On the whole, i thought the superbowl ads this year were pretty lame… Good thing I watch football FOR THE FOOTBALL.. WHo dat? Anyway, there seems to be a minor uproar over Audi’s “Green Police” Diesel TDI Ad where everyday citizens are being subjected to arrest by eco-policemen for using plastic water bottles and not composing.
Check out the ad above, what do you guys think? Funny or an early warning of the upcoming eco-police state?
Well, Hey if it isn’t nearing St. Valentine’s day. A day filled with heart shaped boxes being delivered to lovers from coast to coast. You know what puts a damper on an otherwise wonderful valentine’s day? Death. Specifically speaking, heart disease!
As your self appointed tester of green products, I feel it is my duty to keep you protected in any way possible! So i was going back through all the products I’ve reviewed trying to find something (ANYTHING!) that might be timely and heart related. Low and behold was a review we rendered on POM pomegranate juice in April of last year.
POM is a quality product that comes from a company that cares for our natural resources… their product also looks after your most precious resource, your sanity heart! When it comes to antioxidants, POM even beats out red wine… It tastes great, mixes well with other juices (or red wines if you want to really stay healthy) and will make sure the only attack your heart comes under this valentine, is from a love crazed admirer!
Let’s face it, generally speaking printing stuff isn’t green. I mean, c’mon! You’re using a moderately large electronics device that was shipped across the globe to print tiny pieces of chopped down trees in your home office. A lot of green bloggers out there could take aim at all printing companies for keeping us from moving to a paperless world (sorry Michael Scott). I’m sure one day we’ll get close but here at Green Gear we understand the importance of incremental movement toward eco-responsibility. That being said, it doesn’t take an un-ethical climatologist to conclude that there is some SERIOUS room for improvement when it comes to making home printing a little greener.
With that in mind Green Gear was pleased as punch to find the new HP LaserJet P2055d small business printer arrive a month ago! We wasted no time moving our Canon all-in-one to make way for this bad boy. Since that time we have started to use this nearly on a daily basis. The P2055D is a 35 page per minute laserjet printer designed for small businesses or home offices. It has a 300-page feeder and various trays for all types of paper and is capable of doing 2-sided duplex printing. The printer takes the HP 05A or 05X toner cartridges.
First, lets discuss our experience with the product. Mrs. Green Gear and I have probably put roughly 500 pages through the machine. Our biggest job was a 140 page cookbook. In terms of printing, the product has a high quality 1200×1200 resolution that prints wonderful black and white photos and crisp text. Our real world testing (using .doc files with text and graphics mixed) exhibited speed less than the 35 pages per minute, at roughly 12-15ppm. As i say in the video, I always take PPM figures with a grain of salt, kind of like EPA mileage figures. The different feeder trays worked fine with envelopes and printing paper.
The printer itself is quite small taking up about the same footprint as my canon inkjet printer. The noise coming from the laserjet was in line with what I’ve experienced with similar printers. If was given the ability to change the printer, I would have boosted the #2 high capacity tray to fit a full package of paper. Other than that I would keep it pretty much as-is.
Now, lets get to the green stuff. First off, HP wants you to KNOW they’re green. The box it comes in is adorned with bright green highlights, the model name on the printer is done in tasteful green font, and there is even a green sticker on the top promoting the printer’s eco features, which are:
Instant On Technology: Which keep the printer in eco mode and quickly prints out your first page in less than 6 seconds!
2-sided printing: duplex printing on both sides to save paper (and cost, and trees)
Energy Star Rating: Just like your washer and dryer!
So, what you really want to know is… is this all a bunch of bull or are they really moving to a greener product. Well, I’m happy to report it’s not a bunch of bull, but it could be better. First, the instant on technology cuts the power usage of the product to 8w during power save mode yet still spits out your first page fast. In all fairness though, we got our first page in 8 seconds, not six. The energy star rating is always something you should look for, some of the products we compared this with didn’t even have the rating. The rating is widely respected and well known, so it’s not like those gimmicky proprietary awards.
HP’s recycling program is one of those things that I’m immediately skeptical of. I discuss this in the video but after reading up on it i was VERY pleased that this seemed like a program where they were moving in the right direction and not just going through the green motions. If you have a printer of any type, or a print cartridge they will provide you with postage, a drop off location, or even a pick up and make certain it is reused. If you’re looking to be green, drop it off and keep it from traveling all by itself. This is wonderful to see and probably makes good business sense for HP anyway. Kudos!
