Here are some eco friendly gadgets that recently caught my eye:

I liked this solar power flashlight cum radio that has a list price of $40 but is down to $22 99 after a 43% discount. A flash light is always a useful thing to have around. If you charge the device using solar light for about 3 hours, you get about 3 hours of light from the LED light bulbs or about 2 hours of radio play, if you want to use both at once, you can use it for about an hour. And just in case there’s no sun, you can still recharge it from a wall outlet.

The Bedol Water Power Clock is, as the name suggests, actually powered by water! Sounds rather unbelievable, but this amazing little gadget claims to use no batteries or electricity. You simply open the cap, fill in water and you’re ready to go! The water ions are converted into clean energy for powering the clock. No wires needed and it’s recyclable as well!

The premium solar charger is a device that all gadget geeks should have: a solar powered backup battery and charger for cell phones, iPhones, iPods, and most USB powered devices which includes built-in led reading light and window / windshield suction cups so that you never have to run out of juice again, even when you’re on the move. The sale price is $27.99 down from 60 dollars, netting you a discount of over 50%.

The Robomower is an electric cordless, automatic lawnmower that does its job without you in attendance. It uses no gas or oil and so there are no fumes, emissions or smell, making this a great non-polluting gadget. Now this item is not cheap at over 1600 dollars but this is down from the list price of 2000 at a 19% discount and does save you a lot of time, effort and since the cuttings are evenly distributed onto the land, it is that much more environment friendly.

Shop Local – This is a good idea for several reasons: it gives a boost to the local economy and helps and encourages local craftsmen. Secondly, if you purchase stuff that is grown or made locally there is less resource expenditure on transportation, preservation, packaging and so on. And local handicrafts and artifacts may be greatly appreciated by the receiver as well.

Shop Seasonal – If its flowers or fruit that you want to gift, pick seasonal produce rather than exotic stuff that is either flown in from distant locales or is artificially grown and artificially ripened.

Buy Organic – Look for genuinely organic stuff that is grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, toxic pesticides, herbicides and similar poisons. This not only prevents the earth from being further polluted, it also prevents toxins and possible carcinogens from entering our own systems. So whether it is edible produce or clothing that you’re thinking of buying, even soaps, shampoos and other items of personal hygiene; organic is the way to go!

Minimize packaging – Packaging may be colorful and attractive and may add substance to a gift, but think about the fact that all packaging is a waste. The more layers of packaging there are, the more items are added to the land fill. So pick items that have fewer layers of packaging and look for the type of packaging that can actually be recycled. For gift wrapping don’t use those decorative plastic sheets, even though they are resistant to splitting and tearing.

Pick sustainable products and manufacturers – Consider gifts such as potted plants. Consider gifting your services or your time – for instance some babysitting for a harried new mom may be highly appreciated.

Also reward manufacturers and businesses who have sound and sustainable business practices and are known to be ethical, by buying their products. Picking their products over competitors is a simple way of rewarding and encouraging such manufacturers.

When you shop sustainable, you not only do something that is good for the environment, you also have the satisfaction of knowing that you’ve done your bit. And who knows – it may lessen some of the guilt that splurging often brings with it!

Here are some green décor ideas for your dining space-

• Opt for a dining room table as well as dining room chairs that is made from sustainable raw materials that are responsibly grown and sourced leaving as little a negative environmental impact as possible.
• Make sure there is plenty of natural light in the room. This is not just so that the room looks airy, light and attractive, it is also an energy saving device. Having natural light in the room means that you don’t need to switch on the lights during the day. So try and have plenty of glass pane windows, if possible install a sky light and make sure that your dining area has plenty of natural light. This will mean plenty of savings in terms of energy used and a smaller carbon footprint for you and you needs.
• Also rather than using elaborate overhead lighting, opt for several focus lamps or other smaller lighting options can be used in accordance with your requirement rather than expending a lot of energy all at the same time.
• Go minimalist with your dining room furniture. Use spare designs that use less amount of wood, opt for a glass topped table that uses little, if any, wood. Also consider if you really need a hutch, a corner cabinet as well as server or sideboard. It could be that you need just one or other of these items of dining furniture and not all. Also having all of these items in a small dining area could make it appear crowded and even obstruct natural light.
• Use eco friendly materials on the walls. Rather than wall paper opt for paint and pick paint that is made in a responsible and eco friendly manner using non toxic raw materials. Paint can be cheaper than wall paper and you can also use it to great effect – lighter colors give the illusion of space and increase the amount of natural light reflected by the room.
• Include a mirror of a large size in your dining space if possible. Not only does this give the illusion of a bigger space, it also reflects light better.
• The colors that you look at while you eat can also determine how well you eat and digest your food. So try and use a little color therapy – yellow can make you feel cheerful and make for a convivial dining experience, for instance.
• Insulate well. Proper insulation is important not just for the dining area but for the entire house so that you make significant savings in terms of energy expended on heating and cooling.

