CLDFX has a good look at an interesting phone concept by product designer Fernando A. Robert, entered into the Core 77 Greener Gadgets Competition. The basic idea is about stripping a phone down to its minimum and critical functionality. Without all the additional stuff, there is way less waste produced. The end of life cycle is really fascinating too– when the consumer is finished with the phone, the internal circuit board can be sent back to the manufacturer and reused in future phones. Smart thinking. Check out more info and pictures here.  Conceptual, but inspiring nonetheless.

As we reported to you in December, the Greener Gadgets 2009 Conference is a must for anyone interested in ecologically-friendly design. If the only green you’re lacking is in your wallet, Inhabitat is footing the bill for one lucky winner to get into the event taking place this February 27th in New York City. Head on over to their site, sign up for newsletter, and comment on your favorite of their greener gadgets for a chance to win.

Via Inhabitat

It’s that time of year again — and we don’t mean time for ol’ fatty to come sliding down your chimney. This is a time for a fresh dose of innovative, eco-friendly ideas; time for Core77’s annual Greener Gadgets Design Contest. The competition asks everyone from design students to established firms to create products that speak to pressing environmental issues by working to decrease our carbon footprint, use energy more efficiently, or improve upon social or educational development. If you think you’ve got a concept that you’re confident will impress, just read the How To Enter details and get it in before January 15, 2009. All of the best entries will be posted online for public voting and the finalists will be judged live at this years Greener Gadgets Conference on February 27th in New York. The first place winner takes home a $3000 prize and the two runners up take home a nice $1000 bounty. Last year’s winner was EnerJar, a DIY device that “measures the power draw of electrical appliances.” So that’s taken.

It was a little over a month ago when we told you about Core 77's Greener Gadgets competition…so if you had a design for a Green Gadget and you snoozed until now, well, you inevitably “losed.” The design competition submission deadline was January 27th and the results on the greenest gadgets of them all are in. The winner of the $2,500 grand prize went to Matt Meshulam and Zach Dwiel for their EnerJar, a DIY device that “measures the power draw of electrical appliances” and can be easily assembled by mostly anyone…even a monkey! Actually we're not sure about the monkey thing but we do know that the EnerJar can go a long way towards teaching people just how much electricity their appliances use, encouraging them to reduce their usage of the valuable resource. The EnerJar wasn't the only winner on display, but we don't have the space to talk about them all so we recommend checking out the winners at the Core 77 site, as there were many worthwhile projects in the running.

Many designers talk the talk when it comes to being environmentally conscious; the question remains, can they walk the walk? The folks at Core 77 are asking design firms, emerging designers, and design students to prove their dedication to the earth with their Greener Gadgets Design Competition. The contest, which will coincide with upcoming Greener Gadgets Conference in New York City on February 1st. challenges contestants to come up with new and innovative solutions to address the issues of energy, carbon footprint, health and toxicity, new materials, product lifecycle, and social development. Submissions will be judged on innovation, clarity of design, originality, form and presentation.

If you think you've got a winning idea, then you best be getting to work, because the submission deadline is January 27th. Check out the competition website for more details on how to get your entry in. Who knows by February 1st, you could be reaping the $2,500 first prize award. See, caring about the environment does pay.