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- Shalom Harlow
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New York Daily News: Joy of green giving: High-tech, environmentally friendly gifts - December 14, 2009 More of those dreams about a white Christmas will likely include the color green this year. Sierra Club: Gifts That Keep Giving - November/December 2009 Voltaic solar backpacks and messenger bags, made mostly of recycled plastic bottles, can convert a day's worth of sunlight into a full charge for a laptop, cell phone, or MP3 player. Spiegel Online: Solar-Sexyness gegen Akku-Angst - December 1st, 2009 Der Akku ist eine Erfindung, die uns das Leben erleichtert und uns zugleich stresst. United States Army: AKO 'Go Mobile' to give users virtual desktop in backpack - October 13th, 2009 By January, Soldiers on the go will be able to do just about anything they do now on their desktop computer if they're issued portable equipment attached to a cell phone. Gwyneth Paltrow's GOOP Newsletter : Get- July 2, 2009 This nerd-chic backpack is something my friend swears by. It has solar panels on it and will charge all of your electronics while you’re on the go. New York Magazine: Lighten that Heavy Load - May 31, 2009 A local tech expert helps a constantly touring musician streamline his gadgets. US News & World Report: 5 Ways to Recharge Gadgets Without Plugging In - February 5, 2009 New systems promise to free us from having to find the nearest outlet. CNet: Product Review - November 21, 2008 The Voltaic Backpack's thoughtful design and solar-charging features shine. LA Times: Holiday Gifts for Green Travelers - November, 2008 These bags are futuristic in design and function. Popular Mechanics: Top 10 Green Products - August 13, 2008 While solar-powered bags have been around for years, this is the first to generate enough power to charge a laptop (up to 17 watts), using only a day's worth of sunlight. Delta-Sky Magazine: Mode : Road - May, 2008 In today's business world, it pays for professionals to be "ubiquitous"-to be everywhere at once. So if you're doing business in Jakarta one day and Jacksonville the next, you'll be prepared when you've packed these items. smartplanet: Voltaic Converter Review - March 6, 2008 We like solar bags, and this is one of the cream of the crop. It's relatively cheap as far as solar backpacks go, and Voltaic's experience -- it started making them in 2004 -- shows in the small details. Los Angeles Times: Shrink Your Energy Footprint - February 24, 2008 For those on the move, there's a solar backpack from Voltaic Systems Inc. Microsoft Channel 10: Video Interview with Shayne McQuade at CES - January 22, 2008 Laura Foy chats with Voltaic CEO Shayne about the laptop charging Generator, solar panels and the history of Voltaic. Lime.com Daily Video July 2007 Get a charge out of these stylish backpacks that double as an energy source. John Q. Daily Shot June 2007 If carrying around some solar panels wasn't enough to make those Greenpeace gals quiver in their Birkenstocks whenever you walk by, you can also tell them that the bags are made with recycled PET, a heavy duty fabric made from post-consumer plastic products. Treehugger Picks: Clothing That Takes Action January 2007 Here are some picks for clothing and accessories that do more than just hang off your shoulders. Add a solar-powered accessory with Voltaic's backpack or their newer bags Inc, Magazine: Leading By Example - All The Way To China - October 2006 Shayne McQuade's company, Voltaic Systems, makes backpacks and messenger bags faced with solar panels that can charge things such as cell phones and PDAs. They're made in China. McQuade would like to explain why that is an environmentally progressive approach. It's precisely because so many things are made in China. By sourcing his bags there, McQuade accrued a little influence. He told his manufacturer that he wanted the bags to be made from recycled PET plastic--soda bottles, essentially. The manufacturer couldn't find a supplier. So McQuade went to Taiwan and found the supplier himself. And here's the thing: Now his manufacturer makes products of recycled PET for lots of clients. Big clients... "By working with these factories, we have a hope of changing the manufacturing systems and making those materials and that fabric available through mainstream channels," says McQuade. "And that's where you change the world. If I'm doing some artisanal project in the U.S., it's not the same."
McQuade dreamed up Voltaic, which is based in New York City, while
bumming around Spain. He was looking for a change after a stint as a consultant at McKinsey and later as an
entrepreneur during the dot-com boom, and he needed a way to recharge his cell phone. He ultimately devised a bag
designed around lightweight, durable solar panels and a small rechargeable battery Next up: bags with enough light-
harvesting technology to charge a laptop.
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