CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION: I can't remember another Earth Day when so many electronics product makers, retailers, government agencies and other watchdog groups were out beating the drum as loudly for eco-consciousness as they have this week.

GREEN POWER: CREDO Mobile, a phone service reseller that bills itself as "the greenest mobile company in the U.S.," has just introduced three cool, eco-friendly accessories timed to Earth Day.

Most intriguing is the world's first Bluetooth headset powered by a built-in solar cell. While the panel is tiny and discretely positioned, the CREDO Iqua Solar is sensitive enough to be charged up in any available light and sells for a reasonable $99.99.

Also new to the brand is the CREDO Tread handset case ($24.95), made from recycled tires that otherwise would be burned or added to landfills, and the CREDO Solio Charger ($99.95), a solar-powered charger that revs up cell phones, iPods, digital cameras and other devices.

FYI, CREDO is part of the Working Assets group, better known for its credit-card and long-distance-service companies. It donates 1 percent of all customer fees to nonprofit organizations building "a more just, humane and environmentally sustainable world."

For more information, visit www.credomobile.com.

HOLLYWOOD GOES GREEN: About a pound of carbon dioxide is foisted on the world from the manufacturing, packaging and distribution of a single DVD.

But at the recent Green Media Conference, executives of Hollywood studios like Walt Disney, Fox and Warner Home Video vowed to reduce that carbon footprint by 25 percent through more eco-friendly packaging and shipping techniques.

A perfect example of this is Warner's new DVD release "The 11th Hour," which comes in a cardboard package made of 100 percent certified renewable resources. Not coincidentally, this well-reviewed documentary, produced and narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, explores the perilous state of our planet and points the way toward improving the environment.

Warner is taking a financial bath but hopes to make a big point here. The alternative packaging is more labor intensive to create than a conventional, plastic-cased DVD, but it's being sold for a bargain $4.99.

The studio will repeat the noble mission with its May 27 release "Darfur Now," another message movie that needs to be seen and heard.

FAILING THE TEST: Even after you hit the "off" button, a powered product still sucks up energy. That's because it's in standby mode, with enough power feeding the circuitry so it can react instantly to a remote-control power-up command.

Energy-starved California has led the country in recognizing this juice-burning issue and the growing stress that all electronics put on the grid. (Houses used to have just a few power grabbers; now there are dozens.)

California is the only state in the nation that puts a limit on standby energy in televisions sold there - 3 watts maximum - and on other products, too. Recently, the state lobbied hard for those new digital TV converter boxes to stand by with just 1 watt of power. Consumers in all 50 states are benefiting from that conservation campaign.

Now the state's dominant power supplier, Pacific Gas and Electric, is pushing the Legislature to limit the active (operating) mode for large-screen televisions whose power consumption is often as high as 200 to 250 watts.

PG&E wants all sets sold in the state to equal the Energy Star rating now awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency to the most efficient televisions.

Some product makers are none too pleased with this vision. It takes extra engineering effort and money to make a set more energy efficient. "About 75 percent of the TVs that are currently marketed in the U.S. would not be able to be sold in California," suggested Bill Belt, senior director of technology and standards for the Consumer Electronics Association.

He also warned that forcing a higher standard would "threaten and undermine" the voluntary nature of the Energy Star program.

But wouldn't that be worth it?

CONSCIOUSNESS-RAISING: Samsung and Toshiba score highest in Greenpeace's latest Guide to Greener Electronics. At the bottom of the heap, surprisingly, is family-friendly game-console maker Nintendo, which has been unwilling to share any information about its eco-practices with the environmental group.

The enviro-group's rating of manufacturers is weighted most strongly by the presence (or absence) of toxic chemicals in their products, such as noxious brominated flame retardants, lead, beryllium and PVC (polyvinyl chloride) plastics, which threaten the environment when a product ends its useful life and cannot safely be recycled.

"We are building an Eiffel Tower of waste every 70 hours," declared Greenpeace spokesperson Zeina Al-Hajj.

To a lesser degree, Greenpeace also rates product-makers on their recycling efforts. Trailing the leaders by a few points was Sony - the only company that will have a TV recycling facility in all 50 states this year - along with mobile phone giant Nokia and computer makers Lenovo and Dell.

RETAIL CONSCIOUSNESS: Staples sure wants to be your home office product recycling center.

Through May, the company is running a printer recycling campaign with HP, taking back any printer in return for $50 off a new, energy-efficient HP printer that sells for more than $159.

Also, any computer and other office equipment (purchased there or not) can be unloaded at Staples for a recycling fee of $10 per item.

Newer items that still have some value - laptops, desktops, digital cameras and LCD monitors - can be recycled in exchange for a Staples coupon. Go to www.staples.com/greensight to calculate the trade-in value and print out a UPS label for free shipping to Staples.

The company also offers a $3 credit for used ink and toner cartridges. And it touts itself as the online destination for eco-friendly office products such as Forest Stewardship Certified paper, recycled file folders and biodegradable packing peanuts.

Yummy. *

E-mail Jonathan Takiff at takiffj@phillynews.com.