eco-friendly Archives | Cool Mom Tech

Web Coolness: a Nintendo-themed game room, LED eyelashes, how to make your own smart speaker, and more

Here are some of our favorite tech links from around the web. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did. Hands up: how many of you wish you had this Nintendo-themed game room in your home? This manufacturer will only sell electric cars starting in 2019. Here’s...

Tado offers smart climate control, now for homes without central heat or air

by Kate Etue | Smart Appliances

We do our best to save energy at home, but it is easier said than done with three kids who like to leave lights on all day long. (Even in the closets. Just, why?) That said, smart thermostats have been making it easier for so many families to conserve on heat and air...

An eco-friendly printer with ink cartridges that don’t need changing every minute? Whoa.

by Jeana | Home Office

There’s a pop-up on my computer that alerts me when the ink on my home printer is running low. And every time the little window appears, I think, wait, didn’t I just put new cartridges in the printer? It’s definitely an annoyance and a huge expense....

4 Eco-friendly headphones we love. Now you can save the planet while you listen.

by Kate Etue | Audio

When I think about high-tech headphones, I don’t usually associate them with natural materials like wood. But some big brands are now making eco-friendly headphones that sound amazing with beautiful, earthy textures instead of the glitzy metals and plastics...

Avakai dolls: beautiful handmade wooden toys with a magical tech twist

by Kate Etue | Tech Toys and Random Fun

At first glance, the gorgeous handmade Avakai dolls look like heirloom dolls my kids would love to play with all on their own But hidden inside these matryoshka-inspired Waldorf dolls is some very cool tech that will spark creative play without attracting your kids to...

5 smart ways to live greener without making major changes to your life. (As in, no turning your bathtub into a hydroponic garden.)

by Cool Mom Staff | Tips and Tricks

We are always looking for ways that we can live a greener lifestyle with our families, but trust us, we know how overwhelming it can be. As we’ve discovered over the years, it’s the small things that can really add up — in effort and attention...

Earth Day 2015 picks: 5 cool tech gadgets to get you excited about solar power

by Cool Mom Staff | Green Tech

It’s Earth Day 2015, and this is always the time we stop and think of ways that we can save energy — and money — in our everyday lives. One of the trends we’re really starting to see blow up, at last, is the use of solar power. There are so...

Solpro takes solar chargers to a whole new level. And speed.

by Kristen Chase | Green Tech

I’ve seen no shortage of solar chargers, many of which we’ve featured here on Cool Mom Tech. But the new Helios solar charger from Solpro that we discovered at CES 2015 lets you charge smarter and waaaay faster. Yep, the new Helios only needs 90 minutes in...

TZOA: A wearable to measure air quality and help you breathe easier

by Jeana | Green Tech

Don’t laugh, but I rely on frequent deep breaths to get me through the day, especially when my kids are being especially ornery. And thanks to a really cool gadget to measure air quality called TZOA, I can see if those calming breaths I’m taking are full...

Juse: The solar powered mobile phone charging case we’ve all been waiting for.

by Jeana | Green Tech

We have covered hundreds, if not millions (Okay, probably not millions) of mobile phone cases over the years, and loads of mobile phone chargers too. But this super cool Indiegogo project I just learned about named Juse is the first solar-powered mobile phone charging...

NEW: The podcast that helps you be a savvier digital parent in under 15 minutes a week

Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz

Kristen Chase + Liz Gumbinner of Cool Mom Picks

We started Cool Mom Tech in 2010 to help make our increasingly digital lives easier, more organized, more meaningful, and more fun, however old your kids may be.

We love that it's grown to become the go-to source for millions of parents who want commonsense info about tech delivered with a smile.

We even have the privilege of sharing our tips + tricks with The TODAY Show, CNN, HLN, GMA, Nightline, newspapers and magazines around the country, and our favorite -- regular parents who stop us at PTA meetings and ask us how old kids need to be to get a smartphone, and whether they really need to panic about Snapchat.

(Answer: It's complicated.)

We're so glad you're here! And we hope we can help you too.