Naturally we’re not alone in this – Open Planet Ideas is a scheme backed by Sony and WWF which intends to get people thinking about some of the issues that challenge us all, and come up with a means of facing this challenge using currently available technology. It’s quite marvellous to see Sony backing this sort of project, and their support goes beyond lending their name to backup their green credentials (which in fairness are pretty extensive). Sony will be devoting research and development time to the winning concept, and what makes this scheme even more impressive is that the winning device or idea will be made open source; Sony won’t be profiting directly from it.

Like me, you can join the challenge by paying a visit to the Open Planet website. Right now you can find ideas for recycling, making our world a cleaner place and even using rain as a power source…

You’re probably wondering just what my idea for Open Planet’s innovation scheme is, right?

Well, it’s one that combines the need to take advantage of the natural resources that we take for granted with the need to charge a mobile phone on a daily basis. After all, there’s no reason to plug it in every night if it would be cheaper and more efficient to charge your mobile using the rain!

So by combining the two currently available technologies of solar power and piezoelectric material, a small all-weather charging panel could be created, ideal for regular visitors to Glastonbury and other European music festivals.

The great thing about the idea (if I may say so myself!) is that it is scalable – it has possibilities beyond music festivals and can be used to deliver electricity to remote island areas as well as reduce the mobile phone charging footprint in the UK.

To read the idea in full and leave your own feedback, you’ll need to head on over to the Open Planet Ideas page and check it out.

Find Out More About Open Planet Ideas

This is such a good scheme, one that simply isn’t worth missing. Whether you have an idea of your own or not, you’ll appreciate that any outcome from this can only be good!

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Emily heads up the internal ‘eco task force’, which is a cross-divisional team focusing on all aspects of eco-related developments, and recently granted us an interview to find out more about Sony’s attitude to sustainable and environmental activities.

How important are green issues to Sony?

We see ‘green issues’ and sustainability as a critical part of our company ethos and activities. The main aim of our sustainability activities is to both minimise our impact on the environment (which includes tough targets to reduce waste and energy) as well as to demonstrate that technology can be an important part of the solution to climate change issues and how we as a technology company can help with finding solutions – thus having an overall net positive impact as a company.

Eco conscious thinking also influences our product cycles – from the materials we source, recycle and reuse in manufacture, to the development of smaller packaging that takes less space for more energy efficient transportation. .

We’re committed to finding new ways of reducing the company’s impact on the planet; one of Sony’s long-term goals is to achieve zero carbon by 2050 with clear commitments and published targets for the short term and mid term (2015.)

Sony offices, warehouses and manufacturing across Europe have already cut CO2 emissions dramatically, but we are aiming to cut emissions by another 10% in 2010 for all of our UK specific sites for example, as we’re signed up to the UK’s 10:10 initiative.

We see the 10:10 Campaign as an excellent initiative to engage employees and involve them in the overall environmental objectives of the company. We have established green teams across the UK businesses who are tasked with leading the way in co-ordinating the activities across the different sites. This includes actions such as cutting general power consumption in facilities and offices, as well as reducing employee travel, especially flights.

The 10:10 Campaign is part of a real commitment in our organisation to reduce C02 across our business and is part of an overall global corporate target to cut a further 30% in C02 emissions worldwide by 2016.

What has Sony done in the last 12 months to improve its carbon footprint?

March 2009 saw the announcement that CO2 emissions from Sony’s European sites have reduced by 90% (equivalent to 113.000 tonnes) over the period FY2000 to FY2008. The achievement of this reduction is part of the overall Sony commitment to reducing its impact on the environment, as mentioned above.

In addition to the reduction of CO2 emissions, Sony Europe was proud to announce last summer that all of its main 32 sites in the region were powered by electricity from renewable sources.

Energy saving measures have the biggest priority, with those that have been implemented by European manufacturing sites accumulating to an energy consumption reduction of 20.000.000 kWh in FY08.

Has Sony released any products that will help customers reduce their carbon emissions? If so, how will these products help the environment?

Our 2010 BRAVIA range of TVs continues to have a strong focus on eco-aware credentials, which have been one of the cornerstones of our LCD TV development for a long time now, including the continuing push to reduce power consumption.

The 2010 BRAVIA range of TVs incorporates LED backlighting technology, which provides superior performance with lower energy consumption. This reduced energy consumption means the majority of Sony’s 2010 range of TVs have been awarded the ‘EU Flower’ eco symbol, the official EU mark for greener products. As well as reduced energy consumption during use, compliance also includes a take-back policy for recycling and limiting the spread of harmful substances into the environment.

Additionally, all of the TVs include the Energy Saving Switch, whilst the BRAVIA LX900 will feature an updated version of the Presence Sensor and an Ambient Sensor, which will automatically detect the brightness and colour temperature of ambient light in the room, to adjust the TV for optimum viewing quality with minimum energy consumption.

This year we are expanding our line-up of LCD TVs using mercury-free LED backlighting, which is more energy efficient than traditional CCFL backlights.

