Green Rental Cars

This Christmas I was thinking of driving down to Florida from DC to visit my family rather than flying. I have a dog that I don't want to leave behind in a kennel. Plus, there will be many friends and family members to visit, so having a car will be more convenient. 

Since I live in the city, I don't own a car. To make the trip down to Orlando, I'd have to rent something. This got me thinking about how I could reduce my carbon footprint, and my travel costs, significantly by renting a hybrid like the Toyota Prius. 

I did the carbon emissions math first to make sure driving was less impactful than flying. It turns out that flying both of us down to Orlando and back would release 1.212 tons of CO2 into the air. Driving a Prius round-trip would only release 0.374 tons of CO2. 

It isn't as easy as you might think to rent a hybrid. Even though the technology has been around for years and many vehicles now integrate it into their engines, very few rental companies make it as intuitive to rent a hybrid as it is to rent an SUV, convertible or economy car. 

Here is a quick breakdown of the best route to rent a hybrid:

• Although they only rent cars in a limited geographic area, Fox rental cars includes the option to select a hybrid vehicle from the list of available cars on their reservation page. Its the only rental car company I found that intuitively offers their hybrids alongside traditional cars on the website. Click HERE to find out if they rent in your area.
• From THIS site you can view the Hertz "Green Collection" and select a fuel efficient car to rent. Unfortunately, you will find that availability is limited and it take several steps on the site just to find out whether a hybrid is available at your nearest location on a specific day. 
• Orbitz has a reservation system specifically for booking hybrid vehicles in particular locations. You can find it HERE. I looked up a hybrid for my dates and locations but none were available so I'm not sure how well the system really works. 
• I never knew this, but Toyota offers rental car service at several of their dealerships. You can view the available locations and vehicles on the website by clicking HERE. Unfortunately, you must submit a rental request and wait to be notified about availability and prices. 
• Renting a hybrid from National, Budget and Enterprise is still an unnecessarily complicated process. The best thing to do is to call their sales lines and ask about the best location to rent one of their hybrids. For National (800-328-4567), Budget (800-527-0700) and Enterprise (800-261-7331).

There are regional rental car agencies that also have hybrids, but I'm not going to list them all here. After performing a quick Google search, I found that most of the regional hybrid rental companies are on the West coast.

Shyamalan's "The Happening" About the Environment

M. Night Shyamalan has made a great living creating films with creepy themes and twist endings. I've always felt that his work is more terrifying than most because he successfully integrates reality and fantasy. 

His newest film, "The Happening," is another example of this strategy. In the film, Shyamalan feeds into global fears about environmental catastrophe with a story about plants that release a toxic gas to defend themselves against human degradation of the planet. Apparently the gas released by these plants is a neurotoxin that forces people to commit violent suicides. 

The film follows an estranged couple (Mark Walberg and Zooey Deschanel) as they attempt to escape the effects of the gas. 

This isn't the only ecological disaster film slated for an upcoming release. The novel, The Swarm, has received the "green light" with its tale of an oceanic alien that wreaks havoc on humans in retaliation for our pollution. James Cameron is also currently working on an upcoming eco-film called "Avatar," which he describes as, "an old-fashioned jungle adventure with an environmental conscience."

Its hard to say what impact a large number of environmentally focused films might have on our culture. There could be a backlash where people get tired of being barraged by pro-environment messages. There could also be increased awareness of how closely tied humans are to their environment. Either way, be prepared for an onslaught of movies about the environment in coming months.

To hear an interview from NPR with Shyamalan about the environmental themes in "The Happening" click HERE.

Special Interests Block Warming Bill

We hear the presidential candidates complain often about the problems in Washington. Its almost a cliche that the special interests and corporate lobbyists have made real progress impossible in Congress. If this problem has seemed like an abstract concept to you, let me point out a concrete example that is happening right now in Washington.

This week, the Senate began debating a comprehensive global warming bill written by Independent Senator Joe Leiberman and Republican Senator John Warner. The legislation described a number of new, innovative mechanisms that would allow the government to regulate carbon emissions the same way they regulate water and air pollution. 

Immediately upon hearing that their industries would be affected by this new legislation, the oil, gas, coal and manufacturing corporations went into full fear mongering and influence peddling mode. Advertisements were run all over the internet, on television and in newspapers that attempted to tie fear over recent gas price increases to the passage of this bill. Politicians from states with large coal or oil industries were sent to the Senate floor to make outrageous claims about the implications of the bill. Senator Mitch McConnell from Kentucky claimed that the bill was, "The largest restructuring of the American economy since the New Deal."

