Looking for a more eco-friendly cell phone? Samsung will release its Blue Earth solar-powered cell phone made from recycled plastic water bottles later this year. This is just one of the trend-setting and interesting products showcased on Time’s 100 Top Green Design list. Need some furniture for your apartment? Ikea says it uses wood from responsibly managed forests in its products. Considering a new home? Students of The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture have designed Mod.Fab, an “eco-conscious prototype…created by students [that] has the potential to be replicated commercially. With cantilever planes and covered outdoor spaces, the compact home exhibits many typical Frank Lloyd Wright forms and, thanks to environmental-control systems like rainwater harvesting and photovoltaics, it can be run on or off the grid.”

The list covers a wide range of products and is broken down into sections such as Companies, Architecture, Eco-Cities, Garden, Hotels, Technology, Transportation, and Fashion among others. The current wave of innovation and interest in green technologies, low-energy products, and sustainability is unleashing creativity and competitiveness. This is leading to a beneficial race to design the kinds of attractive, quality products with a sustainable component that consumers are increasingly demanding. As Time puts it:

Call it responsibility or accountability. Or simple popular demand. The rarefied world of design is embracing the environment as never before. Top architects are implementing revolutionary methods. Fashion and furniture mainstays are manufacturing products using sustainable materials. And luxury empires are establishing credos on issues their customers are still waking up to. Behind the scenes, trailblazing executives are taking big risks to make it all happen — beautifully.

The Top 100 also contains a list of websites and blogs like Inhabitat that chronicle developments in green design. Take a look at the compete list to find out who else is making a difference with products and services that have conscience as well as cache.

- Justin Manger (Thanks to Brooke for the tip.)