‘Going green’ has become an incredible marketing ploy for electronics makers. Yet this has frequently consisted of simply slapping a solar panel onto anything that uses electricity. Although solar power is considered one of the reusable energy sources we should be focusing on, many electronics companies have been heading a different way. And what better way to start pushing consumers toward energy efficiency than by starting with electronics?

4. Motion-powered TV Remote: This little baby will go along perfectly with the brand spanking new 42-inch 1080p Philips Eco-TV (mentioned below) you have standing proudly on your mantle. Working off the same concept as the old-school shake-powered flashlight, the motion-powered remote works without batteries. On top of that, it uses motion control like a Wii for simple controls like turning the volume up or flipping through channels. Just don’t forget to strap it to your wrist. We don’t want any flying remote controls now, do we?

3. Philips 42-inch TV: Philips released its 42-inch 1080p Eco-TV at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show. This beautiful HD LCD TV totes a special sensor that will dim the television to conserve electricity based on things such as ambient light in your room or what’s being displayed on the screen. The TV itself is made from lead-free components and the packaging and manuals included with the TV are made from recycled materials. Despite all the eco-friendly effort that went into this high-definition beauty, it will still run you about the same price as your average environmentally unfriendly 42inch 1080p TV. Costs the same, but saves you money in the long run. I’ll take two.

2. Macbook Pro: The new 17-inch Macbook Pro from the ever-so-sleek Macworld has a variety of features that make it appealing not just to the eye, but to your wallet and environment as well. Taking advantage of Apple’s new manufacturing process for its laptops, these beauties are made from a solid hunk of aluminum to reduce the number of parts used to hold them together. Even the shavings from the carving process are reused to make more bricks which are later turned into more Macbooks. Apple has also improved its new batteries to give you eight hours on one charge. One thousand full charge cycles per battery and a recycling plan straight from the company means fewer batteries in landfills, to parrot the recent Apple campaign. Too bad they still cost over 2,000 dollars.

1. Tesla Roadster: Although technically this is a tad too big to be a gadget, the Tesla Roadster is truly an eco-friendly gadget at heart. It’s the electronic toy of this year (and next) that truly shows what our technology is focused on. With an EPA equivalent of 135 mpg and an average of about 250 miles per charge, this battery powered Roadster does not fall behind the gas-guzzling sports cars people love. It accelerates from zero to 60 miles per hour in merely 3.9 seconds – almost a full second faster than the Porsche 911 Targa 4S – and for the exact same price of, ahem, only $101,000. Start saving those pennies now, maybe when we figure out hydrogen power we can all show off our Tesla Roadsters.

Matthew Bellezza is a senior information studies major and the tech columnist. His columns appear every other Tuesday. He can be reached at mlbellez@syr.edu.