It's Bob Marley's 67th birthday next Tuesday [Monday — excuse our typo], and we're celebrating the life of the late and legendary reggae pioneer and social crusader by giving away a pair of headphones by the company (run by Marley's son Rohan) that's carrying on his legacy with a line of environmentally friendly listening products that we first looked at during our celebrity headphone shootout. We were excited about the sound of the Exodus then, and more recently the top-of-the-line TTR has impressed our reviewers.
Courtesy of the House of Marley, we're giving away a pair of Positive Vibration headphones (we'll be reviewing them soon, by the way, so look out for more). The nice folks at HoM will also be throwing in a T-Shirt and some other goodies for our lucky winner.
To qualify to win, as in our previous contests, all you need to do is leave us a comment below. The question you'll need to address: big consumer electronics firms have come under fire lately for alleged ethical and environmental lapses in bringing us the gadgets and gear we love. House of Marley has expressed a commitment to use recycled products in its supply chain, and to make it's own products sustainable, renewable, and recyclable; it also donates a percentage of its earnings to charity. Is it important to you that the firms that make your gadgets make those gadgets green or in an ethically responsible fashion? Or should they just focus on bringing us the biggest bang for the buck? Or maybe — depending on your economic beliefs — you feel that regardless of a few glitches along the way, in the long run they are doing the right thing by bringing us the best bang for the buck? Share your thoughts, and qualify to win.
We're not grading you on your political or moral position here — the winner will be chosen randomly from among those who leave on-topic comments below, so don't be afraid to speak your mind. You will have to register, however — no anonymous commenters, we need a valid e-mail contact address to inform you of your win. We'll take entries until midnight (Eastern Time), on [the day after] Bob's birthday (that's next Tuesday, February 7), and notify the winner via e-mail on Wednesday, February 7th. We'll then get in touch with the winner to get important details (like name, address, and T-Shirt size); HoM will then ship the headphones and prize package directly to the winner.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: We made a typographic error when we put this up, so we'll stick to the initial time period and end the contest on midnight the day AFTER Bob's birthday (His birthday is MONDAY the 6th — but we'll accept entries through midnight on Tuesday the 7th as originally stated.
People buy on price, for equivalent products. Being green only works if all the competition has to be green also.
I definitely prefer environmentally responsible companies, but their product has to perform at a high level too.
These sound like good headphones Ecologically and sonicly
Wow that is beautiful.
Thanks for sponsoring this contest. I do support companies that focus on environmentally sound business practices. I think, however that more research needs to take place to provide quality products. Nothing electronic I purchase seems to last long anymore.
Yes, CE firms should be held accountable. But not everyone will agree and that's Ok. I think if more people knew some additional background on what they were buying, then they would be willing to pay a bit more. But that's just me, of course.
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I think it is good to reuse or renew material for a new product as long as it doesn't affect the quality of the new unit.
By making a high quality unit to begin with there is no need to make it recyclable.
Most things we throw away is because they are cheaply made to begin with and don't last or satisfy.
I am glad to see they donate a percentage of their earnings to charity, other companies should too if they can. I will take a listen to them next time I see a pair, of course winning one would make it easier.
I hate buying things made in places far away with cheap and frequently mistreated labor. That being said, so many products are made no where else (or if they are, they are almost impossible to find.) When a caring and ethical company comes along with a product I want, and I can afford it, I am more than happy to pay a little extra. More often than not, of late, I find myself just doing without.
Well for me it is really important that the gadgets I use are green because I am aware of the situation we have with our planet and it's good that The House of Marley care about the environment, and they still care making their products look nice. The House of Marley not just care for the environment, but their products support their charitable organization 1Love and I think this is remarkable because what Bob Marley wanted was to make human beings to love others and this is awesome.
In my opinion it does not depend on economic beliefs, it depends on the good feelings you have towards humanity.
I recycle EVERYTHING! 30+ YEARS NOW! I applaud anything environmentally friendly and I would love to give these phones a test drive!
Buying local and buying green are very important to me. I like the look of these headphones - it's nice to see a celeb branded product that is actually decent sounding!
