Everyone is going green! As we become more aware of the consequences of waste build-up and pollution on our environment and living space, individuals and companies alike are becoming more conscious of making greener choices.

Choosing environmentally friendly vehicles, eco-friendly packaging and products, and making greener energy choices to lessen our impact on the environment, seems to be a growing trend worldwide.

Companies are beginning to use “green IT”. Manufacturers of many kinds of goods are following suit too, from hybrid cars to eco-friendly cellphones. “Green cellphones” will soon become the preferred choice of millions of cellphone users.

So what are green or eco-friendly cellphones?
These are cellphones made from environmentally-friendly or bio-degradable materials. Some of them have solar-powered chargers, others use their power more efficiently. They may have electronic manuals and user-guides instead of wasting paper on printing out volumes of paper-based booklets.

Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson are just a few of the cellular industry manufacturers who are leading the green revolution and making environmentally friendly cellphones.

GreenHeart and Naite
The first of its green generation of cellphones recently launched by the company are the C901 GreenHeart and the Naite.

Sony Ericsson aims to make its mobile phones more environmentally friendly in every aspect, including reducing paper usage. The manufacturer has made use of an in-phone electronic manual for the Naite, along with smaller packaging, use of recycled plastics and a charger which operates on a lower power consumption.

The Naite, also made from recycled plastics, is shipped with an electronic manual and less packaging, creating less waste. This model is accompanied by a low-power charger, which uses about one sixth of the power compared to other chargers.

The C901 GreenHeart cellphone casing is manufactured with a minimum of 50% recycled plastics and is coloured by a water-based paint. The cellphone uses a light sensor to change the brightness of the display according to the surrounding environment, thereby saving power.

Sony Ericsson plans for these features to be implemented in their newer cellphones.

Samsung’s Blue Earth
Samsung is another company making a worldwide effort to contribute to a greener earth.  The Blue Earth cellphone is manufactured with no hazardous substances, comes in eco friendly packaging and features a solar panel which tops up the battery .

Nokia 3110 Evolve
Nokia is also making its contribution to the green revolution. The Nokia 3110 Evolve is the company’s new eco-friendly cellphone made from 50% renewable material. The cellphone boasts an energy-efficient charger, which turns off automatically once the cellphone is fully charged and comes in recycled packaging.

The company also has ambitions of developing a charger that consists of a solar-powered bracelet to power their future cellphones.

We may be heading for the day when we never need to plug in a cellphone and it will charge merely by walking around in the sun. Green cellphones will be more energy efficient and recyclable, making them a sensible choice for cellphone users.

• There is no guarantee that all of these cellphones will be available in South Africa, or available as these models.