CREDO Mobile and the Solio Solar Charger; A Review

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t at least a smidge excited when, a few weeks ago, Tim from CREDO Mobile contacted me about featuring their company on 5 Minutes for Going Green. You see, while I’m currently contractually obligated to one of the major U.S. cellular companies — and truth be told, even though CREDO offers a contract buy out option, I’m not entirely prepared to switch since my current company is one of only two carriers that offer my beloved Palm Pixi — CREDO doesn’t offer just phones. They also carry the Solio Solar Charger. A smart little device that I have been eying for quite sometime.

If working with Tim was any indication of the customer service CREDO Mobile offers their clients, dissatisfaction is not something members of the CREDO network are familiar with. Within a couple days my UPS man was out front tossing my dogs biscuits on his way to the door to drop off the Solio Mono (in Red — my favorite color, no less). In fact, it arrived a day earlier than even Tim expected; a very nice surprise indeed. And as much as I would love to carry on all day about the Solio — telling you how it will hold a charge for up to a year, making it a great tool for an emergency preparedness kit; or how it comes with just about every adapter known to man, making it about as universal as any charger can be; or how even in a cold, dreary, overcast Michigan winter it managed to gain a charge sitting on my kitchen windowsill, a far cry from direct sunlight; or how you can even charge it from a wall socket or your USB in a pinch and take that charge with you — the thing is, CREDO the company is just as cool.

According to their Real Green Mission:

Our commitment to a better world is not about symbolism. Since 1985 we’ve donated over $65 million to progressive groups like Doctors Without Borders and Planned Parenthood — $10 million alone to environmental groups like Sierra Club and Greenpeace. And we’ve backed up our donations with real activism. The one million activists of our citizens lobby are leading the way on important environmental causes…

That $65 million didn’t come from client donations or fundraising drives, either. CREDO automatically donates a portion of each member’s bill to get things done; things like pushing congress to pass stricter fuel efficiency standards and championing stricter catch limits in oceans. And not just that, they’re also operating eco-friendly on a daily basis themselves; printing their bills on 100% post-consumer recycled paper and with soy-based inks, off setting their carbon emissions and planting trees to replace the paper they use.

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Diana Prichard is the Managing Editor of 5 Minutes for Going Green, a freelance writer and editor and green junkie living in Michigan with her husband, two daughters and a menagerie of animals large and small. More of her life and work can be found at her personal blog, DianaPrichard.com.