Now, it’s not all glowing, right? I mean, I wouldn’t be doing my job if i didn’t find SOMETHING to complain about. Well, first, I was never able to get the duplex printing to work. I put about an hour longer into the process of figuring it out than I would have normally but even after following the instructions a couple of times it still wasn’t available as an option. I’m sure it does work, it just was not as easy to figure out as it should have been. My other issues are more pie-in-the-sky. The cardboard box and Styrofoam packaging were both recyclable, but not recycled. In the same vein, considering all of the plastic that HP receives in its recycling program, I would have expected a portion of the plastic used in this product to be non-virgin. But alas, it is not. They did do this with one of their models in the past.
So what do we have here? What we have is a quality product, going at a market price, that makes important strides in the movement to green printing. In addition, HP has been working to green itself and its internal operations and we appreciate that. Overall, it would be a good fit for an eco-minded business owner looking to handle some serious print jobs.
RATING: 3 out of 5 Gears for a variable eco-benefit, quality, and value.
Check out the full video review (ignore the edits, i had to cut it to under 10 minutes!) and photo gallery.
When it comes to green products, I’m a simple man. I can do without all of the hyper-marketed hocus pocus mumbo jumbo. It’s cute and all, but nine times out of ten its main goal is to inflate the eco-bonafides of an otherwise marginal (or horrid) product. Deep down in my green as grass heart, what I really want is a product that 1.) works and 2.) lasts forever. The best green products are the ones that are green by just being what they are, great products that stay that way.
With that in mind, I introduce you to probably the greenest part of my kitchen: Lodge Cast Iron Cookware. At first glance, Cast Iron doesn’t jump out at you as a “green” product. I mean there are no artistic angles to the design and zero bamboo of any sort! Cast Iron Cookware is big, heavy, and made of metal. But, Cast Iron Cookware is as green as any product I’ve ever used reviewed because it LASTS FOREVER!
That point really can’t be overstated, you probably have cast iron somewhere in your family that has been in use since Lincoln gave the gettysburg address. For little more than the cost of standard cookware (in some cases less) you can have a product that will last forever and not only save on the cost of future cookware, but also reduce the demand on our natural resources that that cookware would have created. Heck, you might save your kids future cookware. I have a small skillet in my family that makes the PERFECT cornbread and i’m waiting to get my grubby mits on it.
Most of that can be said for all cookware. But if you’re going out and going to make the decision to buy cast iron, Lodge is the best place to start. Each of their non enamel items are made and shipped from the great state of Tennessee. In addition to that, Lodge has made a serious commitment to the environment.
Each of Lodge’s items are pre-seasoned, meaning that they’re ready to go when you bring them home. Mrs. Green Gear and I cooked all sorts of food that you’ll see in the video. The photos above are from some 100% sustainable pheasant Mr. Green Gear brought home from a weekend hunt!
Not only that, cooking with cast iron is a pleasure. Once it is heated, it cooks through meat, sauces, bread, and veggies with ease. Our favorite is the griddle, it allows me to cook chicken for the week’s lunches without drying them out. One important note is that cast iron should be cleaned with water only, and once patted down should be lubricated/protected with a light spray of pam or oil (not unlike a gun). As you use the cast iron throughout the years it will develop its own character and outlast every other item in the kitchen.
4 out of 5 Gears for Fixed Eco Benefit, Value, Quality, and General Awesomeness
Below are photos and the video review. Ask questions and post comments!
Well, every other electronics review site has unboxings, so why not mine? right? We got a new printer in the other day to test and I figured I’d throw up the unboxing video! Enjoy the Laserjet P2055d Unboxing Video!
In addition to the numerous comments our review of Eco Canteen received, as well as on the youtube video page, I’ve received many emails directly telling me of less than pleasant experiences with the people who sell ecocanteen. People have also voiced concern over what they feel are excessive shipping and handling expenses.
Since I have not had personal experience I will not render a judgement on that aspect of the customer experience, as that would be unfair. I cannot verify the statements in the comments to be fact. Similarly, I cannot repudiate these experiences. But, I can recommend that you take them into consideration in your own way, using them as you would in other similar situations.
On the issue of price, I am at fault for claiming that this product is cheaper to the consumer, it is my understanding now that the total cost (product plus shipping and handling) is roughly 18-20. This represents a price in line with klean kanteen, but more than no name store brands. As it stands today, the ecocanteen is not a “bargain.” When I upgrade to my next series of criteria and rescore all my reviews I will likely reduce ecocanteen one gear (the price one). I do this with all products at the same time but wanted to indicate here sooner as this page sees more hits.
Also, as a general statement to the producer and consumer of this product. This product is a “green” product being sold through the “as seen on TV” or “direct response” ethos. This means that in the “as seen on TV” world rules, expectations, and pricing is different. In that set of rules it is okay to make money off of shipping because that is just what happens.
