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 Those who care for our ecology often don’t like the negative environmental implications of cell phones. Millions of old mobile phones fill our landfills, allowing dangerous chemicals from their electronics and batteries to contaminate our soil and aquifers. Fortunately, eco-friendly phones are becoming more numerous, allowing relatively guilt-free use of this ubiquitous mobile technology. Here are our reviews of some of the best green mobile phones and broadband services on the market.
Samsung Galaxy Ace
Samsung makes the Galaxy Ace from recycled materials, so users can reduce their environmental footprint while enjoying all the perks offered by an Android-powered smartphone. The packaging, battery and phone all come from reused materials and can return to recycling when the life of the phone ends.
Sony Ericsson Xperia X8
The Xperia X8 smartphone, which also uses the Android operating system, is at the forefront of green phone production thanks to Sony’s initiatives to eliminate harmful substances from its manufacturing. And just to be safe, Sony tests every phone before shipping to make sure it conforms to their rigid environmental specifications. Sony demonstrates that aligning manufacturing with the environment can produce outstanding phones while being ecologically friendly.
Apple iPhone 4S
Apple designed the ever-popular iPhone with an eye toward minimizing any environmental impact. Its green features include being PVC-free, having no mercury in its LED-backlit display and no arsenic in its display glass, and mostly bio-based packaging. And the unit’s power adapter is said to outperform the “strictest global energy-efficiency standards.” Apple also accepts old units for recycling at its stores and by mail so as not to burden landfills.
Motorola Citrus
Motorola has developed manufacturing processes that reduce the carbon footprint of its phones throughout the time they roll down the assembly line. This green smartphone comes with Android so it also works with mobile data networks.
Nokia C6-01
As one of the top-rated green phones in the world, the Nokia C6-01 comes entirely from recycled materials and runs on one of the most environmentally friendly batteries on the market. Nokia even packages this green phone in 100% recycled materials. The phone comes with an energy-efficient charger, further reducing its environmental footprint. Users of the C6-01 don’t have to skimp on features either. Its brilliant color display and high-resolution camera make it an attractive choice for a mobile phone.
Nokia E7-00
Those who want an Earth-friendly smartphone and hardware keyboard should consider the Nokia E7-00. This phone has no PVC, chlorinated or brominated compounds in it, making it safe for recycling. Users can thus discard this phone at the end of its life without harming future generations.
Nokia C7-02
A surface made from a nickel-free manufacturing process is just one reason why the C7-02 from Nokia is green. It also has strong power-management features that work with its Symbian operating system to help protect the Earth. Its ambient-light sensor automatically adjusts screen brightness, and the phone reminds users to unplug the charger when not in use.
Green Mobile Service Providers
If you are looking for a green mobile provider, you probably can’t beat CREDO Mobile. According to their website, they have donated “over $10 million to groups like Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network and Ocean Conservancy,” they print their bills “with soy-based ink on 100% post-consumer recycled paper” and they were “the first mobile phone company in the US to join Carbonfund.org's CarbonFree® program by offsetting the estimated lifetime electricity usage and shipping of phones” and “to offer solar-powered phone chargers.” They make it easy for their customers to recycle their old phones—for cash if the phones have value—and they sell refurbished phones.
CREDO Mobile is also well known for lobbying for environmental legislation (including strengthening the Endangered Species Act, increasing fuel-economy standards, stopping coal-fired power plants, renewing clean-energy tax breaks, enforcing stricter ocean fish-catch limits and preserving the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Plus, they “plant 100 trees for every ton of paper [they] use (enough to make another ton of paper).” It was for efforts like these that CREDO Mobile was named the Environmental Business of the Year in 2009 by the environmental nonprofit, Planning and Conservation League.
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This is a guest post by Spencer Hogg from Broadband Expert.
Additional resources:
Green Hosting to Help Shrink Your Website’s Carbon Footprint
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