Still in the planning stage but just awaiting some conceptual breakthroughs, Environment Secretary David Milliband proposes our credit cards show us just how much carbon emission each purchase costs - right on the card itself. The Emissary Credit Card Concept has a paper-thin screen embedded in the card surface that would show an easy-to-understand graph of what your carbon consumption is (and presumably give you equally on-the-fly opportunities to offset it). Current technology won't quite cut it, but a refinement in flexible screens is all we need to make this a reality. (Interestingly, flexible tech is mostly based on OLEDs - that's organic LEDs, using technology based on butterfly wings and jellyfish glow - so nature may be the one to provide the answer here.) [GT]
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From: BEST OF 2008: Eco-friendy and sustainable shoes