All these inaccurate statements were being spread in spite of a report from the Bush Administration's own EPA which clearly explained that the impact of this legislation on the U.S. economy was so insignificant that the GDP's growth would be hampered by maybe 1%. You can read about that report HERE. 

But as has been the case over and over again in Washington, the industry tactics worked and the bill failed to come to a vote in the Senate after 60 votes couldn't be found to overcome a threat by Republicans to filibuster. 

This means a bipartisan plan that would have reduced carbon emissions by 71% by 2050 is now shoved in a drawer for another year. I don't want to be too partisan, but when I hear Republican voters complain about their party's terrible prospects in November, I can't help feeling like they have made their bed by obstructing progress and now they must sleep in it. 

Read an MSNBC article about the failure of the Climate Security Act HERE

A Must Read: Bureaucracy Hurting Whales

From CNN: "Collisions with ships are the number one cause of mortality, and entanglement in fishing gear is the number two cause," Lecky said.

Because this animal is an endangered marine mammal, NMFS, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is charged with designing a recovery plan for them.

More than four years of NOAA research showed that speed kills whales. Above a speed of about 10 knots, a right whale's encounter with a large ship would likely be fatal.

NOAA is in charge of the scientific aspects of these types of rules, the federal Office of Management and Budget must weigh in on their economic impact. The OMB was supposed to make a decision on the rule last year -- but there is still no indication when it might act on it.

Read the full story HERE

Playstation 3 is a Power Hog

An Australian consumer magazine called Choice has investigated the Playstation 3 (PS3) to find out just how much energy the popular game console burns through. The results of their investigation will definitely surprise you.

When your PS3 is on and you are playing a game, it is burning 5 times the amount of energy your refrigerator is using. If you like to leave your PS3 on all the time, it will cost you about $250/year in additional energy costs. 

When compared with other popular game consoles, the PS3 is the worst in terms of energy use when idling coming in at 31.74 kWh, while the XBox 360 gets 23.57 kWh and the Wii gets just  2.97kWh.

You can see all the consumption data from Choice HERE

If you use a lot of these different components and you are trying to cut back on your energy use, avoid letting them idle or stay in standby mode by plugging your whole entertainment set-up into a surge protector that has a shut off switch. When you aren't using your electronics, just switch off the power and you won't have to worry about "phantom energy" sucking up power unnecessarily. 

Green DC: Green Construction at the National Building Museum

The District recently passed building regulations that require new DC developments to meet strict environmental construction standards. 

The new National stadium was built to reflect these eco-friendly values, becoming the first stadium in the country that is certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. In addition to ongoing conservation programs, the stadium met strict environmental standards by recycling 5,500 tons of construction waste, installing a state-of-the-art water-filtration system and placing the stadium close to public transportation on what used to be the site of a contaminated brownfield.

If you are interested in learning more about green building standards and the new LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, the National Building Museum is hosting a forum next Thursday with experts in the field. The details are below.

In addition to this forum, watch for an exhibit coming to the Museum in October that will focus exclusively on green building.

LEED-ND and Other Certifications
June 12, 2008
6:30 - 8:00 pm

What makes a green neighborhood? What is the best way to encourage efficient use of energy, water, and other resources, and promote greener living for residents? A panel of developers from across the nation will discuss their projects, how they are striving for sustainable certification such as LEED-ND, and other lessons learned in the field.

Moderator:
Bert Gregory, CEO, Mithun; Seattle, WA

Panelists:
George Casey, vice president & general manager, DMB Associates, Inc.; Scottsdale, AZ
Todd Lieberman, development manager, CityInterests, LLC; Washington, DC
Jack Sylvan, director, Joint Development, Mayor's Office of Economic & Workforce Development ; San Francisco, CA

Continuing Education Credits: 1.5 LU/ 1.5 CPE/1.5 CM

Members: $12
Students: $12
Public: $20

Sea Lions vs. Salmon: Kill One to Save the Other?

Slate has a fascinating article today on the struggle to protect dwindling numbers of salmon in Oregon. 

