Going green can not only save you money and help save the planet but in some cases it also solves another problem.  Case in point—handsfree speaker phones.  These devices sync with your cell phone and then let you talk handsfree when driving.  Generally the downside of these gadgets is the need to charge them using a wire that runs to the car’s cigarette lighter.  Scoshe Solchat solved that problem by developing a Solar powered Bluetooth speakerphone.  First let’s go over pronouncing this company’s name “Scosche” I’m told its pronounced Sco—as in rhymes with “show” and “-sche” like a librarian saying “shhh”. The Scoshe Solechat includes a windshield suction cup mount and sun visor clip for easy operation.  Since it sits on the windshield all day—it’s always charged, so you never need to plug it into a cigarette lighter.  Other cool features include the Solchats ability to announces calls as they come in for hands-free driving.  It also features a simple three button design and automatic, user-friendly cell phone pairing   Price: $99.99  Website: www.scosche.com

If there’s one complaint I keep hearing about the iPhone is how quickly the battery runs down.  There are lots of iPhone battery accessories on the market, but here’s the first green solution I’ve found—it’s from Novothink and it’s a Solar iPhone Case. This is the world’s only Apple-certified solar charger carrying case– it doubles the battery life of iPhone and iPod Touch using solar panel technology to power up the devices directly from the sun.  It’s perfect for traveling, hiking, biking, trips to the beach, and camping. -The 4 built-in LED lights (one the back of the case) let you know if you have a sufficiently powerful light source in addition to how much charge remains in the battery. Price: $79.95(iPhone) and $69.95(iPod Touch).

It isn’t that people don’t want to go green—it’s just that they don’t want any hassles along the way.  That’s why the inventor behind the EcoStrip came up with this product. This surge protecting power strip plugs into the wall and has a USB plug that goes into your computer’s USB port.  When you turn off the computer, the EcoStrip turns off all of the computer peripherals (as in the printers, speakers, monitors etc.) that are plugged into the power strip.  Most of us normally don’t turn off all of the power sucking accessories.  The EcoStrip does it automatically—so you don’t have to even think about it.  It can save consumers $50-$150/year  USB EcoStrip 2.0  http://www.ecostrip.com  $45

Innovation Insider Steve Greenberg conducts 25 city satellite media tour from 5am to 11am yesterday.  Whew! That’s quite a coup. 

Steve Greenberg Shows How Easy It Is To Be Green

Steve appeared on WPIX-TV in New York this morning

Despite our shaky economy, the one area in the consumer electronics field that seems to be thriving is GREEN.

At January’s CES 2010 (Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Jan 7-10) the one exhibit area that has significantly grown is the Sustainable Planet CE Spotlight, featuring (according to the press release) “technologies and services that benefit the environment, utilize new forms of energy and contribute to a sustainable lifestyle.” This area will increase by more than 40 percent in size over the 2009 International CES.

This is amazing considering how so many other areas of CES are shrinking or have disappeared all together.

Over the past few months I’ve seen green cell phones, green GPS’s, green bluetooth speakerphones, green toilets, green clock radios, and much more.

For the upcoming CES you’ll find green “located in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, Sustainable Planet will feature more than 30 exhibitors focused on product advancements in green building, sustainable packaging, automotive, wireless and alternative energy technologies across 5,500 net square feet of exhibit space.”

But I’m left with a feeling in the pit of my stomach that maybe these green products really aren’t so green after all.

• Does the product contain chemicals that will harm the planet?
• Does the manufacturing and shipping of the product use more resources than the product saves?
• Is the packaging green?

Recently the FDA attacked cereal makers that made claims that their morning cereal boosted a child’s immune system. With flu fears running rampant, a boosted immune system claim could convince a worried Mom to pick that breakfast cereal. And yes, there were vitamins added to the cereal that might boost an immune system. But the FDA pointed out that you could spray vitamins on saw dust and make the same claim about the saw dust. Yes, there is something on the cereal that boosts the immune system but are these cereals really nutritious?

That brings me back to green gadgets– sure there’s some aspect of each one of these products that is green. But when you look at the overall product is it helping the planet? Is it truly good for our environment? Or is just another marketing tool?

It would be wonderful if some outside agency could evaluate products to let consumers know what really is green and what is being labeled green just so it can make more green ($$$).