Thoughtful green business practice is certainly something that all companies, especially those who manufacture goods, should consider.
The more companies practicing efficient and effective green polices means that the cost of goods from these companies will eventually come down. Consumers will then not have to pay a 'green' tax for purposefully manufactured products.
And, I would very much like to win the headphones.
I think "going green" is a misnomer. "Going green" for merely the sake of keeping up with a trend usually means whatever the product is, it is usually going to be priced at a premium. If no one can afford the "green" products, what's the point? In addition, just because a company has gone green won't account or make up for ethical lapses regarding manufacturing, labor issues, etc. However, if a company is ethical in its "green" operations, then it will have much more of an impact for the better. For this reason, House of Marley is to be commended for not only being environmentally responsible, but also for doing it with a conscious.
Haven't regularly used headphones in years and would love to get back with a good pair. And it is a natural development for the industry to start thinking about this.
Would love to get back to headphone-listening after years. And yes, it's good to see the industry start thinking about this. AND YOUR CAPTCHA IMAGES ARE TERRIBLE!
It's great to hear that some companies are starting to care about who or what they damage in the pursuit of profit. Apple and other tech manufacturers really ought to clean up their act in China.
Looking forward to checking these headphones out!
Support ethical and sustainable business practices. Boycott earth scorching companies!! Consume less!!!
what we need to remember is that we're talking about businesses here ;]
Apple has big PR problems w/ the protests in their Chinese production facilities taking place this time -I mean people commit suicide because of the conditions there- and Microsoft had the same issues in the last years. Titles like this ' mass suicide protest at foxconn' come as a cold shower in a cold morning. My point being, is there any 'big' company out there that does not 'abuse' its position? Is there any 'multinational' organization out there that does not exploit some of the members? Shell and Chevron have 'green adds' on TV, i mean COME ON!!
I'd go w/ a green product any day as long as the quality is not compromised, but more than the green aspect i am concerned w/ the history and the working conditions in that company if we are to talk about stuff ;];]. just because some use green tech or materials does not mean they have a positive impact... my 2 cents are in.
these headphones look great; i wouldn't mind trying them, not a bit. ;]
Marley was great, and "his" company is keeping his legacy going by going green... Rasta forever!
Thanks for the chance! New to this great site. Soul Shakedown.
I'm more concerned with the ethical issues than with 'green' issues.
I really like the idea of an environmentally sensitive gadget, as well as a company willing to donate some of its profits to charity. It would, however, be nice to know which charities benefit from their generosity.
Being Eco friendly is cool as long as product quality doesn't suffer.
I think responsible, sustainable, and "green" business practices are admirable, but it's also important to realize that it's ultimately the responsibility of consumers to promote these practices by buying ethically manufactured products over the alternatives. We can really only blame ourselves if sustainability doesn't catch on.
I say best bang for your buck and as green as can be.
Rastaman vibrations!!!!! Happy birthday Bob. Words can't describe how much I miss him and his music. Jah lives!
great to see Marley's name carrying on...
Green is great. Used with a tight ship. UPS comes to mind.
Yes, praise the Almighty and his natural creation. I am part of the green movement, sustainable Caskets. I used to think we should have nothing on the Earth we would not want in a baby's mouth. I've eased up a bit. I'm psyched that Marley's family are promoting positive alternatives, no surprise here. peace
There are too many celebrity endorsed headphones on the market these days.
There are too many celebrity endorsed headphones on the market these days.
Outstanding Idea! Great looking product.
It is VERY important to 'make gadgets green or in an ethically responsible fashion', more now than ever before. There are way too many of us on this little planet not be responsible as buyers as well. My pet peeves are horrendously wasteful packaging on top of ‘throw-away’ non repairable or recyclable product.
It is VERY important to 'make gadgets green or in an ethically responsible fashion', more now than ever before. There are way too many of us on this little planet not be responsible as buyers as well. My pet peeves are horrendously wasteful packaging on top of ‘throw-away’ non repairable or recyclable product.