shabaz, I partially agree with you. I think $100 (I'm assuming USD, so ~$115 AUD) is a stupid amount of money to pay for a charger, especially when the article says it can replace my phone charger (which retails for about $15).
I also agree that 'green' is a marketing tool and that they post things to look cool, but even if people are buying these products for the wrong reasons (ie cool gadgets) then it is still a good thing, right? A lot of people get suckered in to the current green-hype surrounding, well, everything these days and while I think that most of them should sit back and look at why we need to be green and what they can do to help, if they buy something out of impulse that actually helps the environment, then go the greens for selling good products to ignorant assholes.
I dont agree that this site is a marketing tool. The article the other day on here about the Korean town running entirely on solar power isn't marketing anything. What it does is revive hope that there are people out there making a difference.
Jeremagoo
· 1 year ago
I agree with above poster. The only positive about this device is its cuteness. You can buy a boring, square cell for about $12 at harbor freight that does the same thing.
matt
· 1 year ago
There is a fine line between consumerism in the name of being green, and just plain being green. And it comes down to many things, including practicality. The previous commenter can be right about building your own solar charger, in the same way that pointing out this product - which does look very useful - is doing a service to those of us who might be interested. And that is why we read/write green blogs.
I found your site through treehugger. Keep up the good work.
cbiggins
· 1 year ago
I'm a member of Lighter Footstep. I started building a similar site a while ago but got too busy to finish it. :)
Edward
· 1 year ago
"Check out it out at Solio.com, after all it may come in handy if your stranded on an island paradise…for your iPod that is (my cell phone would swim with the fishes)."
It's you're, not your. I am a newspaper editor, and a good product review can lose credibility when the reporter makes a simple error like this one. I don't think many people will spend $100 to replace a free charger because it "looks cool." Maybe so, but I try to avoid consumerism of cute gadgets because it feels more to me like fads and trends than actually doing something responsible. It does look like something that might come in handy if and when there's no power.
Jenny
· 1 year ago
I'm a fan of this site. It's good to see the positive things that are happening in green and clean technology and I find myself coming back pretty much every day. Keep it up Eco Tech Daily!
Chris Baskind
· 1 year ago
The Solio is a fun little device which is primarily marketed as a charger for use in remote areas or in emergency situations (which is why I have mine). It's green in the sense that it's a cute demonstration of solar power -- the first most people will have ever put their hands on. Anything which makes solar power real to new users is a good thing.
Shabazz is right: a $100 investment can save you a lot more energy than the Solio. I have a Kill-a-Watt on my desk right now, and it's an eye opener. $30 will buy you a decent set of NiMH batteries and a charger these days, and devices like the GreenPlug power strip will keep unused electronics from leeching power without much thought from the user. You could get two of these energy savers (maybe all three) for about the price of a Solio, and they're well worth the money.
$100 will also outfit several rooms with CFLs, weatherstrip a bunch of windows, or replace a standard home thermostat with a smart model that will recoup its purchase price in energy savings within several months, depending on your particular needs.
I'm sure we'll be reviewing all of these. As far as this site or any other being a green marketing tool, we'll be talking about a lot of products and companies as we go along. We'll call out the greenwashers and praise the innovators on their merits. But if the green revolution isn't in the marketplace, it's not a "revolution" at all. It's just posturing.
paul
· 1 year ago
I was amazed at the discussion which took place on this site. I was interested in the device, checked it out, realized it is not worth the $100 that could be used more effectively elsewhere. However, it does present a new way to think about power utilization and harnessing solar energy on a small level.
Whats funny about Shabazz's last comment was that "reduce and reuse come before recycle". When I was kid in southern california, we were shown a cartoon with little dinosaurs prancing about singing "recycle, reduce, reuse" placing recycling at the front instead of reducing. I do believe that people should reduce and reuse before recycling. However this video was put out by a big recycling company, who I am positive made sure that recycling was in the fore front of their message. Even to this day I think about recycling as the main focus of "being green".
It is important that we keep ourselves aware of how even the best of messages are spun, especially on the web.