As the evidence of the way in which humans are exploiting the planted become more and more evident, concerned and responsible citizens have to try and make that little effort to go green – to make sustainable choices when shopping and making the effort to consume in a manner that minimally impacts the Earth.

The EPA website offers these general guidelines for conserving resources, saving energy and preventing waste by choosing the following products when you go shopping –

• Energy efficient products so it consumes fewer resources to use or run
• Used or reusable items so that you are maximizing the use of an item before you consign it to the rubbish heap
• Products made with recycled materials or at least products that are possible to recycle.
• Products that use little of no packaging. As soon as you remove the packaging of a product you create waste, because it is that part of the product that is consigned immediately to the garbage bin.

So consider how these principles can be put into practice which will also help a person economize and perhaps create greater savings –

• If you plan to buy a car, don’t go in for the gas guzzling SUV even though it may be a gratifying purchase. Consider if you are able to make do with a smaller, more economical vehicle that gives better fuel efficiency and is both cheaper to run and consumes fewer resources. Also consider getting a diesel or even an electric vehicle rather than one that runs of petrol, for greater fuel efficiency.
• Use CFLs rather than conventional electric bulbs
• Reuse items as far as possible – rather than get lots of new clothes for a baby which the baby will rapidly outgrow anyway, consider using hand me downs from friends and family. It is far cheaper to do this as well
• Recycling is worth making the effort for. It can minimize your carbon footprint and quite simply it is the responsible thing to do.
• If groceries have lots of packaging or double packaging, consider if this packaging is necessary in any way or if it enhances the value or usability of the product. If it doesn’t then choose a product which uses less packaging.
• Also as far as possible carry your own shopping bag when you go to the store, use eco friendly green and reusable bags rather than take disposables from the shop each time.

We have all seen the harrowing images on TV that looked like something out of a Hollywood disaster movie so we know the incalculable and incredibly tragic human loss and suffering that has been caused by the 11 March 2011, Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

What is only now being calculated is the economic devastation that the disaster has left in its wake – it isn’t just the homes, roads, bridges, vehicles and entire habitations that are destroyed; the financial impact of the incident is making its effect felt in many more ways; in Asia and all over the world.

Japan is the world’s third largest economy and among the main worries is the ripple effect that will be felt the world over as a result of the devastation in Japan – not just to the financial world, businesses and industry but also the damage resulting from the destruction of the nuclear power plant. Stock markets and financial circles the world over were negatively impacted by the earthquake and resultant tsunami.

While some experts express the apprehension that this will trigger a global recession much like the one three years ago, triggered by the collapse of the US investment bank Lehman Brothers, leading economist have said that there is no real danger of this happening.

Though the estimated loss to Japan is estimated to be in the region of tens of billions of dollars, reports say that it could have been worse than is – the fact that the worst of the damage has been in the areas that are less industrialized than other areas of Japan, has had limited economic impact. When the Kobe earthquake occurred in 1995, this had a far worse impact in terms of economic cost.

In countries such as South Korea and Taiwan and China, there has been a short term benefit – as the product output of Japanese companies falls, the demand for products from these other countries has soared. So right now, these countries could experience a small economic boom as a result of the increased demand of products. However very soon the scenario could change; when these businesses are negatively impacted by Japanese raw materials not reaching them.

The whole impact of the earthquake and resultant tsunami will only be fully understood in times to come, and the healing and the recovery process will doubtless be difficult and protracted.

