Greener Gadgets is back for its second year. The full-day conference will explore the issue of sustainability in the consumer electronics industry. Last year’s conference looked at issues of emerging technology, recycling, efficiency, and business via examples that ranged from electronic geese to wind-powered cell phones. The upcoming event promises to push the conversation even further.

The conference takes place in New York City on Friday, February 27th, but now is your chance to get involved sooner. The semifinalists for the Core77-hosted Greener Gadgets Design Competition are online , and you have a say in what green project gets the gold. You have until February 20th which, by the way, is also the last day to register for the event.

There are 50 great projects to choose from. Here are a few that caught my eye:

Cardboardcase

Maybe it was recently seeing the guts of my friend’s hand-built computer exposed and vulnerable on his desk while making sure he could make it work before pilfering his old case that makes this appeal to me; or maybe it’s just that I’m drawn to the versatility of cardboard-from Gehry chairs to Park(ing) Day habitats.  And just think, if you need to move, your computer would be already packed. Here’s another entry in the realm of cardboard computing.

Lightimus

An hourglass-shaped lamp outfitted with a solar panel. There’s no switch and to make this innovative light work you need to consider the time of day in which you use it and which end goes up.

Social-environmental Station

This traffic light-like contraption measures environmental data and presents it visually. Knowledge is key to making good environmental decisions and making information publicly accessible is commendable. This one reminds me a little of the egoLOGICAL City from our 2004 Next Generation competition.