With the focus on being green, there are plenty of eco-friendly gadgets that are hitting the market. However, some companies seem to be creating really bizarre gadgets in the name of being green, but serve very little real purpose.
Some people might find these gadgets to be funny, attractive or cool. Me personally? I think they’re completely barmy! So here you go, 10 very questionable ‘eco-friendly’ gadgets.
1. Green Capsule – Mini Mobile Garden
The Green Capsule is a tiny plant inside a keychain or pendant. Essentially it’s a seed and a small quantity of soil. However, once the seed germinates, you’ll need to remove it and replace it with another seed. It serves no practical purpose, and at $84, it’ll make your eyes water too!
2. Solar Panel Glasses
The Solar Panel Sun Glasses were a gadget that I wrote about recently. I understand why having a solar panel on your glasses a good idea, but I think that the actual design of these glasses is really silly. I’d be very embarrassed to wear these!
3. Solar Powered Light Up Squirrel
A Solar Powered Light Up Squirrel, do I really need to say anything at all? Costing $55 for a light up mammal? I would love to know what was going through the designer’s mind.
4. Lemon-Powered Clock
The lemon-powered clock is a gadget that’s actually touted as a product rather than an educational toy! Why you’d want lemons rotting on your kitchen surfaces to give you the time, I have no idea! Surely it’s greener to use rechargeable batteries than to use an endless supply of lemons (unless of course you have a lemon tree). However, if the clock re-sets every time you change the lemons, it’s hardly practical.
5. Paper-Bag Light
This is another example of a mad design, namely a lamp made from a paper bag! Sure, the paper is probably treated to be a fire retardant, but why would you want a light made from a paper bag? It looks like something a 5 year old made!
6. Solar Climbing Orangutan
The Solar Climbing Orangutan is purely a gadget, using a solar panel as a gimmick rather than with the environment in mind. Probably suitable as an office gadget, it’s sure to be noticed, but not for the right reasons.
7. Flare Storm – Motion Powered Radio
I think the Flare Storm radio came from someone with artistic flair, rather than a flair for practicality. The radio charges up by moving it on the ground like a toy car. Great if you have children with endless energy to charge it up for you. However, I think that conventional solar powered and wind-up radios are far more practical.
8. Solar Powered Dancing Panda
The Solar Powered Dancing Panda simply dances when it gets solar power. Nothing else. Sure, it’s a little cute, but it’s also very useless. Simply a moving dust-collector.
9. Cardboard Laptop Case
Right, I like the idea of recycling here, using an old box to create a Cardboard Laptop Case. However, that’s where the practicality ends. When it rains, you’ll end up with a soggy mess! However, I doubt you’ll have much money left after buying an expensive Apple Mac either, so I can understand that you’d need to improvise a case.
10. Toilet made from cardboard
On the cardboard theme, I’d thought I’d end with the best (or worst) of them all. It’s not the first time that I’ve covered a cardboard toilet, however, this one seems a little worse to me. Sure, it’s made form recyclable materials, but where’s the privacy? And how do you dispose of them hygienically?
If you have any really bad jokes in the toilet humour category, please keep them to yourself. Actually… on second thoughts, please share!
No offence is intended.