For years, conservationists and fishermen have suspected that the sudden disappearance of large numbers of Chinook salmon was attributable to sea lions traveling up the Columbia River to find and eat the endangered species. At one point, it was suggested that the sea lions be killed or relocated to avoid further destruction of the Chinook population. This idea never took hold, but now it looks like some are taking matters into their own hands as several sea lions have turned up dead in recent months.

To read the full article, go HERE.

Climate Security Act Being Debated Today

This should be an interesting week for global warming legislation that has been bounced around the Congress since 2007. The Climate Security Act, written by Senators Joe Leiberman and John Warner, will be debated in the Senate starting today. 

The bill is very long, coming in at almost five hundred pages. It is the first piece of legislation introduced in the Congress that outlines a serious infrastructure for confronting global climate change in the United States. 

It does have serious enemies in both the left and right ends of the spectrum. Those enemies are fairly predictable. Businesses that make their money manufacturing products or energy are unhappy about new regulations that would limit their carbon emissions. Environmental organizations say that the legislation does not go far enough in setting tough standards and strictly enforcing those standards. 

The Climate Security Act boasts carbon dioxide emissions cuts of about 70% over the next four decades. The main thrust of the bill is a cap and trade emissions program that sets a specific emissions cap but allows regulated parties who exceed that limit to buy "pollution credits" from those who do not. Over time, the federal government lowers the limit more and more, hopefully encouraging innovative technology that are more efficient and less polluting. 

No one knows for sure the exact impact the bill might have on the economy. A report released by the EPA earlier this year shows the impact to be negligible, perhaps just a 1% difference in the overall growth of the economy (read more HERE). One source of revenue from the bill that should help pad any costs associated with its passage is the $6.7 trillion raised over the next four decades from the sale of those carbon emission credits. According to Senator Barbara Boxer, those funds will be used to help consumers deal with energy costs that might increase because of the new law.

The cost not taken into account by many conservative enemies of the bill is the cost of inaction. By doing nothing to lower our nation's carbon emissions, we face the real possibility of having to engineer systems to fight flooding, diseases, drought, etc. that will result from global climate change. Those systems will be very expensive.

The word in the Senate is that the bill will not pass, or will not pass by enough votes to override the inevitable Bush veto. Supporters of the bill are merely viewing this as a test run for the real attempt when a new President and Senate take over in 2009. 

To read more in the Washington Post, click HERE.

Best Buy Expanding E-Recycling Program

Usually you go to Best Buy to pick-up some new piece of electronic equipment to replace either an outdated piece or a broken one. Inevitably, this means something is going in the garbage. But it doesn't have to be this way.

Remember, electronics waste is just about the most toxic type of waste around. Embedded in those chips and bits are high quantities of dangerous metals and chemicals. Dumping televisions, computers, cell phones, batteries, etc. into the garbage results in drinking water pollution and the possible release of very dangerous compounds into the air. 

When its time to retire an old or broken piece of electronics equipment, make sure you are responsible. You can already recycle small items like cellphones, batteries, ink cartridges, etc. at Best Buy stores. Now, if you live near a Best Buy in Baltimore, San Francisco and several other cities (117 stores in all) you can also recycle large electronic equipment for free too.

The stores will accept 2 items per day, per household. They cannot take microwaves, air conditioners, or appliances. To recycle those items, contact your local garbage company. 

To get more information about the expanded Best Buy recycling program, click HERE.

A Must Read: Endangered Species as Political Pieces

From Newsweek's Project Green...

"Enlisting endangered species in the fight against global warming is either a brilliant tactical maneuver - or an arrogant abuse of law."

Read more HERE

Green McCain? Where Are the Votes?

Republican Presidential candidate John McCain has fought hard for many years to convince the media and voters that he is a "maverick." This is no easy task. Within the Republican party, nothing is more highly valued than cohesiveness and loyalty to GOP principles. If McCain wanted to continue receiving support from his party while appearing "independent" to the voters, he had to pull out a few tricks.

Apparently one of McCain's favorite tricks is simply failing to vote in Congress on issues he claims to support on the campaign trail. This allows him to talk from both sides of his mouth. He can tell voters he supports particular policies, while doing nothing in the Senate to help progress these policies. 

One policy area that suffers the most from McCain's maverick game is the environment. 

