E-Book readers are already inherently green, right? After all, using one reduces the number of trees that have to be chopped down to satisfy your reading habits. Still, there's the whole issue of electricity--you don't need a lithium ion battery for that paperback. LG is greening up the space with a new solar powered reader.

The new reader features a solar cell measuring 10 CM x 10 CM, with an energy conversion efficiency rate of 9.6-percent. Four to Five hours of sunlight should give you about a day's worth of charge.

There's not much info on the device beyond that, save for a fairly stiffly worded press release from the company.

They're arty, cleverly designed, and eco-friendly--oh, and they're really cheap, too. These OrigAudio Fold 'N Plays ($16 direct) arrive as two flattened boxes of cardboard with embedded speakers and an attached cable. You fold each into a 3-inch cube and plug the cable into any music player with a headphone jack. Voila, your new audio system is complete.

There's nothing quite like having a meal with geniuses. And Popular Mechanics gave me that opportunity today, at a lunch held in honor of its Breakthrough Awards 2009 winners.

In a panel during the lunch, PM's Editor-in-Chief Jim Meigs (far right) introduced three of the honorees, each of who gave us a précis of his or her winning project. 

William Borucki (far left) is the science principal investigator of NASA's Kepler mission, whose aim is to find habitable planets.  As he explained it, there are a series of steps humanity needs to take in order to expand into the galaxy; first, we have to determine whether other "earths" are frequent or rare. If they are common, we need to determine more closely their habitability. Then, Borucki said, "our children decide what happens."

Nearly three years after its first appearance, at CES 2007, the Powermat Wireless Charging Mat ($99.99 list) is finally set to hit stores on October 4th. The mat, available in both a Portable and a more elegant Home model, will include a universal Powercube in the box, including 8 power tips for compatibility with popular handheld devices. Unlike other "wireless" charging devices, such as the Wildcharge TouchCharge, which requires direct contact with a conductive surface, the Powermat uses inductive technology, which does not require a physical connection.

If you're looking for a unique, slim, and light case in which to tote your laptop and also want to make an artistic-type style statement, the GG2G Foleo ($56 direct) fills the bill--and it's made from recycled materials, too. What could be cooler? These necessarily one-of-a kind bags are crafted from recycled highway billboards, of all things, and can come with or without bamboo padding--your choice.

The bag is sturdy and nicely made, and the "re-vinylzed" water-repellent outer material has a sleek, shiny look and feel. All the Foleos come with a handle on the side (though you may not see them in the Web site's images), so you can carry the bag that way or tuck it under your arm like a clutch. The Foleo has one inner pocket--a thumb drive compartment. But if you need more storage space, you could easily stash this sleeve inside a larger case. 

The Foleo bags pictured on GG2G's site are all currently available. Once a bag is purchased, it's replaced by a new one, and no two look exactly the same. But if you have your heart set on a color palette, you can email Dayan Moore (a co-owner of GG2G), and she'll do her best to help you out. 

Moving upmarket from a Toyota Prius hybrid to an entry-level Lexus hybrid carries a 50 percent price premium. But, hey, you're getting a Lexus.

The 2010 Lexus HS 250h hybrid will start at $35,075 when it ships in about a month, Lexus announced. And that's with the best fuel economy of any luxury vehicle in the U.S., low emissions, a boatload of technology standard in the base model, and leather everywhere. There is no exact equivalent gasoline-powered Lexus sedan. The Lexus ES250 comes close at $35,345 (both prices include $875 shipping). An entry Toyota Prius with a lot less standard equipment runs $22,750 while the ritziest Prius starts at $32,520.

Can you drive 1,000 miles in your car and spend less than $60 on fuel? That's the beauty of the Volkswagen Sportwagen TDI diesel, which averaged 43 mpg. It runs forever on a gallon of fuel, entertains you while under way, cruises comfortably at speed, and holds tons of gear. The wagon, which I tested, and the Jetta TDI sedan, belong on your new-car shopping list if you do a lot of highway driving. They'll hold their own against hybrids that do best in city driving.

Students will soon have a more energy-efficient way to play Oregon Trail and Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing with the release of the Tangent VITA LT, an all-in-one "green" PC that costs less than $1,000 and is aimed at the education market. The VITA LT uses Intel's Atom N270 processor, commonly found in netbooks, to draw up to 72 percent less energy than standard Energy Star 4.0-compliant PCs.