Also, many of the laptops in our VAIO range have been awarded the Energy Star® 5.0 qualification. They are packed with energy saving features, not only do they have the latest energy-efficient LED backlight technologies, the power management settings put you in control of the power consumption so you can work or play all day on a single battery charge.

In our VAIO W series “eco edition” model, nearly 80 per cent of all plastic parts, including the top and bottom cover, are made up of recycled plastics, including CD and DVD waste.

This model is also supplied in an environmentally friendly, 100% recycled material carry bag.  The bags replace individual cardboard cartons, reducing packaging material from factory to store and from store to home. This means reduced CO2 emissions when the models are transported, as well as less waste, as there is no outer packaging.

What are Sony’s objectives for 2010 onwards?

For 2010 onwards, our objective is to continue establishing Sony as a sustainable consumer electronics brand and build on the successful work we carried out in 2009. The main aim of the eco activity we do is to demonstrate that technology can be part of the solution to climate change and how we can help with this change.

Sony offices, warehouses and manufacturing across Europe have already cut CO2 emissions dramatically, but we are aiming to cut emissions by another 10% in 2010 for all of our UK specific sites.

We see the 10:10 Campaign as an excellent initiative to engage employees and involve them in the overall environmental objectives of the company. We have established green teams in the UK businesses who are tasked with leading the way in coordinating the activities and the communications across the different sites. This includes actions such as cutting general power consumption in facilities and offices, as well as reducing employee travel, especially flights.

The 10:10 Campaign is a part of a real commitment in our organisation to reduce C02 across our business and has been formalised in an overall target to cut a further 30% in C02 emissions globally by 2016.

How big an impact do you think our increasing reliance on technology has on the environment?

As a whole, our use and reliance of technology has grown over time. Some innovations in technology have a very positive role to play – such as better communication technology in video conferencing and telepresence solutions, to name one example, so people don’t have to travel huge distances. 

At Sony we recognise that our products can have a negative impact on the environment, especially in terms of energy consumption, so we’re looking at many different ways to try to minimise power consumption in our products.

We’re also championing new ways in which innovations in technology can be part of the solution to some environmental challenges.

Technology can be effectively reapplied to actually help the environment; an example of this is the Forest Guard project – a powerful initiative devised by a group of school children. Their clever idea was to help prevent forest fires – a constant threat in their region – by having a network of solar powered CCTV cameras survey the forest. Not only do these fires create terrible human devastation but they also have a huge environmental impact – the carbon dioxide emitted during these fires can equal that produced by several million cars on the road in a year . The Forest Guard system would allow people all over the world to log on to view the forests and alert the authorities in the event of a fire.

This was an initiative that Sony wanted to be a part of as we could add our technology and engineering skills to the project and help this young team’s idea become a reality. To apply technology to help solve the problems of climate change is at the heart of Sony’s philosophy and we will continue with these types of initiatives into 2010 and beyond.

Is it profitable to be an eco-friendly company?

Being sustainable is also about being socially, environmentally as well as economically sustainable. So yes, profit is still an important factor in being eco-friendly. Some of the efficiencies and new ways of thinking through processes can bring former costs down and help redefine business models in a new, more economical way.

Both consumers and businesses are becoming ever more conscious of their carbon footprint and how their actions impact on the environment. More and more people are choosing companies based on their environmental standpoint. Companies that embrace environmentally friendly practices, products and services are being viewed favourably by customers and stakeholders alike, sending them a clear message that being sustainable equates to being successful in the future.

Many thanks to Emily Young for taking the time to speak to us, and thanks also to Katie Simpson.

Find out more about Sony Eco at www.sony.co.uk/hub/eco

In the realm of exciting energy-saving news, a company named Humdinger has released a small wind-energy device that is ten times more efficient than its gigantic turbine counterparts. They call it the microBelt and it works by capturing the vibrations of a tiny string moved by the wind. The startup company has come up with a concept using a single string that generates a minuscule 2mW , but I can see where adding to the design could effectively produce enough energy to replace a car battery.

Humdinger is still trying to get funding for mass production and is trying to work with partners to make the design fit with specific devices. Expect to see the concept out in the wild some time soon!

Source: Treehugger

The innovative Presence Sensor detects movement and body heat of anyone in front of the TV which means when no one is watching, it switches itself off!

Moreover the Sony Bravia WE5 can be tailored to suit your viewing habits, with Picture Off and sleep mode settings that can be configured to take effect based on preset times of 5 minutes, 30 minutes or 60 minutes.

These settings mean the TV won’t switch off while you’re watching, but if you can hear your TV from the kitchen, the five minute Picture Off mode can be very useful.

The Sony Bravia WE5

Check the infographic above to see just how much energy can be saved!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVicpgpj3fY

From the ITP in the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, 2007

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rVGqmcbMgU

A great report from CNN, reporting on some of the most interesting developments in green technology.

Promoting greater energy efficiency, the Shell Eco-Marathon is an educational platform encouraging innovation and fosters the development of leading technology towards greener driving.

The Shell Eco-marathon started in 1939 after an argument over fuel mileage – in 2009 the marathon is enjoying it’s 70th anniversary, running from 7th-9th of May at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz track in Germany.
Find out more at www.shell.com