costs from anywhere with the Wemo Insight adapter , a device that plugs into an outlet and lets you control an appliance that’s plugged into it by using your smartphone. After setting it up, you can add your billing amount for electricity use and the device will track in real time how much energy is being used by whatever it’s plugged into. Currently, it comes with a price tag of $44.99.
Anker PowerPort Solar
Image source: anker.com.
Tired of lugging around a bulky battery pack to recharge your phone while you’re on the go? Anker’s solar panel uses the sun to keep your favorite gadgets thriving — no outlet required. Impressively, the panel can charge two devices at once, and it folds up for easy packing. At 12.5 ounces, it’s lightweight and ultra-thin. Currently, it’s priced at $56 on Amazon.
Automatic
Image source: automatic.com.
Cars and trucks are some of the leading causes of air pollution. Automatic , a tiny device that you plug into your vehicle’s on-board diagnostics (OBD) port, is looking to help that, if even a little. Once installed, it tracks your driving habits and instructs you through a series of beeps and app alerts when you step on the gas too fast or your brakes too hard. The goal is to help you save money on gas, cut down on vehicle emissions, and put less wear and tear on your car.
Automatic offers two modules: Lite, which relies on a smartphone to sync your pricing data, and Pro, which eliminates the need for a smartphone and instead relies on a 3G connection. Prices range from $79 to $129, depending on your needs.
Blossom
Image source: myblossom.com.
With springtime comes the use of sprinkler systems, which, of course, are convenient because they remove the need for us to remember to water our lawns. But they can also be inefficient because they run on a set schedule regardless of whether or not it recently rained or is currently downpouring. With Blossom , a smart sprinkler system, you can put an end to over-watering because it uses your location, the weather forecast, and the type of vegetation in each sprinkler zone to set up a personalized water schedule. To make it easier, you can control your sprinklers from an accompanying smartphone app on demand until you learn to trust this smart new system, which is currently going for $149.
Nest
Image source: nest.com.
By now, you must have heard about Nest , the handy programmable thermostat that’s designed to help your home save energy. Using a motion sensor, Nest knows when you leave and automatically goes into an away mode, and it also learns your habits, such as which temperatures you prefer for separate rooms, while taking the weather forecast into consideration. To make its use as easy as possible, it also works with Alexa, Amazon’s virtual assistant. Depending on the thermostat you choose, prices range from $169 to $249.
How do you go green? Leave a comment below.
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