My editor asked me to post a few more ideas on what an Ecopreneurist or any business interested in giving green gifts this year might give customers for the holidays. I wanted to approach the idea from two points.
First, I am in the promotional items business. For our industry the main purpose of gift giving is to say thank you to the clients you have done business with in the past year, and to keep your name in front of those clients so that they do business with you next year.
Second, as an Econpreneurist gift giving gives my business a chance to show off our green credentials but also – maybe – influence our clients, not all of whom are green, about becoming more green in their own businesses.
I noticed a post on Wind-up iPhone chargers from our sister site cleantechnica.com, thought it an interesting idea and I did a little checking around to notice that portable power is something that many promotional item vendors are offering this holiday season. I think this is a great idea as it meets our criteria of being green (hand-cranked or solar power) and being useful (so client will keep and use).
Here are three items I located from our promotional items database.
The Eco-Smart Dynamo Cell Phone Charger from Leed’s. With a self-charging hand crank to ensure you will have power whenever you need it the charge is designed for a client on the go, but also for folks that need access to their mobile devices in areas where wall plugs are scarce. One minute of cranking allows a 10- to 30-minute charge and powers both DC and USB devices.
The Eco-Smart Dynamo Cell Phone Charger comes with a small cable and 5 mobile phone plugs: Nokia 8210, Motorola V3, Samsung, A288, Siemens C25, and Sony Ericsson T28. Clips to belts, purses, and bags. Leed’s does not mention if the unit works with apple products. EQP pricing on these item is $11.50 including a one color placement of your logo.
If a hand crank is too much effort, let the sun do the work for you with the OptiSol Solar Mobil Charger also from Leed’s. The photovoltaic 5.5v solar panels of this charger are designed for use with mobile electronics (PDAs, digital cameras, smart phones) and after 3-4 hours of direct sunlight the charger will provide power for approximately 10-12 hours of use. Includes USB cable, 4 connectors, and rechargeable battery. EQP on the Leed’s OptiSol Solar Mobil Charger is $43.17 branded with your logo.
All-in-One promotions sells their Green Line Mobile Charger for EQP $29.99 branded with logo. We have not tested either item, however I believe that price difference is due to the longer life provided by the OptiSol Solar Mobil Charger. For any solar Ecopreneurist out there I think either item would make a nice client thank you gift this holiday season.
Now for the ultimate in portable power we turn to Voltaic Systems and their promotional items line of portable power backpacks and totes. At the top of the line is the Voltaic Messenger, a reinforced and padded briefcase tote designed to carry and protect a laptop. It has large zipped pockets for documents, and multiple small pockets for electronic devices. Ideal for use in town or as a travel bag.
The Voltaic Messenger (click image for full picture) provides 4 watts of solar power for fast charging and includes a battery pack which stores power until you need it. The unit comes with 11 adapters for easy connection to many hand held electronics, adjustable padded laptop sleeve, for laptops with up to a 15″ screen (14″ x 10″ x 2″ or 35cm x 25cm x 5cm) and is designed with wire channels throughout the bag for headphones, power, etc. On top of it all the bag’s shell uses 600D fabric made from recycled PET (soda bottles), which is tough, water resistant and light weight.
This is not a gift a client will ever forget or discard. As both eco and techie, this is about as neat as it gets. Price on the Voltaic Messenger is about $500 however Voltaic does make other, less expense – but equally cool – bags.
Please visit these companies’ websites to learn more about these chargers or drop us a line at info@proformagreen.com.
Adventures in Green Marketing 
I think that you should add a couple items to the list.
1. rentatoy.com
2. freshmanfund.com
both are great services that let you give a gift that prevents mindless consumption instead of creating it.
As far as green creds. go, these options far outweigh anything already on the this list!