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While various electronics devices may be very popular Christmas gifts, they aren't exactly known for being green or eco-friendly.  The consumption of electricity in homes has climbed as more and more of these devices occupy our lives. Of course the fact that some, such as televisions, have gotten increasingly larger hasn't helped the situation .

For those who are hoping to reign in energy consumption a bit, there are a few choices you can make while shopping that will help.  Finding an energy efficient TV can take a couple of forms. One choice obviously, is to choose a smaller set. Clearly, allowing a 32" set to run for an hour or two per day will consume less energy than a allowing a 52" set to do the same.  However, another option is to select a technology that will consume less power.  For instance, an LCD television typically consumes significantly less power than a plasma set of the same size. However, Panasonic's NeoPDP plasma sets use newer technology and they are said to use 50% less energy than previous plasma displays.  This puts them in a position to compete very well with LCDs in terms of power usage.

However, if an LCD TV is your choice, then one that uses an LED backlight such as Phillips "eco TV" can reduce power consumption via dimming of the backlight.  Rear projection TVs that use lasers are now a preferred technology as well.  Mitsubishi has a laser TV on the market. Their LaserVue sets are said to use 1/3 the electricity consumed by a similarily sized LCD set.

One of the newest offerings is from Sony however. Their KDL VE5 series supposedly cuts power consumption to 65% less than that required by Energy Star 3.0 standards.  In addition, these sets have a VE5 switch which senses a viewers presence. When stepping away, the set will shut off the picture automatically, and if you don't return within 30 minutes, it will shut the TV off completely.

For those shopping for a new cell phone for a holiday gift, there are some alternatives that are reputed to be a more environmentally friendly choice as well. Because of the short lifespan most cell phones and their batteries experience with users, waste is the primary concern with these devices. Much of the push with these cell phones is to go toward biodegradable materials, reduced packaging, elimination of hazardous chemicals, and so forth although alternative power sources are also being used.  For now, some of the more popular green cell phones in the US include: The Motorola Renew which is made entirely of recyclable materials and is designated as carbon free, the Samsung E200 which has a housing made from plant based plastics, and the Reclaim, another Samsung model, which is constructed of 80% recyclable material and has an optional solar charger as well.