Earlier this year, the League of Conservation Voters released their annual scorecard of elected officials' records on environmental legislation. On the 2007 scorecard, the League graded McCain a 0%. The last year he scored in the single digits was in 1999-2000, the other time he ran for President. Why did the League give McCain such a dismally low score in 2007? Because he simply failed to vote, at all, on any of the 15 pieces of important legislation the League used to gauge environmental leadership. If you think the League's scoring was partisan, simply look to Republican Senator Susan Collins' 100% rating or Democratic Representative Dan Boren's 15% rating.

The League of Conservation Voters was not the only organization that noted McCain's failure to take a position in the Senate on environmental priorities.  Republicans for Environmental Protection noted that McCain missed all 14 of the votes on which they scored Senators for environmental leadership. They refused to give McCain a 0% for his performance, however, because they felt it was unfair to judge busy presidential candidates on the same scale as their Senate colleagues. Of course Hillary Clinton was able to attend many of these votes and received a 73% from the League of Conservation Voters, while Barack Obama received a 67%.

Lets drill down a little further to see more examples of McCain's lack of action in the Senate on environmental legislation. 

On February 6th, the Senate was preparing to vote on an expanded economic stimulus package that included tax credits for clean energy development. Hours before the vote, McCain landed at Dulles Airport in Washington, DC with plenty of time to participate in the vote. When asked whether he would get to the Senate and participate in the vote, he told reporters he didn't know if he could make it and that he had other meetings to attend. That stimulus package failed to meet the 60 votes necessary to pass cloture in the Senate...by one vote. The next day, a similar version of the economic stimulus package came to a vote in the Senate, without clean energy incentives. McCain voted for the revised package and it passed. 

To add insult to injury, the Sierra Club encouraged its members to contact McCain's office and complain about his failure to support clean energy incentives in the original economic stimulus package. His staff routinely lied about his vote and told callers that he has, in fact, supported the version of the package with clean energy incentives. When pressed by the Sierra Club and the media about their claims, McCain's staff simply said he would support clean energy incentives in the future. You can read the Sierra Club's claims HERE.

Another example of McCain's favorite campaign trick can be found in his flip-flop on the Climate Security Act, which is coming up for a vote in a few days. Back on May 9th, McCain was traveling around the country telling voters that he would be progressive on environmental issues, specifically global warming. With Joe Lieberman at his side, he promised he'd support the Lieberman-Warner global warming bill (the Climate Security Act) saying, "I hope it will pass and I hope the entire Congress will join in supporting it and the President of the United States would sign it." Yet, on May 28th he completely changed his tune and claimed that because the bill doesn't include enough funding for nuclear energy development, he would not come to the floor of the Senate and vote on it.

Now, I hope you are ready to dive into the minutiae a little further because McCain's complicated views on this Climate Security Act get even stranger with some additional research. On may 21st, a week before McCain said he wouldn't vote for the bill because of its lack of nuclear energy subsidies, Congress Daily reported that Lieberman and Warner were offering up an amendment to their bill that would greatly expand investment in nuclear energy development. The amendment will allow Senators to go on record supporting both nuclear subsidies and the Climate Security Act, a compromise one might think McCain could support, given his recent comments. However, he still will not participate in any of the votes relating to the Climate Security Act when the issue comes to the floor on June 2nd. 

With all the passion McCain displayed when making his public commitments to the environment on the campaign trail, you would think he could find time to vote on environmental legislation in the Senate. Apparently being a maverick is too burdensome to keep your promises. Or maybe McCain is being a little disingenuous with the voters.

Below are links to the sites where I obtained the information in this post...

• The League of Conservation Voters Scorecard
• The Republicans For Environmental Protection find McCain doesn't vote.
• McCain was in DC for the Economic Stimulus Package vote but failed to take a position, then lied about which position he did take.
• John McCain's vocal support on the campaign trail for the Climate Security Act, as written.
• McCain will miss the Climate Security Act vote.
• Even though a nuclear amendment will be available.

Former Chemical Weapons Test Site in DC

This afternoon, the Green Piece Blog attended a round table discussion hosted by Global Green USA and the DC Environmental Network. The topic of the discussion was a neighborhood in Washington, DC, called Spring Valley. 

The speakers at the discussion included officials from the Army Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency and the DC Department of the Environment. The story about Spring Valley they presented was fascinating.

Spring Valley was once home to a U.S. military chemical weapons testing site. During WWI, Germany successfully utilized chemical weapons to inflict great harm on their opposition. Around the time the U.S. entered the war, American University donated the land now known as Spring Valley to the military so they could create their own chemical weapons program in response to Germany's. 