For a sub-$1,000 all-in-one, it's loaded with perks for class projects, including a 18.5-inch touchscreen display, a 4-in-1 media card reader, an integrated webcam, and built-in wireless. In addition, the computer is 1.4 inches thick and seems to be taking style tips from Apple (which is never a bad idea).

Tangent's emphasis with the VITA LT is to provide a client for their virtual desktop infrastructure solution, which allows students (or employees) to take their desktop with them over a network, regardless of what computer they're on. This type of application doesn't require the latest and greatest in processing power, so it makes sense to power it with an Atom-based machine. The decrease in energy consumption is a definite plus too.

Many car buyers look at hybrids because those autos are marketed as being better for the environment. "Green" is certainly a selling point--and now, manufacturers are using the same tactics to sell their TVs, highlighting the fact that some models use less energy and have less "bad" stuff like mercury inside. Research firm iSuppli just released the results of its U.S. TV Consumer Preference Analysis survey and found that 27.5 percent of LCD TV buyers listed green factors as an important influence, while an additional 23.1 percent further responded that green features were something they looked for in an LCD-TV.

Furthermore, more than 40 percent of respondents indicated that their TV set incorporated power savings and/or Energy Star features. But only 16 percent of respondents highlight the set's recyclability. So while consumers are considering the power usage, end of life isn't as much of a concern.

This is worth mentioning, because the California Energy Commission's proposed legislation to require large-screen TVs to use 33 percent less power by 2011, and 49 percent less power by 2013 has come under attack since it was announced two weeks ago. The commission has highlighted that the new energy standards for the sets would reduce global warming and save consumers $18 to $30 a year. Yes, you read that right... $30 a year, or the savings you'd get if you just watch an hour less every week. The problem, says the Consumer Electronics Association, is that these regulations could result in a flat-out ban of large-screen sets in California (no pun intended), as most sets made today are simply not compliant.

But the point is that clearly everyone, including state regulators are looking at the small picture (again, no pun intended) of the short-term energy cost and savings. The bigger issue remains that all TVs, even the really big and expensive ones, will eventually have an end of life, And how this is handled is something that consumers aren't thinking about, and companies are only now starting to address.

For company-by-company instructions, check out GoodCleanTech's Electronics Recycling Superguide.

Post by Peter Suciu

The first U.S. cell phone made from recycled plastic, T-Mobile's MOTO W233 Renew (http://tinyurl.com/dactef) lets you go green while you gab.

IANAP. I am not a plumber. Still the idea of the EcoDrain is intriguing. From Canada, the EcoDrain claims to "cut water heater use by 25%-40%." Considering the expense of heating tap water this is no small claim! And the EcoDrain does it in a way so simple you'll wonder why no one thought of it sooner.

"The EcoDrain™ is a small, easy-to-install device with no moving parts. The key to saving you money is the heat-exchange channels. These flattened, sealed channels were developed to maximize the surface area of the heat transfer space and to create optimum flow turbulence in the outgoing waste water and incoming fresh water. The EcoDrain™ is installed directly in the shower drain line and features a double wall of separation between fresh and waste water to eliminate the possibility of mixing, plus an interior non-stick coating to prevent soap, hair or debris collecting inside."

ZAP officials said that the Stimulus Act signed into law by President Barack Obama lets buyers of its electric cars and trucks receive a 10 percent tax credit, up to a maximum of $2,500, CNNMoney.com reports. The credit can be applied to ZAP's Xebra sedan (MSRP $11,700) and truck (MSRP $12,500), as well as its low-speed neighborhood electric vehicles, the ZAP Shuttle (MSRP $14,700) and ZAP XL Truck (MSRP $14,500).

ZAP argued that the tax credit, which wouldn't have taken effect until 2010, should be implemented immediately in the spirit of the Stimulus Act. California congressman Mike Thompson took up the cause and argued for it, according to the report.

Earlier this month, ZAP announced that its Alias electric car would compete for the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE, along with 35 other teams, in an effort to design and build production-capable 100 MPG-energy-equivalent (MPGe) vehicles that are affordable and meet the needs of the average mainstream car buyer.

Areaware is a design company that makes really cool-looking products--remember that foldable bicycle from earlier today? The company was also showing off this snazzy wooden radio.

Designed by Singih Kartono, the Magno Wooden Radio is made from sustainable wood. I spoke to a rep from the company who explained that the radio is designed to have something of a "timeless" quality.

It also sounds surprisingly good. The company was blasting some music from one, and the result was rich and full. The radio also has an auxiliary input, so you can play songs from your non-wooden iPod.