If ever there was a trend we welcomed with open arms, it’s eco-friendliness and boy, is it taking the world and companies by storm.

And not even 3M is left out in the cold with the announcement of a new product, Scotch Magic Eco-Friendly Tape.  Made from more than 75% renewable or recycled materials, this new tape is just what you’ve been wanting to switch to.

The boxed refill roll, including packaging, is made from more than 65 percent renewable or recycled materials. Because of its great adhesive strength, photo-safe formulation and performance, Scotch Magic Tape has been a fixture in homes, schools and offices for 50 years. Scotch Magic Eco-Friendly Tape offers these same great properties, now in an even more environmentally-friendly version.

Sprint has just unveiled their newest Android handset and this one is a real keeper!

Say hello to your new BFF, the eco-friendly Samsung Replenish.  Powered by none other than Android 2.2, this eco-friendly handset features a portrait-QWERTY design with 2.8-inch touch screen, 2-megapixel camera, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and support for microSD cards.

The Replenish is the fourth Sprint handset to bear the eco-friendly title. Other details that make this one environmentally sound: it uses fewer sensitive materials, it has an energy-efficient charger, and its packaging is fully recyclable. What’s more, for $29 you can attach a unique back cover with solar panels that will charge the battery.

Sprint is not only going green with this handset, but the company is saving its customers a little green in the process. The carrier is lowering the monthly data plan by $10, meaning it should pay for itself after only five months. The Replenish goes on sale May 8 in Onyx Black and Arctic Blue options and will carry a very attractive price tag of $49.99. A third color, Raspberry Pink, will be available in June.

Here’s the good news, American apparel company Ralph Lauren is going green with solar paneled backpacks.  The bad news?  They’re $800, but if you can afford them, they’re a great buy.

Made in Italy, of course, and using water-resistant materials, these Ralph Lauren Solar Panel RLX Backpacks are perfect for gadget charging on the go.

The Solar Panel RLX Backpack features a built-in solar panel sturdily attached to the back of the pack and capable of producing a 3.45 watt current, enough power to charge your cell phone or iPod in two to three hours tops.

Other features of this $800 backpack include adjustable shoulder straps, top flap with adjustable buckle closure, zip pockets and o course the RLX Ralph Lauren name.  Talk about showing off your luxury feathers.

There’s a new way to keep you and the planet in harmony with an eco-friendly watch from Sprout.

The Women’s Sprout ST5008MPWT Eco-Friendly Diamond Dial White Corn Resin Bracelet Watch (whew!) has been crafted with white corn resin and mineral crystal for the lens.

Genuine mother-of-pearl dial features silvertone numerals at twelve, three, six and nine o’clock, eight diamond accent markers, printed minute track, silvertone hour and minute hands, sweeping second hand and logo. Quartz movement.

Now you and the planet can keep up the time, and for a mere $50.

Yes, you read that rather wordy title post correctly, you are looking at the future, a USB Drive Rechargeable AA Battery designed by Wonchul Hwang.

This Rechargeable AA Battery features a micro memory drive that can plug right up to your PC via USB.  And when the battery runs out of juice, all you have to do it plug it back into your trusty computer.  What could be easier?!

Hwang’s design is still a concept, but we’re excited to see what new roads this green gadget may pave for the future.

Don’t throw that old Sprint handset in the trash!  That’s one big no-no!

Throwing your cell phone and old electronics in the trash will only lead to further contamination of the land.  Instead, research the best places to toss your old iPhone, you’ll be surprised just how convenient it is!

Everyone from the emissions testing facility to your local recycling depository will have a bin for your old digits.  Keep it real and keep it green!

All we can say is that we LOVE it!  Check out these awesome Bus Roots green buses designed by eco-friendly artist Marco Castro Cosio.

Designed as a green roof for a bus, this sustainable design earned the second runner-up in the DesignWala Grand Idea Competition.  Created as his thesis project at NYU, Bus Roots is a wonderful way of adding green to urban sprawl and using available space on top of that!

The BioBus sports the current prototype on its roof, touring it around to festivals and fairs. It’s a traveling habitat, a way to reduce the urban heat island effect, and another excuse to grow succulents. Pretty. We like.

It’s time to upgrade your yoga mat to an even better eco-friendly version that just happens to be on sale at the moment.

Designed specifically for Pilates, this new eco-friendly yoga mat is the perfect solution for matwork excercises.  Made from TPE (Thermal Plastic Elastomer) foam, the Stott Pliates Mat is 100% recyclable and biodegradable and provides superior traction for those sometimes difficult balancing acts.

On sale at Amazon for $45.79.

As far as your game of golf, we know you’re keeping it green by walking the course with your eco-friendly golf bags, but what about what’s inside the bag?  How green are your golf balls?

Well, the Tempe company Dixon Earth wants to help you go even greener with a new eco-friendly golf ball that’s sure to turn heads.

As the game goes, a golf ball is usually lost before it wears out. Golf balls are traditionally made with metals like zinc, cobalt, plastic, lead and tungsten to add weight, and the ones that are lost or discarded continue to leak these metals into the environment wherever they lie. According to reports, when Scotland’s Loch Ness was dredged, almost 250,000 golf balls were found leaking heavy metals into the water, and getting into the water table over time.

Players, who don’t make a habit of losing the ball, are usually able to use a ball only for a few rounds, by which time it wears out. A worn out golf ball is only good for the trash, and takes a long time to break down in a dump. The new Dixon ball will hold good for four or five rounds depending on the player’s stroke and the course, say sources and what’s more, it can be recycled into other materials for further use.

Golf courses like the Ahwatukee Country Club, the Lake at Ahwatukee, Club West and The Dukes at Rancho El Dorado in Maricopa started to carry the Dixon Earth golf ball about a month ago.

Dixon is the first company to offer environmentally friendly golf balls, and also have golf bags made from recycled water bottles. The company’s commitment to saving the environment extends further – their packaging is made from recycled materials and the building Dixon uses is an environmentally friendly structure.

Feast your eyes on the Sony Ericsson latest mobile handset from the GreenHeart series, the Cedar.  Pretty snazzy, right?  Made from recycled plastic, this cell phone features a special low-power consumption charger, e-manual versus a printed instruction book, waterborne paint and compact packaging.

Specs are listed in detail below:

* 2.2-inch display
* Netfront 3.5 browser
* Exchange ActiveSync
* FM radio
* 3.5mm audio jack
* USB mass storage mode
* Bluetooth
* HSDPA