• Organic anything – fruit, chocolates and even wine can be organic, if the raw materials are grown responsibly using no chemical fertilizer, pesticide and so on. Organic is healthier to consume and minimizes environmental impact; if it costs more, it may well be worth it!
• Recycled products – The Valentine day card you buy could be printed on recycled paper or you may want not to use any paper at all- use your creativity to fashion something unusual from waste material at home! Or you can send an e card; zero environmental impact!
• Ditch the perfume bottles this year, which are loaded with any number of chemicals and artificial additives. Opt for essential oils instead – healthier for the skin and environment and smelling as wonderful, if not more wonderful!
• Cook a lovely spread and plan a romantic dinner at home using locally grown organic produce. You end up saving money and food miles to say nothing of the added benefit of privacy, which no restaurant can provide. Don’t forget to add some earth friendly candles as well!
• Take a green vacation – take a ramble or trek into a wildlife reserve, or simply picnic out in the local wooded area. Going camping, for a canoe ride, or something else that will create meaningful memories rather than hit the trash pile in a few days.
• Solar powered gadgets – this is a gift that not only pleases the geek inside the man, the novelty of some of these solar powered gadgets also delights that little boy inside the man. The fact that you never need to buy any kind of batteries is a plus not only financially but for the environment as well!
• Swap is a great resource; an excellent way stop buying unnecessary stuff and also to make sure that what you have is optimally utilized (if you don’t want it, someone else does). Video games, books, CDs anything can be swapped; anything that is, except the husband, your mother-in-law, the cat, anything in the box buried underneath your bed, and the 1970s green-and-orange fabric chair in your basement.

Happy Valentine’s Day all!

• They don’t use any gas. They use electricity and rather than fill up at a pump, you recharge at home; much like your cell phone.
• You don’t notice any particular increase in your electricity bill even with regular recharging. So basically it feels as though you are running your vehicle free, without any payment made for fuel. These total up to substantial savings. I have owned an electric vehicle for a couple of years now so I know how nice it felt to sail right past the gas pump; particularly when the fuel prices were so prohibitively high just a while back.
• There are no moving parts, and therefore little or no maintenance required. There is less likelihood of having to take the vehicle to the shop for repairs.
• You get a tax credit when you buy an electric vehicle; which in many cases is 10% of the vehicle cost. So your retail cost for purchasing the vehicle comes down substantially after that tax credit. The sales tax is fully deductible as well.
• Many major car companies are doing a lot of research and development into electric vehicles, and are likely to come up with better, improved EVs in the near future according to recent reports. What this will do is improve and enhance the driving range (the main perceived drawback of an EV is the fact that you can have only a limited number of miles to drive before you need to charge it for several hours) and reduce the charging time and bulk of the battery pack. Check out the news about this green vehicle that can go 100 miles on a single charge.
• EVs are very silent so it costs you less in terms of driving fatigue.

As of now, I would say that if one needs a city car or one in which to do a lot of local running around, an electric vehicle really fits the bill.

A couple of months ago, just such an initiative was underway in Copenhagen where the future of business was decided during the World Business Summit on Climate Change. The aim of this summit was for top CEOs to discuss how their firms can help solve the climate crisis through innovative business models, new partnerships, and the development of low-carbon technologies. The object was also to send a strong message to the negotiating governments on how to remove barriers and create incentives for implementation of new solutions in a post-Kyoto framework.

The result of the meeting was a document called The Copenhagen Call which sets out 6 steps to be implemented to set a firm foundation for a sustainable economic future.

1. Agreement on a science-based greenhouse gas stabilization path with 2020 and 2050 emissions reduction targets that will achieve it;

2. Effective measurement, reporting and verification of emissions performance by business;

3. Incentives for a dramatic increase in financing low emissions technologies;

4. Deployment of existing low-emissions technologies and the development of new ones;

5. Funds to make communities more resilient and able to adapt to the effects of climate change, and

6. Means to finance forest protection.

So why is it so important to halt climate change?