The timeline for the development of the testing site begins with the year 1917 when the Bureau of Mines was assigned the task of developing chemical weapons similar to those used by the Germans. The Bureau of Mines had previously been developing gas masks that would protect soldiers from chemical exposure and the U.S. government felt they were best equipped to begin development of next generation chemical weapons. By 1918, a branch of the military was created specifically for chemical weapons development, called the Chemical Warfare Service. 

The Chemical Warfare Service used the Spring Valley site to test some of the world's most toxic chemicals as weapons. Two large, circular trenches were dug out to test mortars filled with chemical mixtures that were shot from cannons hundreds of feet away. Various species of animals and some humans were placed in or around these trenches and the impact of the chemical weapons were tested on them. Some of the military records indicate a wide range of effects from the weapons, including gaseous clouds that spread for great distances.

At some point in time, long after the conclusion of WWI, the U.S. Military began turning over their unused properties to agencies, state and local governments, and private businesses. These sites were called "Formerly Used Defense Sites" or FUDS. Spring Valley is one of these FUDS. Of the 9,000 FUDS turned over for civilian use, 2,500 contained possibly hazardous chemical waste. Specifically, 250 FUDS were once used for chemical weapons development, just like Spring Valley.

During the years after Spring Valley was turned over for civilian use, the area saw a great deal of development on the 660-acre site, including construction of 1600 residential and commercial properties, as well as the expansion of the American University campus. Throughout all of this development, nobody uncovered evidence of the chemical weapons testing until 1993 when a contractor working on a private residence dug up stacks of mortars (see picture above). 

The Army Corps of Engineers was assigned the task of investigating the chemical weapons site and clearing out any dangerous remnants of the military's tests. In 1995, the Corps felt they had completed the investigation and left, only to be contacted by the DC government with complaints about unfinished business. The Corps returned to Spring Valley in 1997 and have been working on the site ever since, with a planned completion of their work by 2011. 

According to the Corps, 96% of the properties in Spring Valley have been tested for unhealthy levels of various chemicals. Those tests have resulted in the remediation of 144 sites because of unacceptable levels of arsenic in the soil.

The Corps have used two important tools in seeking out possible exposure areas. First, they have used mapping technology to overlay maps from 1918 over maps from today to figure out what modern areas are former dump sites. Second, they have hired historians to uncover photographs and stories that might provide insight into how the military divided up Spring Valley for their experiments. 

One of the greatest discoveries by the historians is a photograph of deceased Sergeant Maurer who once worked on the Spring Valley site. In the photo, Sgt. Maurer is filling canisters with mustard gas and piling the canisters in a trench. On the back of the photo, Sgt. Maurer wrote the name of the site area, "Death Valley," and a description of what he was doing. Sgt. Maurer's grandson turned the photo over to the Corps after remembering stories his grandfather would tell when he drank about dumping mustard gas in holes by American University. The Corps used this photo, and others like it, to identify geographic landmarks which led them to the larger dump sites. 

Many of the exposed areas in Spring Valley are the yards of large, beautiful residential homes. On many of these properties, the Corps must rip up the grass and dredge  the soil to scrub and test it. In some cases, giant aluminum shelters are built to isolate the area and protect against the spread of toxic chemicals. Once the Corps is finished with its work, the homeowners receive a newly landscaped yard with freshly planted sod.

DC is home to a few toxic military properties. The Navy Yard area, for instance, is currently a "Superfund" site. Its safe to say that none of these other sites match the history and intrigue of Spring Valley.

If you'd like to read more about Spring Valley on the Army Corps of Engineers' website, click HERE

Idle or Restart the Car - Which Saves More Gas?

I don't own a car anymore, but there was a time when I would sit in the drive-thru at a fast food restaurant or wait in line at the toll booth and see fumes rising up from all the cars as they patiently idled. 

Watching all those wavy lines rise into the atmosphere, I wondered whether it was better to turn the car off or to let it run. I figured it is possible that restarting the car over and over would actually burn more fuel than just letting it idle for a minute while I waited. 

Today I found the answer to this puzzle on Slate.com's "Green Lantern" column. A reader wrote in, asking the Green Lantern to settle a marital dispute over the possible fuel savings of turning a car off rather than leaving it to idle. 

According to the Green Lantern, the idea that your car uses more fuel restarting than idling is outdated. A long time ago, cars used carburetors to flush fuel into the engine to start the car. However, all modern cars use electric fuel injectors which carefully measure the amount of fuel necessary to start the car. 

