Greener TechTech deals are now good for the planet

We wanted to share this heartwarming story about a young, uneducated, poor African boy in Malawi, Africa who did the extraordinary. While attempting to survive genocide, in a war ridden country, he harnessed the wind to create energy to help his family and rural farming community. Young William was only 14 years old when he scrounged for scraps to build his own windmill. In his autobiography he wrote “A windmill meant more than just power, it was freedom.” Read William’s touching story in the following article: http://www.good.is/post/african-dynamo/?gt1=48001. You can see just how much something so little really can do to make a tremendous impact on lives.

This little piggy may not go to the market but it certainly is teaching kids that electricity is not free. Winner of the 2009 Greener Gadgets Design Competition this 100% recyclable "Power Hog" is a fun way of teaching energy conservation and cost.

Although the power hog doesn't actually save energy it does illustrate that time spent playing video games or watching television isn't free. I think this is a great concept to not only teach our kids responsibility and limit their daily activity on their gadgets but it also demonstrates an important life lesson on energy consumption.

Simply plug the Power Hog's tail into an outlet, plug your child's gadget into the snout, and then they can insert a coin to gain 30 minutes of electrical use. When there is enough credit the hog lights up green and when time is about to run out the modern day piggy bank flashes a warning red light.

Parents are capable of monitoring their kid's daily use of television, ipods, video games, and cell phones, etc. while their children learn the value of electricity through visualization and interaction.

Tesla Motors has brought us the wave of the future with America’s first fully electric car. Why did Tesla Motors create such a vehicle? They state that “electric cars equal freedom.”  It is unnecessary for cars to rely on oil when they can be powered by resources like natural gas, coal, hydro, wind, or solar, etc.

How does it work? Tesla cars are charged the same way we charge our electronics. Simply, you plug it in and after the charge is complete you now have a “full tank” minus the trip and expense of a gas station. Tesla vehicles operate on 120-volt outlets or on 240-volt outlets. The question now is how far can the car go on one charge? The answer is an astounding 244 miles!  The Tesla has even been on a cross-country road trip powering up at camp sites, hotel garages, and friend’s houses along the way.

This past July the Tesla Roadster, a sleek, sporty car, traveled from New York City to San Francisco for the Renew America Road Trip. The purpose of this event was to not only raise money for such foundations like the American Lung Society and the Autism Society of America but to also raise awareness to the public about the importance of using renewable green technologies and the promotion of electric cars. Owner of Tesla Motors, Michael Craner, states “We hope that by driving a production electric vehicle, the Tesla Motor’s Roadster, across the country, we can demonstrate by example that green technologies are here today and do not represent a compromise.”  The Tesla Roadster is 100 % torque, 100% of the time, making this sports car 6 times as efficient as the best sports cars while only producing one-tenth of the pollution. The Tesla Roadster that made the Renew America Road Trip was auctioned off and proceeds went to various charities. Tesla Roadster....the light is definitely "green."