Mobile phones are turning a friendlier shade of “green”, thanks to two new phone release later this month from Samsung.   Samsung announced the release of the W510 for the Korean market and the F268 for the Chinese market at the World IT Show in Seoul.

According to this techradar article, the W510 is made from bio-plastic; a natural material extracted from corn.  Heavy metals such as Lead, Mercury or Cadmium have not been used in the construction of the phone - even the coating is water-soluble.

The F268 does not contain BFR’s (Brominated Flame Retardant), which could be environmentally unfriendly when disposed of, and it doesn’t contain PVC either.  The F268 also includes an alarm that will sound when the battery has fully charged, which will hopefully prompt users to unplug their charger.  The phone also follows the energy-efficiency guidelines that have been set by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy.

“Samsung is striving to continue to be a strong corporate citizen that contributes to environmental sustainability,” said Geesung Choi, President of Samsung’s Telecommunication Business.  “Now, we are trying not only to launch more environmentally–conscious products with more renewable material and less energy consuming, but also to expand proactively, setting up a phone recycling system.”

It’s great to see new products embracing the goals for a more environmentally friendly future, and taking on the challenge to ensure technology moves forward at a price that’s not so costly to Mother Earth.

Here’s something nice and light from TreeHugger to start the week off…

The Mary Collins Charter School at Cherry Valley Elementary in Petaluma, California have implemented an environmental education program, which has earned them the title of Go Green Initiative’s school of the week.

The school has created a garden that is large enough to feed the student body for two lunches per week, and herbs and berries that are used at school functions.  In addition to the garden, the school uses compostable trays and cups and washable napkins, while using only washable cups and plates for school events.  Also, the schools’ trash is separated into five different bins.

I liked the article because it teaches kids that food doesn’t just come from a refrigerator, and that the things we throw out don’t just magically disappear.  While sometimes I think we go a little overboard with the environmental movement, I do believe that if the younger generation is brought up and educated to care for the environment, they could be the ones that come up with some amazing technology that will see us into a much greener and cleaner environment.

Well, nothing has really grabbed my attention today on the environmental front – but something did make me have a bit of a chuckle…

This Ethical Corporation article broaches the ides that some things aren’t as “Green” as they claim to be.  Recycling is good, but how much energy was consumed and how much pollution produced to get it recycled?  That’s the side that seems to get overlooked when deciding what will be the greenest option.

It seems that with this massive push for environmental concern and action, all our good-intentioned enthusiasm may be taking us in the wrong direction.  Put simply, of all the choices we have available to us, we should choose the one that leaves less of an impact on the world around us… within sensible reason.  I’m not just suggesting that we choose differently, but also that some of the choices made available to us turn a more sensible shade of green. 

The article may get you to look at your options a little more closely, and get a chuckle out of you at the same time.  I thought it was funny anyway…