Awesome Green Gadgets

Starting this week, I will be searching for the best Eco-friendly gadgets and post about a couple of them per week. I will also be searching for more news articles about green living and new products/services that can minimize the strain on the environment. So lets start with this weeks green gadgets.


Image courtesy of USBcell

First off this looks like an amazing product and I'm surprised that it wasn't invented earlier. There are many things that can be powered by the usb port from your computer, but these are the first batteries that I know of that can be charged by your laptop. They cost about $20 for a two pack, but they are rechargeable. At the moment it looks like they only have AA batteries at the moment, but are working on AAA, C, D, 9 volt, and even cell phones and just about any other portable device. Go here to buy them. They even give you a ton of uses for your usbcell batteries. I'm sure other companies will try and make some of these soon, so be on the look out as this company seems to be based of Great Britain.


Image courtesy of Brunton

Solar powered anything is generally a good thing. Sun is pretty much everywhere and is renewable so why not have lots of things solar powered? Well, the technology is still expensive and it is generally inconceivable for the average American to have a large solar panel on their roof. But, smaller gadgets have been receiving the solar technology and here is one of them. It's called SolarRolls. They are waterproof and flexible. It rolls up to store in a storage tube. Depending on the size of the roll you get, it can weigh up to 17 oz. They are a little expensive but can power just about anything and are great for camping.

Graph Of Energy Consumption And Tips To Reduce It

Image courtesy of Kids Energy Page @ DOE.gov

This graph shows how the average American uses energy in their homes. Heating our houses is almost half of all energy consumed in American households. Here are some tips to reduce your heating costs.

• Buy a programmable thermostat to make sure your heat is only one when you want it to be. Here is a guide from the governments energy star website about programmable thermostats. You also might want to check out this consumer guide from the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy division of the Department of Energy.
  


• Use other ways of keeping yourself warm like blankets, socks, slippers, long johns, pants, sweatshirts, hats, gloves, and even a pet. All of these most people already have and can wear multiples of.
  


• Fire places and wood stoves can be a great source of heat, but very expensive to install. If you have one already, chords of wood are not very expensive and can usually last all winter. Or if you have a friend with land, ask to chop down some trees and cut them up during the summer to let them dry out for the winter. If you don't have either, maybe invest in a wood stove. The ones I've seen online are close to $2000, so check around your local stores to see if there is anything cheaper.
  

Get Rid Of Junk Mail And Be Green

I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one that hates getting "preapproved" credit card offers and inserts in your mail? They usually get thrown away, shredded, or recycled. Well if you want to stop this excess mail, go to these two sites, here and here, and follow the steps.

Another thing to reduce your mail intake is to pay your bills online. Most banks, cable, satellite, and phone companies will allow you to pay all your bills online. Some banks will even auto pay your bills for you. Just make sure that you have e-mail notifications sent to you so that you don't forget to pay.

Green Fuel More Powerful Than Petro?

I recently found an article on a new green fuel. You can read it here.

Solar Powered Lanterns

Today I have a home improvement tip to help add a little pizazz to your walkway. A company called Solar Illuminations makes many different solar powered lights for use outside. They have a huge catalog with many different sizes and types of fixtures to choose from. A small pagoda like light that comes with a spike to stick in the ground would be a great addition to any walkway leading up to the front door, or even as a lighted path to a garden or pool in the backyard.

These lights will charge in the daytime and light the way at night with no extra electricity usage. It's a great idea for a house trying to go green.

Six Free Things You Can Do To Make Your Appliances More Effecient And Save You Money

There are some things that you just have to use. Generally they are large appliances and there is just no way around it. So here are six free things you can do to make your appliances more efficient which saves you money.

• Fill your dishwasher completely. As long as the dishes were somewhat clean, your dishwasher should take care of the rest.


• Make sure you clean out your dryers lint trap every time you use it. Another thing to do every week is check the dryer pipe that heads outside of your house. Make sure there isn't a bunch of lunch in there as this doesn't allow the dryer to clean your clothes all the way and can cause a fire.


• When you go to make a sandwich or cook dinner, take everything you need out of the fridge or freezer at once instead of opening and closing the door multiple times.


• Keep an inventory of your fridge and freezer. This will allow you to open the door, grab exactly what you want, and close it.


• Wash your clothes in cold water. It works just the same.


• Reuse your lunch bags from day to day. If you have a nylon insulated lunch bag, use that.

Day 1 Of The Garbage Reduction Challenge

Today is the first day of the challenge to myself to reduce my garbage output. The main way I'm going to do this is start a compost bin. I've talked about compost a few times in the last week and I think it's one of the best ways average Americans can reduce their waste and overall costs.

Instead of just making a pile in my backyard I will be going to the hardware store today to buy a cheap rubber garbage can. The one we bought for garbage was only $15. I would just use that one but we are still going to have some garbage including bags of cat waste and meat and dairy products that are not good for a compost pile.

After the purchase of this I will be throwing just about all organic materials into it and basically letting it sit in the garage. Although the decomposition will happen with out any interaction at all it's best to keep the compost insulated.

The other reason I'm going to be using a garbage can is that I do not mow our lawn and therefore do not have a lot of grass clippings. Our rental house basically sits on a park with four other houses. This park is a couple acres and is mowed by somebody just about every week. If I leave my gate open she mows it for us. The ride on mower does leave some grass clippings and I will scoop them up as they decompose well in a compost pile.

Since compost piles can become great fertilizer without any intervention, the end result is based on the products that are dumped in.

So here is a list of things you should add to your compost...

• Animal manure


• Cardboard - Small amounts cut up into small pieces (add toilet and paper towel rolls)


• Newspaper


• Coffee grounds and filters


• Dryer and vacuum cleaner lint


• Egg shells (the shells only as the yolks lure vermin and flies)


• Fire place ashes (as long as it's just fire wood)


• Fruits and vegetables


• Hair and fur (make sure to layer these thinly and cover with other material)


• Grass clippings


• Hay and straw


• Houseplants (make sure they are not diseased or insect-ridden)


• Leaves


• Shells from nuts


• Sawdust


• Tea bags


• Wood chips


• Yard trimmings


• Natural charcoal ash (Greenlink Charcoal uses all natural plant charcoal and a natural vegetable binder that will work in compost)

The list is long yes, but there are also things you should avoid depositing in your compost...

• Coal or unnatural charcoal ash (these could contain substances that might be harmful to plants)


• Pet waste (dog and cat waste may contain parasites, pathogens, and other things that can be harmful to humans)


• Disease or insect ridden plants (diseases or insects may survive and harm other plants)


• Dairy products including milk, yogurt, cheese, egg yolks, etc. (cause odor problems and attract vermin and flies)


• Meat or fish bones and scraps (cause odor problems and attract vermin and flies)


• Fats, grease, lards, and oils (cause odor problems and attract vermin and flies)


• Yard trimmings treated with pesticides (these pesticides could kill the bacteria needed for composting)