It makes me sad to read about debates on such small devices considering the office in which I work goes through about 20 boxes of paper a month. Thats about 80,0000 sheets of paper. They are 30% recycled material, but man, thats a lot of paper....
shabaz
· 1 year ago
erased all previous comments??? awwww such good tinder too. hi chris, hi noelle. i know i stated i would be gone longer, i apologize for stalking your site again. i recently went to my local harbor freight store to purchase materials to disassemble and then reassemble into something similar to the solio gadget you're pushing. if you remember (or do i flatter myself), i claimed it could probably be done for $20 or so. well imagine my surprise when i found something very similar to the solio for $12. rechargable batteries were $4 extra (NiCad, what does solio use?). here is the item,
i think it might be worth a write up, trash talk, hit piece, banner ad, or side by side comparison.
Chris Baskind
· 1 year ago
Yup: we changed commenting systems. I'm counting on you to fill this one up.
Great link. I'll certainly consider a write-up. Good to see you back.
Nidhi
· 1 year ago
Just wanted to check that is this Solio Hybrid charger available in India? Actually I am working on a story that talks about portable chargers available in India. so looking around for some interesting information.
Susan
· 4 months ago
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
All Comments
I also agree that 'green' is a marketing tool and that they post things to look cool, but even if people are buying these products for the wrong reasons (ie cool gadgets) then it is still a good thing, right? A lot of people get suckered in to the current green-hype surrounding, well, everything these days and while I think that most of them should sit back and look at why we need to be green and what they can do to help, if they buy something out of impulse that actually helps the environment, then go the greens for selling good products to ignorant assholes.
I dont agree that this site is a marketing tool. The article the other day on here about the Korean town running entirely on solar power isn't marketing anything. What it does is revive hope that there are people out there making a difference.
I found your site through treehugger. Keep up the good work.
It's you're, not your. I am a newspaper editor, and a good product review can lose credibility when the reporter makes a simple error like this one. I don't think many people will spend $100 to replace a free charger because it "looks cool." Maybe so, but I try to avoid consumerism of cute gadgets because it feels more to me like fads and trends than actually doing something responsible. It does look like something that might come in handy if and when there's no power.
Shabazz is right: a $100 investment can save you a lot more energy than the Solio. I have a Kill-a-Watt on my desk right now, and it's an eye opener. $30 will buy you a decent set of NiMH batteries and a charger these days, and devices like the GreenPlug power strip will keep unused electronics from leeching power without much thought from the user. You could get two of these energy savers (maybe all three) for about the price of a Solio, and they're well worth the money.
$100 will also outfit several rooms with CFLs, weatherstrip a bunch of windows, or replace a standard home thermostat with a smart model that will recoup its purchase price in energy savings within several months, depending on your particular needs.
I'm sure we'll be reviewing all of these. As far as this site or any other being a green marketing tool, we'll be talking about a lot of products and companies as we go along. We'll call out the greenwashers and praise the innovators on their merits. But if the green revolution isn't in the marketplace, it's not a "revolution" at all. It's just posturing.
Whats funny about Shabazz's last comment was that "reduce and reuse come before recycle". When I was kid in southern california, we were shown a cartoon with little dinosaurs prancing about singing "recycle, reduce, reuse" placing recycling at the front instead of reducing. I do believe that people should reduce and reuse before recycling. However this video was put out by a big recycling company, who I am positive made sure that recycling was in the fore front of their message. Even to this day I think about recycling as the main focus of "being green".
It is important that we keep ourselves aware of how even the best of messages are spun, especially on the web.
It makes me sad to read about debates on such small devices considering the office in which I work goes through about 20 boxes of paper a month. Thats about 80,0000 sheets of paper. They are 30% recycled material, but man, thats a lot of paper....
awwww such good tinder too.
hi chris, hi noelle.
i know i stated i would be gone longer, i apologize for stalking your site again.
i recently went to my local harbor freight store to purchase materials to disassemble and then reassemble into something similar to the solio gadget you're pushing. if you remember (or do i flatter myself), i claimed it could probably be done for $20 or so. well imagine my surprise when i found something very similar to the solio for $12. rechargable batteries were $4 extra (NiCad, what does solio use?).
here is the item,
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayit...
i think it might be worth a write up, trash talk, hit piece, banner ad, or side by side comparison.
Great link. I'll certainly consider a write-up. Good to see you back.
Susan
http://carusbcharger.com