Finally, a Personal Solar Charger for the Masses

Mobile devices have become a deeply embedded part of many of our lives, and along with it, there’s a cumulatively large amount of energy used to recharge the batteries. Personal scale solar chargers have been around for years, each making sunny promises of a more sustainable future. But there’s one thing: They all require that you and your device be out in the sun or near a sunny window to do it, which renders it useless if you happen to need to be inside and away from natural light.

Changers new setup has done something brilliant: decoupled obtaining the energy with charging the device, added a competitive aspect, plus tangible real world rewards for using the device.

In a nutshell, the awkwardly named but simple to use Maroshi solar module charges the Kalhuohfummi solar battery, which comes with a enough adapters to work with over 1000 devices, whenever it’s convenient. Thankfully, unlike another multi device charger I once got, this does include Apple, Kindle, and Android devices.

In an interesting move, the battery only functions when you register it online with Changers, thus becoming part of its community. What happens next is, well, powerful: your CO2 reduction is tracked, shareable via the usual social networks, and you have the opportunity to compete with others on anywhere from an individual to country level for the greatest reduction. Beyond that, your cumulative impact earns you points, redeemable at Changer partner stores. This alone could prove a significant incentive to the otherwise uncommitted.

When you make the changing of behavior easy, rewarding and fun, it accelerates the rate at which a meaningful amount of shift is made.

With the world becoming increasingly mobile, devices like this aren’t just a novelty for the technology inclined, they become a tool to both make a personal impact and meet your needs conveniently.

Readers: Would you use such a device? Why or why not? What other ways are companies making more sustainable behavior easy and rewarding? RecycleBank is one example.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lgrG8nGAEIM

(Video of how Changers charger kit works)

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Paul Smith is a sustainable business innovator, global trend tracker, the founder of GreenSmith Consulting, and has an MBA in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School in San Francisco. He creates interest in, conversations about, and business for green (and greening) companies, via social media marketing.