At 2008 Consumer Electronics Show, Green Is Buzzword

The Consumer Electronics Show, the largest tech trade show in the country, gets underway this week in Las Vegas, and as the San Francisco Chronicle put it, "the buzzword at this CES is 'green'."

From efficient batteries to e-waste recycling and sustainable plastics, the newest and most promising technologies will be on display in a new "sustainability technology zone."

The rise in consumer electricity demand has been fueled, in roughly the past decade, by two things: bigger houses and the explosive growth in personal electronics. Whereas families used to get by with one television and a microwave, now it's common for each bedroom to have its own computer, its own television (not to mention that most flat-screen models use a whole lot more energy than their traditional counterparts) and a variety of cell phones, video games, Blackberries and other personal products charging in every available outlet.

In other words, manufacturers of these products can make a difference in the nation's electricity usage if they improve the performance of their electronics.

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