Greenbox Charging Station

Here's a great DIY to make your own power saving charging dock.  As most of you now know, when you plug your cell phone, or mp3 player (most things that have an AC adapter box built into the charger), that charger continues to draw electricity even when your device isn't attached or charging.  This wastes energy and your money.  The solution to this is buying a device like the Belkin Conserve that has a remote switch that lets you cut power to the plug, or unplugging your charger.  The latter is pretty easy except when the plug is in a awkward place like behind a bureau.

This charging station devised by Antonio Ricci Bitti has a built in switch to make it easy for you to cut the juice when you are done charging.  When the box is open, it's charging time.  When you close the lid, it hits the kills switch and turns off the power.  The best thing about taking this route is this can be customized to match your style and can be made from mostly reused and reclaimed materials!

To get started all you'll need are these materials and tools...

Tools & Materials

Head over to Alberto's site for the full tutorial and get to work!