Gert-Jan van Breugel of the Netherlands was worried about the ever-increasing number of mobile phones being thrown away when he dreamed up his Core77 contest concept for the Bamboo, a biodegradable cell phone. The case would be composed of -- guess what -- bamboo, impregnated with bamboo seeds. When users tired of this concept phone, they could remove the battery, the antenna and the board with the numerics on it; and toss the case into a hospitable environment. A 2G stand of bamboo would then grow, feeding in the first instance on nutrients contained in the case. The phone would come with a crank, too, so users could grind out more minutes using people power -- if the device actually existed.

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