To prove the point, a study conducted by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in Florida showed that unless you are idling your car for six seconds or less, turning the engine off will use less fuel. This study used as its test subject a six-cylinder car with the air-conditioning on. 

Another idle myth that can be smashed is the idea that your car needs to "warm up" in cold weather when it is first turned on. This isn't the case. The best thing for your car is to begin driving immediately after the engine is turned on. The Ontario Department of Transportation performed an experiment where they found that a car driven for 12 minutes in 14 degree (fahrenheit) conditions will warm up to the same level as a car idling for 30 minutes.

The Green Lantern estimates that if all Americans turned their engines off, rather than idling, for 10 minutes per day, the combined savings in carbon dioxide emissions would be miniscule. However, if all cars were updated with the same technology the Toyota Prius currently includes, we could reduce national fuel consumption by 10%. The technology in the Prius turns the engine off instantly any time the car comes to a halt. Pushing the accelerator turns the engine back on. This means that in traffic, at traffic lights, at the toll booth, etc., your car would be conserving gasoline. 

To read the full Green Lantern explanation on Slate.com, go HERE. 

Green DC: Get Outside

This post is part of a weekly feature where we will focus on events and issues, related to the environment, happening in our own back yard of Washington, DC. Come back next Wednesday for another post.

This past weekend in DC was one for the record books. An extraordinarily beautiful weekend with perfect temperatures. A look at next weekend's weather shows we can expect more great days with highs in the low 80's and lots of sunshine.

Now is the time to get out and enjoy the many outdoor activities our area has to offer before the miserable summer heat sets in and you race from one air conditioned room to another. 

The website dc.about.com has done a thorough job of laying out all the different outdoor experiences available in our area. 

Among the hiking paths listed by the site are the Rock Creek Trail, Great Falls, Sugarloaf Mountain and Bull Run Regional Park. You can see all of their trail recommendations HERE.

The site also lists great bike trails like the Capital Crescent Trail and the Mt. Vernon Trail. I've ridden on both of these trails, as well as the Rock Creek Trail, and I highly recommend them. They are all very safe with lots of nature to admire while you ride. You can read more about them HERE.

This weekend I'd like to try kayaking somewhere in the area. I've seen the kayakers down in Georgetown by the Potomac and it looks very relaxing. There are apparently lots of choices for kayaking, you can see them all HERE. 

Whatever you do this weekend, make sure you take some time to get outside and enjoy the weather. Just make sure you don't leave a footprint by leaving garbage behind or harming the natural environment. 

New Solar Powered iPhone?

The iPhone is by far the most overhyped consumer product in a very long time. Its hard to believe it was just one year ago that Apple's CEO, Steve Jobs, went on stage and introduced the little miracle to the world. Remember the long lines of people sleeping outside to get their hands on a $400 cell phone? Well get ready because it looks like iPhone 2.0 is on the horizon.

Monday, June 9th at 10 AM (PST), Jobs will take the stage in San Francisco to address the loyal Apple developers and unveil the company's newest creations. Among the array of shiny gadgets expected to show up on the Moscone West stage in San Francisco is an updated iPhone with a faster internet connection, GPS, video conferencing and the ability to charge its own battery using solar power.

Rumors about the new iPhone's solar power capability started spreading when a patent application from Apple was uncovered that showed detailed drawings and descriptions of a mobile device with a layer of solar panels underlaid beneath an iPhone-like screen. You can view the patent HERE.

Apple would not be the first company to experiment with the idea of using solar panels to charge the batteries of gadgets. There are many consumer products that integrate this idea. There is the solar powered backpack that has solar panels on the back and power adapters inside so you can utilize the sun's rays to charge your gadgets while you're walking around outside. There is also the iSun, solar powered cell phone charger that connects to your cell phone and charges its battery using solar power. 

The problem with a lot of these solar powered chargers is that they are expensive and not very convenient to carry around. If Apple could effectively integrate the solar panels directly into the iPhone's screen, they could skip the middleman and allow users to charge their phones quickly by setting it on a window sill. 

Of course, solar powered phones will still have to rely on wall outlets for most of their battery charges. But if Apple combined its gifts in simplicity and design to create an iPhone that could partially rely on both solar and traditional electricity, it would be a promising sign of things to come.