Charged Up and Green!

By Dan Estabrook - October 9, 2008 I found a great site that will help all of us go a bit greener - especially with the battery-heavy gadget-giving holiday season creeping up on us.  Earth911 has a great article targeting "8 Ways to Green Your Battery Use."  Among the helpful tips:

• Get a battery tester and only replace one battery at a time - instead of replacing all 4, 8, or 16 of your batteries all at once, only replace the ones that are absolutely dead.  A battery tester will do wonders toward the savings you will have by both buying fewer batteries and throwing fewer away.  Of course, my own take on this tip is to utilize rechargeable batteries - using the same batteries over and over again is probably the most efficient and environmental solution.  Unfortunately, rechargeable batteries do contain mercury which is dangerous to both you and the environment when finally discarded.
• Laptops Aren't for Laps - the added heat from your lap will heat up batteries and expedite their demise.  I would also mention that the verdict is out as to the impact of a laptop in a lap on sperm count.  We all need all the help we can get in this department.
• Insulate your car battery - wrap your auto battery in a blanket to avoid large temperature fluctuations across the four seasons.  Also, be sure to recycle your car battery when you replace.  As many as 90% of them are recyclable.

The site also has great advice as to where you should recycle your batteries, including your car and phone batteries.  You can also find out where to find solar and hand-crank rechargers and other useful tidbits to maximize battery use efficiency and make the world a whole lot greener at the same time. So, check out Earth911 and learn more.  What other tips have you learned to green your battery and gadget usage?