Yesterday, the Green Products Expo came to NYC to prove that these days, it's much easier being green. Held in midtown Manhattan, the GPE showcased some of the newest earth-friendly products on the market. Everything from faucets to hair products were on display. They even had a $4,000 endangered bird chess set made of sustainable woods, lead free pewter and finished in 24k gold and sterling silver.
If you thought you were the jolly green giant because you separate your paper and plastics, you're wrong. Complex ran through the show floor and picked our five favorite green products. Check 'em out below...
MOTOROLA MOTO W223 RENEW
- The Motorola Renew may look like an ordinary (read: boring) candy bar style phone, but its color isn't the only thing green about it. It's the first mobile phone to have its case made entirely from recycled plastic water bottles. It's also the first phone to be certified "Carbonfree." While it may not have a slide out keyboard or a touchscreen, it does boast a web browser and music player with up 2 GB of removable memory. And with a price tag of $10 when you sign up for a 2 year contract with T-Mobile, it's as easy on your pockets as it is on the planet. Hit motorola.com or tmobile.com for more info.
DYSON AIRBLADE
- You ever get the feeling that the air dryers in public bathrooms are just as dirty as the stall door handle? Well, that's 'cause they are. Dyson is looking to revolutionize the hand dryer market the same way it rocked the vacuum cleaner world. Powered by the Dyson digital motor, AirBlade creates a high speed sheet of unheated air that literally scrapes the water off your hand in about 12 seconds. Thanks to the 930 square inches of HEPA filter, 99% of the bacteria is removed from the air, so you're hands stay clean after you wash 'em. How's it green? Thanks to their digital motor the AirBlade uses 80% less energy than regular warm air hand dryers. Learn more at dysonairblade.com.
TOSHIBA PORTEGE R500
- Lightweight notebooks and netbooks are the hottest trend in personal computers. Toshiba raises the bar with their Portégé R500: it's the lightest notebook with a 12.1 in screen at 1.72 lbs. That's nothing. Just for comparisons sake, the Apple MacBook air has a 13.3 inch screen and tips the scales at 3 lbs! And the Air doesn't even have an optical drive; the R500 comes loaded with a DVD recordable drive. But just like the Air, the R500 was awarded a Gold rating by EPEAT board. Learn more at toshiba.com.
LITTLE KAY GARDENS PRE-SEEDED GIFT WRAP KIT
- Little Kay Gardens gift wrap kit was probably the greenest product at the Expo. Their gift wrapping comes pre-seeded with hundreds of wildflower seeds that can be easily planted in top soil to yield a beautiful flower bed. It's like giving two gifts in one! Valentines Day has passed, but this would be a dope wrapping to use when Mothers Day rolls around. The kit comes with the wrapping paper, gift tie, and cards. You can cop a couple packs for $12 each at littlekaygardens.com.
ECO USABLE ECH2O WATER BOTTLE
- In the future, water is gonna be as valuable as oil. Eco Usable understands this, that's why they created the echo2o, an environmentally safe, stainless steel water bottle with a build in filtration system. It's perfect if you're traveling to a place where clean drinking water is not readily available. The ech2o's filter is able to eliminate 99.99% of contaminants including chlorine, lead and mercury. Check out the whole line at ecousable.com.
