Green products are on the rise, but what does that necessarily look like? This quick video from Scientific American offers a brief glimpse at some of the electronics products that were on display at the recent Greener Gadgets Conference 2010.

One of the largest issues with electronics appliances has to do with the waste they generate. While energy use is certainly a concern as well, as is packaging waste, waste from electronic appliances has risen dramatically in recent years due in part to our increasing use of computers, cell phones, and other personal devices. The life-cycle of these products, cell phones and computers in particular, is often only a few years at best, and they have been accumulating in warehouses and junkyards everywhere. More often than not, electronics are made with materials that contain heavy metals which can be toxic if exposed to the elements.

The exportation of waste overseas to countries in Africa and Asia (see video below), where they are stripped and scrapped for their metals, has arisen as an enormous environmental justice issue as the disposal of parts once the valuable components are retrieved is hazardous to workers and exposes people highly toxic contaminants. A number of organizations have sprung up in recent years to more closely regulate this hazardous trade.

You can ensure that you are not contributing to the growing stockpiles of e-waste by recycling your electronics responsibly after their useful life, and purchasing products with more environmentally sound components.

The Greener Gadgets Guide provides a Greener Electronics Guide that you can browse to find resources that will help you make smarter consumer decisions around the electronic products you use, and dispose of.

To learn more about E-Waste, watch the video from the Asia Society below.