September 3 - 1:30pm EDT   HP says it has found a way to reduce notebook packaging materials by 97 percent, and cut transportation costs by 31 percent. The computer giant has won Walmart's "green" Home Entertainment Design Challenge, by packaging a Pavillion dv6929 in a messenger bag capable of doubling as a shipping container. As a result, less styrofoam and cardboard are consumed, and a bulk shipment can occupy less space in ships and trucks, in theory resulting in less fuel expenses. [full story]

August 12 - 9:25pm EDT   Zpower, a provider of silver-zinc battery technology, announced the inclusion of their silver-zinc cells in a major notebook computer in 2009. Zpower claims their batteries have run-times up to 40 percent longer than comparable Lithium-ion cells, while simultaneously offering safety and environmental advantages. Zinc-silver batteries have almost been forgotten about but improvements in materials and manufacturing processes have brought them to compete in a market currently dominated by Li-ion cells. [full story]

June 25 - 12:20pm EDT   Apple has slipped in terms of environmental friendliness, claims Greenpeace. The activist group has published a new edition of its Guide to Greener Electronics, and whereas in the last rankings Apple jumped from 2.7 to 6.7 -- due to the release of the less toxic MacBook Air -- the company has since slipped to just 4.1, marking it as an offending company. [full story]

June 16 - 1:05pm EDT   Korea's Samsung today announced two new cellphones, the W510 and the F268, at the World IT Show in Seoul. Rather than publicize performance specifications however, the company is concentrating on the reduced environmental damage of their construction. The W510 (pictured) is said to be Samsung's first built with "bioplastic," eschewing synthetic materials for those extracted from corn. The phone is further said to have been built without heavy metals such as mercury or cadmium, and use a water-soluble coating. [full story]

May 26 - 10:25am EDT   Apple may be seeking to use solar cells to power future devices, a newly-published patent application suggests. Solar power may offer a means of greatly extending the battery life of Apple devices, including both MacBooks and handhelds like the iPod and iPhone; the difficulty, according to MacRumors, is that portables often have limited space to fit solar panels, and if they do have space the panels may be fragile, and occupy room that could be used for other functions. [full story]

April 22 - 9:45pm EDT   Dell today unveiled a "never before seen" environmentally conscious computer clad in bamboo, which occupies 81 percent of the space typically taken by a traditional PC tower. While specifications were sparse, Earth2Tech reveals that the computer is made of 70 percent recycled materials, such as old bottles, milk jugs, and detergent cases, and that it would be available later this year for between $500 and $700. [full story]

April 18 - 3:15pm EDT   The Electro-Mechanics division of Samsung says it has developed a hydrogen-powered prototype cellphone, one which could soon have a commercial equivalent. The new technology consists of a special hydrogen generator and a micro-fuel cell; when the phone is turned on, metal and water react to produce hydrogen gas, which is then transferred to a fuel cell where oxygenation releases energy. Most conventional versions of this technology are said to require methanol in place of water. [full story]

April 11 - 3:20pm EDT   The Japanese division of Fujitsu is preparing to demonstrate two unusual new notebooks at a design exhibition in Milan, the company has announced. The "WoodShell" is merely a concept PC, but uses a case built primarily out of cedar wood instead of typical metal or plastic materials. This has the benefit of tapping into renewable resources, while at the same time making the computer biodegradable when it is inevitably thrown away. The WoodShell follows a few short weeks after ASUS revealed its bamboo notebook. [full story]

April 1 - 12:15am EDT  Onset Computer Corporation today introduced the HOBO U14 LCD Data Logger, an environmental monitoring system that tracks temperature and humidity ratings in indoor environtments. The logger notifies users when environmental conditions exceed those specified, and includes both an audible alarm, as well as an auto phone dialer. Onset says the unit functions quickly over USB 2.0, and is selling the unit starting at $200. [full story]

March 18 - 12:40pm EDT   Japan's Toshiba and Korea's Samsung are the most environmentally friendly of the major electronics manufacturers, claims Greenpeace. The activist group has published a new edition of its Guide to Greener Electronics, ranking producers of consumer electronics against each other in terms of factors like pollution and recycling. Toshiba has leaped ahead six positions to tie the previous leader, Samsung, due to continued improvement in areas of both recycling and electronic waste; Samsung's static ranking, meanwhile, is attributed to an "incomplete" product takeback policy. [full story]

March 10 - 4:50pm EDT   ASUS has debuted an unusual series of concept computers that rely on alternative case materials. Where most cases rely on materials like aluminum, titanium or plastic, the company's Bamboo computers are in fact made of the namesake natural wood, which has multiple advantages. Aside from being more aesthetically appealing, bamboo should be more environmentally friendly; it is readily renewable, unlike minerals or oils, and the material is biodegradable when it ultimately ends up in a garbage dump. [full story]

February 27 - 3:30pm EST   Dell is advertising newfound membership in The Climate Group, a non-profit organization nevertheless composed of major corporations such as Google, BP and Virgin, as well as governments such as those for California, New York City, Ontario and South Australia. The Group is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, while simultaneously minimizing the harm to corporate profits. [full story]

February 25 - 10:20am EST   Responding to criticism from groups such as Greenpeace, Apple has implemented a new recycling program designed to reduce the damage of mass consumption. In addition to products like iPods, people can now also recycle cellphones, produced by any manufacturer. There are two main options for sending devices to Apple: they can either be delivered in person at an Apple Store, or else mailed to a central location. [full story]

January 23 - 9:15pm EST  Apple has officially announced its annual meeting of shareholders, where stockowners will elect the company's Board of Directors and ratify the appointment of KPMG LLP as Apple's independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal year 2008. Also on the agenda are considerations for two shareholder proposals, which are listed below. The meeting is scheduled to take place on March 4th at 10:00 a.m. local time in Building 4 on the company's Cupertino campus. [full story]