• Intensified and More Frequent Weather Events. This means damage to property, loss in business and to human life, workdays lost.
• Rising Sea Levels: This means that coastal areas are actually reclaimed by the sea and we actually loose vast tracts of land for cultivation or other production.
• Water Shortages and Threats to Food Security: Droughts and scarcity of water has direct impact on agricultural produce and all business.
• Rising Temperatures: This means higher cooling bills and more resources spent on energy for longer periods of time during a year
• Disease and Other Health Effects: Climate change also means more proliferation of disease and infection which causes lower productivity and lost workdays
• Disruption of the Ecosystem, Habitat Destruction and Species Extinction: Why should you care if some corals got bleached or if a part of a rain forest in a distant continent was destroyed, or if an obscure species of penguin was on the verge of extinction? Well that could mean that the tourism industry of a place is affected or that there is no raw material to produce the things you take for granted. It is all interconnected and each has effect on us; all of us. It would be shortsighted and unwise to think otherwise.

Energy Savings

Whenever possible, turn off the Air con at home and in the car. Air cons are extremely power hungry. And when you do use the AC, make sure your filter is not clogged because that increases consumption of electricity. Don’t use your dryer, line dry your clothes. It won’t take long in the summer sun. Grow trees. Not only are they wonderful for the environment, they are beautiful and they offer cooling shade as well.

The US Department of Energy has a long list of do’s and don’ts with regard to energy saving which you can see here.

Save money while travelling

If driving your car, make sure it is as fuel efficient as possible. Unload unnecessary stuff, check tire pressure. When buying gas, pay attention to the price of gas it is lower during some parts of the day than others.

If amusement parks are where you are headed, something that will save you a lot of money is buying admission tickets on line because many parks have an online discount. Sometimes membership of certain clubs or associations can entitle you to discounts, so try and get whatever you may be entitled to.

If camping is what you have planned, keep in mind that sending children to day camp could be a tax write off.

Clothes Shopping

Hit the end of season sales for up to 75% discounts. Have children’s clothes swap with friends, family and neighbors. Check out garage sales and second hand shops and consignment shops for summer clothes.

Swine Flu

This is the latest thing to be hitting the headlines and scaring everyone and there are a lot of ‘Swine flu kits’ out there that promise to offer protection against the potentially deadly disease.  But do you really need a $40 Swine Flu Pandemic kit that includes a full-body Tyvek suit, safety goggles and plastic sheeting to “shelter in place”? All that you actually need is some common sense and the same basic precautions that you would take to avoid the common flu as well: soap, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes and, for more worried consumers, gloves and a particulate mask.

So gear up for the summer with a few smart tips that should save you a bunch of money.

]]> http://www.greatpriceshere.com/2009/05/05/save-money-this-summer/feed/ 9 http://www.greatpriceshere.com/2009/01/26/home-accents-ideas-and-deals/ http://www.greatpriceshere.com/2009/01/26/home-accents-ideas-and-deals/#comments Mon, 26 Jan 2009 10:30:49 +0000 Nicole Price http://www.greatpriceshere.com/?p=268 Pieces of furniture, wall colors etc ., even if not very remarkable, can be offset by a few individual and even quirky touches here and there to make a interesting and unusual whole. A few interesting home accents can enhance your home by making it unique and giving it your own personal stamp. A little wall art here a whimsical garden ornament there, can do a lot to give your home character.

I think it is a great idea to have some greenery inside the home or perhaps on the porch, for this it is a good idea to get a matched set of planters, such as this one here; a metal planter set of three for just $50. I also liked this set of two planters, tall and elegant for $79.

As for what to put in the planters you could use real plants or use dried items such as these dried natural sun palm leaves, which are available at the discounted price of $5.99. This site I thought has a great collection of interesting, unique and unusual home accent décor ideas. Certainly worth a look, or two or three!

I had the idea that one could use a couple of the planters for actual plants and use the smallest one as a fragrant potpourri bowl! Potpourri is always a lovely thing to have in the drawing room, pretty, fragrant and low maintenance. Or here, you can take a look at the dried flowers such as these Freeze Dried Rose Petal Blends.

Now distinctive wall art is an excellent way to add a touch of the unusual to the living room area or the main area where you entertain guests. I thought this stained glass and vase bowl and metal wall art was both interesting and artistic looking, and I thought not too expensive at $59.99.

This garden ornament is both quirky and environment friendly, since it is lit by a solar panel and does not require any electricity. It is available for just $39.97, down from $109.99, or a whopping 63% discount.

I hope some of my readers got a couple of nice ideas from this post. My mind is swimming with ideas right now!