Earth Day (April 22) is a strange holiday. Like Valentines, it preaches something we should be doing all year long. Most of us already know to recycle paper and plastics but what about items like your old computers, VCRs, batteries and TVs? Fortunately for us, Earth Day has become a holiday of awareness and that’s why Earth 911 is showing people how they can recycle all their old electronic goodies. Waste not want not right?

Earth 911 is a web portal that helps you find the nearest e-waste (electronic waste) recycling center. You may not know what to do with your old printers, fax machines, radios, ovens, stereos, camcorders, cameras, hair dryers, typewriters and game consoles but Earth 911 does. All you have to do is call 1-800-CLEANUP and enter your zip code. In most major cities, you can even arrange for free pick-up.

So do right by our planet and celebrate Earth Day by disposing your electronic junk the green way. Hit the jump for some important facts bout recyclable electronic items.

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For 100 million years Leatherback Turtles have been swimming to Costa Rica to lay their eggs. Exhausted and starved, they then make their way to the Galapagos Islands to feed but their longevity is in danger. Our impact on the environment has significantly reduced their numbers. To bring international focus on their plight, a number of organizations are sponsoring The Great Turtle Race.

11 Leatherbacks have been outfitted with satellite tags, each with their own name and swimming stats! In 7 days they’ll take to the oceans and race for 14 days. Will your turtle win? Donate to their cause and cheer your turtle on!

[Via Notcot]

Scientists have discovered a way to use simple table sugar as a main ingredient in a brand-new super battery. Besides the fact that the battery mainly uses sugar to create an electrical power source, it should also last up to four times longer than current lithium-ion batteries used in cell-phones, laptops, and MP3 players. While this is good news for anyone who uses these devices, snooty technomaniacs will also be able claim that they are helping the environment, since these batteries will be biodegradable.

A St. Louis University researcher named Shelley Minteer and her colleagues have adapted the concepts of a fuel cell with enzymes from nature that take the charges from sugar and turn them into electricity. Since all of the materials used in this sugar fuel-cell are natural (which includes a membrane of chitosan, a commercial compound from crustaceans) the advantages reach far beyond the longer charge-life and competitively cheap production cost.

There are already talks about using this technology in weapons and defense, as well as extreme temperature environments. Likewise, due to the long battery life, there are certainly good applications for this product to be used in cases where replacing a battery is much more difficult or tedious, as well as within computer products ranging from portable entertainment devices to health-related electronics.

As far as the sugar source goes:

So far the researchers have run the batteries on sap from trees and cacti, flat soda and sweetened drink mixes. They also tested fizzy sodas, but Minteer noted the carbonation appears to weaken the fuel cell. So far the best fuel source is simply ordinary table sugar dissolved in water.

This means that this novel idea could even become part of a survival handbook or children’s science experiment, since the main ingredient can be found in the kitchen cabinet (sure does beat a potato and a lightbulb). Minteer and her group stated that the sugar batteries should be on the market within the next three to five years, depending on the funding and production opportunities. Even with such a long wait, most people will probably leave with a sweet taste in their mouth.

[Via livescience]

One of the biggest and most sociable things to do here in the UK every summer is to go to a music festival. There are hundreds of music festivals that take place every year ranging from massive world renowned festivals such as Glastonbury to smaller ones such as ‘Paignton Bike Festival‘ which is, apparently, a festival featuring bikes. And stunts using said bikes.

When going to a festival in the UK what is generally accepted as the norm is to pitch your tent in a field near the arena, build a campfire, partake in the drinking of some ale and go to watch some bands in a three-day booze-induced blur. The problem that has occurred in the past, however, is that people just can’t be bothered packing up their wet, muddy tents on a Monday morning when leaving the campsites. 10,000 alone were abandoned at Glastonbury last year.

This has lead James Dunlop, a student at the University of the West of England, to develop a tent that is 100% recyclable and, as is essential in the United Kingdom of Great Britain, totally waterproof. The system will have a sturdy plastic frame that can be re-used after the inhabitants have left the site and the canvas replacement is a cardboard-like substance. He calls the tents ”MyHabs”.

Mr Dunlop plans on them showing up at different festivals around the British Isles by 2008 and expects them to retail at about £60 to £100 per weekend festival. That’s quite a lot, but you do get a solar-powered light and a lockable compartment to keep your valuables safe.

[Via The Independent]