Author: Philip Proefrock

This year’s annual Greenpeace “Guide to Greener Electronics” has been released, and it is a mixed bag. The lowest scores are higher than they were last year, but the highest scores are lower. Nokia is still at the top. In 2009, they were at 7.45, but in 2010 they are down to 7.3.

Samsung, which was in second place last year, dropped significantly down to a tie for 7th place because of penalty points they were assessed for “backtracking on its commitment to eliminate brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in new models of all products by January 2010 and PVC by end of 2010.”

Most of the rest stayed about where they were. Sony Ericsson, Apple and Sony are a few that moved up. HP, Fujitsu, and Nintendo also improved, but are still near the bottom of the list.

Click below for the list with each company’s score from 1 – 10 (10 being the best) and the brief explanation of the score provided by Greenpeace.

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We’ve seen several bike-related concepts in the past few weeks. If, in fact, alternative transportation is on the rise, bikes will become a larger part of our transportation mix. To be really effective and to find wide acceptance, these three may help make bikes more of an option.

Copenhagen wheel

A group of MIT researchers developed the Copenhagen wheel, a versatile electric bicycle wheel which was given its debut last month in Copenhagen during the COP-15 summit. The wheel combines a regenerative brake, a battery, an electric motor, and a variety of sensors and a bluetooth connection. Combining regenerative braking and electric assist acceleration helps make it easier for bike commuters to deal with starts and stops. With the Copenhagen wheel, the bike can also track speed and distance traveled, as well as monitoring local smog conditions and tracking the proximity of friends. The Copenhagen wheel also acts as a smart lock to prevent unauthorized use of the bike.

YikeBike mini-farthing

Weighing in at 10 kg (22 lbs), the YikeBike is a small folding electric scooter with a large-wheel/small-wheel combination like the a “pennyfarthing.” It folds into a space of 150 x 600 x 600mm (approximately 6 x 18 x 18 inches) and can be unfolded and ready to ride in about 15 seconds. The YikeBike has a range of 9-10 km (5.5-6 miles). It is expected to be commercially available soon at a cost of around 3,500 Euros (roughly US$5,000).

Underground bike storage

In an area with extensive bike commuting already in place, storage solutions for the hundreds of bike riders becomes a problem. In Japan, the Eco Cycle is an underground storage facility with a capacity of 144 bikes (18 bikes per level and 8 levels of storage). The automated system can retrieve any bike within 10 seconds, making it quick and convenient. A one month pass for the Eco Cycle garage costs about $30/month (2600 yen).

Thanks again, John B!