To the “green” consumer, authenticity, and communicated practices are highly important.The two are not in concert. If ecocanteen wants to have “green cred” they’ll need to accommodate, in some ways, the expectations of this culture… Similarly, green consumers will have to be more attune to buying products in unfamiliar marketplaces (TV).
Thanks for visiting Green Gear and go check out my other reviews… they’re good!
Once in a while, borrowing from regional peculiarities of grammar and syntax throws especially apt light on a situation. For instance, what Americans call a “program,” the English call a “scheme.” America’s cash-for-clunkers scheme is a dazzling success, right? Americans are falling over themselves to partake, as it seems; so much so that its (initial?) billion-with-a-B bucks got snapped up within days. Whether the apparent boon to the automakers turns out to be significant and substantial in the long run remains to be seen; I have my doubts, but either way this scheme reeks of myopia, hypocrisy, greed and snobbery.
Whatever its putative and real goals, and whether or not it achieves them, C4C is the biggest, gaudiest emblem we’ve yet devised for the extent to which our society prizes disposability and thrives on waste.
While many praise the rash of marginally higher MPG vehicles purchased through the program, it seems to this green blogger that the program does little more than pad the pockets of automobile companies. All the while, embracing the waste culture that drove us straight into the environmental wreck we’re desperately trying to AAA our asses out of now.
Free water, my friends, is a gardener’s dream. Plants don’t care that you’re too cheap to give them sparkling clean drinking water. God bless the rain barrel. Since installing (well, having my dad install) my new rain barrel, I have used the hose a total of ZERO times to water my meager garden. I feel like I’ve discovered a secret.
Now, I will say that I have no idea how much I spent watering the garden last year, so I don’t have a great base for cost-comparison purposes. But I imagine that this rain barrel will last many growing seasons if it’s properly wintered. At just under $60, I would guess that it pays for itself in just a year or two. Gardeners with hard data, jump in here any time…
Time to get down to the nitty gritty. The functioning of a rain barrel.
This variety is a base model. It’s equipped with a spigot at the bottom, an overflow hose and an opening at the top for the water to enter through. The opening is covered in a very fine steel mesh. The downspout, purchased separately, sits on top of this mesh and spews the water into the barrel from your gutters. The mesh is key to keeping mosquitos from breeding in this stagnant water.
My first day of rain barrel bliss saw it fill up in under an hour during a downpour. I have mine feeding from my garage’s gutter system, and only one side of the garage. That’s probably less than 200 square feet of roof on which the water fell. I could have easily filled up a dozen barrels during that downpour if I’d had them hooked up to all four of my downspouts.
The water from my 30-gallon barrel lasts through 3 thorough soakings of approximately 5- square feet of garden, watering about every day and a half.
Little Square Farm, the maker of my rain barrel, repurchases food-grade barrels being disposed of by local restaurants. A win-win-win in my book!
TapGuard is an in-bottle filtration system that retrofits to Nalgene and CamelBak bottles (classic lid only) and promises to filter out unsavory tastes and harmful chemicals and bacteria. It’s a one-piece silicone housing that envelopes a replaceable carbon pouch. As you drink, the water flows through the carbon pouch and into your parched mouth.
(break. minimonster is chewing on a box… end break.)
I tested this product for a while, about 3 weeks. It was a love-hate relationship. My first go resulted in a split carbon pouch, while I was conditioning it in my faucet flow. It never made it into the TapGuard. Now, the makers found the same issue and have repaired and replaced this “old model” carbon pouch. So you shouldn’t have the same issue.
I switched to the next carbon pouch and was more gentle (two are included with each TapGuard), installed it into the TapGuard, installed the TapGuard (almost losing it) in the CamelBak, and filled ‘er up. I took a drink. I spilled water ALL OVER my shirt. Luckily I was at home…
Take two, I realized that I was drinking out of the wrong side. I took a drink from the correct side and…the water tasted a little less chorine-y.
I was extremely bummed that the straw lid for the CamelBak couldn’t be used with this product. I also was a little turned off when each first drink I took, after the bottle sat a while, was slightly warm. This is probably due to the water that sits in the carbon pouch after you’re done drinking. Yuck.
All-in-all, an ok product that I think could use a little improvement to reach a more varied audience.
Oh, also, the production of this product is carbon-negative. They have some specifics on their product packaging and their website.
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Audi “Green Police” Superbowl Ad Causes Uproar!
by mrgreengear on 9 February, 2010
On the whole, i thought the superbowl ads this year were pretty lame… Good thing I watch football FOR THE FOOTBALL.. WHo dat? Anyway, there seems to be a minor uproar over Audi’s “Green Police” Diesel TDI Ad where everyday citizens are being subjected to arrest by eco-policemen for using plastic water bottles and not composing.
Check out the ad above, what do you guys think? Funny or an early warning of the upcoming eco-police state?
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