4 Handy Strip Timers That Conserve Energy

Have you ever been in a situation where you have wanted to run one of your electronics for a certain period of time and have it turned off without you having to lift a finger? Let’s say you have one of those cool ECO heaters that you want to run for a couple of hours a day. At the same time, you don’t want to remember when to turn it off. If you have ever been in that situation, a strip timer may be right for you. Strip timers can not only help you focus on more important things in life, they can also save you money on your energy bill (inside or outdoors).

If you are looking to control your power consumption and save money at the same time, here are 4 cool strip timers you should check out:

GE 57698 24-Hour Power Strip Timer: controls 4 to 8 grounded outlets and can cut power off when you need it to be cut off. Gets the job done.

Woods 22575 24-Hour Power Strip Timer: you can set it up so the timer repeats its actions on a daily basis. It’s essentially a hybrid strip as 4 of these outlets are timer controlled and the other 4 can be controlled with a switch. (more…)

6 Cool Solar Backpacks For Power On the Go

The fall college semester is upon us. Whether you are a freshman, hoping to put your best foot forward towards 4 years of college or you are a senior planning to have the best college year ever, you are going to need the right gadgets to help you get your work done and have as much fun as possible. Solar backpacks are made for just that. They are designed to allow students charge up their gadgets and get power on the go. So no matter where you are, you always have access to a power source to keep your gadgets running. A few years ago, if you told me about solar backpacks, I wouldn’t have jumped on the chance to give them a try. But these days, we all have so many gadgets that having a portable power source is very intriguing idea. So if you are looking for a cool backpack/charger hybrid, here are 6 solar backpacks you should try:

Voltaic Solar Panel Backpack: the very first solar backpack I tried. It’s very well made and durable. Great way to get on the road without having to worry about having access to a power source.

Av Lab Solar Charger Backpack: one of the more affordable solar backpacks around. It’s got enough space for your stuff and does charge your mobile devices as well.

Voltaic Solar Laptop Generator Backpack: from the least expensive to the most expensive. This backpack is a solar powerhouse. Great for laptop/netbook owners. (more…)

6 Cool Energy Star All In One Desktop PCs

All In One Desktop PCs have been around for a while, but till a couple of years ago, there weren’t many good options available on the market. Sure, iMac has been around for a while, but having one option is not exactly great for consumers. But these days, there are many good options available. All In One PCs are great as they save you space and let you get your job done in the “tightest” of spaces. Add to that the fact that a lot of these PCs are energy efficient, and you have a cool machine that fits everywhere, doesn’t require you to handle too many wires, and at the same time is powerful enough to get the job done.

Whether you are looking for a PC or a Mac, there are many good All in One machines that you can buy to replace your good old big desktop. iMac has always been pretty tight, and Sony and MSI have pretty slim Desktop PCs as well. With that in mind, here are 6 top energy star all-in-one computers that save you money and space:

Apple iMac: the best all in one computer available on the market, hands down. Not only iMacs are energy efficient, but come in all sizes. I personally own a 24 inch iMac, but you can always settle for a smaller screen.

HP TouchSmart IQ816 All-in-One Desktop PC: this is really more of a workstation than a regular PC. With 4 GB of RAM, and a killer CPU, there is nothing you can’t do with this all in one PC. And the fact that it’s energy efficient makes it a much more fun desktop to own. This is a complete entertainment system for home.

Gateway One ZX6800-01 all in one PC: a 23 inch touch screen all in one PC that packs a punch. Comes with a fast CPU and 4 GB RAM. Windows 7 is a nice addition as well.

Sony VAIO VGC-JS250J/S 20.1-Inch All-in-One Desktop PC: if Mac is not your thing, you can’t go wrong with Sony VAIO. It comes with a super fast PC and Windows Vista. Best of all, it’s energy efficient and very slim. A very stylish PC to own.

MSI AIO AE1900-01SUS Desktop PC: MSI has some of the best PCs and netbooks on the market. MSI is known for focusing on energy efficiency, and this Desktop proves it.

ASUS Eee Top ET2002-B0017 all in one PC: it’s not the most powerful all in on PC around, but it’s energy efficient. Comes with Windows 7.

There you have it. Not everyone has space for those big old desktop machines. With these all in one PCs, you save space and won’t have to deal with too many wires either. If you are looking for a machine that doesn’t get too warm and is compact enough to fit in smaller spaces, you can’t go wrong with the above energy star PCs.

11 Cool Organic Gardening Tools

So you want to start your own organic garden but don’t know where to start? Maybe you don’t have the space to develop one. Or just not looking for a large garden but something that is more manageable. Either way, there are many tools and gadgets you can use to start your organic garden at home without too much hassle. If you have no idea where to start and what gadgets you can use, here is a list of tools made for creating an organic garden at home:

Systems

AeroGarden VeggiePro For Full Sized Vegetables: the latest generation Aerogarden is designed for those who want to grow taller plants and full-sized veggies at home.

AeroGrow AeroGarden 6 Elite Plus: an amazing gadget that lets you grow your own food indoors all year round right in your own kitchen. Uses Advanced Growing System uses high-efficiency lighting and low-maintenance chamber to provide oxygen to the roots.

Hydrofarm MGSYS Hydroponic Megagarden System: this is a Hydroponic garden system with 15 plastic grow pots with fired-clay and pebble. A smart system that takes care of your plants.

AeroGrow AeroGarden Pro 200: another 100% natural gardening system that lets you create your organic system at home without too much hassle.

Prepara Power Plant Professional: oil less indoor gardening appliance that automatically dispenses nutrient to your seeds. Great for folks who don’t have a whole lot of free space. (more…)

4 Mini Ionizer Air Purifiers For The Go

So you want to refresh the air in your car and enjoy a better driving experience without having to worry about dust and all other nasty air particles? Air purifiers are great solutions to take advantage of if you want to breathe in a cleaner air. Most top air purifiers and ionizers are too big to fit in a car. But thankfully there are portable units that you can take with you to keep the air clean in your car. If you want to keep yourself healthy and avoid breathing in nasty elements, these mini car air purifiers come in handy:

Wagan EL2022 Ionic Air Purifier: gets rid of unpleasant odors and fumes from your car. It eliminates bacteria, pollen and dust and helps relieve allergies.

IONFEEL KS92A LED Ionized Deodorizer: deodorizes and purifies your car. It’s very compact and easy to carry around. (more…)

4 Faucet Water Filters For Cleaner Water

In a perfect world, your tap water would not come with any particle that could be harmful towards your health. Unfortunately, that is not the case these days. There are plenty of health issues that could occur if you drink tap water too often. Thankfully, there are water filters that can remove those harmful elements and give you a better quality water to drink. We have already listed the best water pitchers with filters, but if you prefer to get clean water from your faucet, here are 4 faucet water filters to get you started:

PUR RF-9999-6 3 Stage Faucet Mount Filter: to be used with on all Pur faucet mounts. It cleans your water and lasts for 2 and 3 months. The quality of water you get from these filters is high.

PUR FM-5050C 3 Stage Horizontal Faucet Mount: if you are tired of buying bottled water and just want to save your money in the long run, this 3 stage mount comes in handy.

Culligan FM-15A Faucet Filter: Reduces lead, chlorine taste and odor, Cryptosporidium and Giardia cysts and lasts for 200 gallons. It improves taste and reduces odor as well.

Instapure F-2C Teledyne Water Pik Faucet Water Filter: reduces bad taste, odor, and chlorine in drinking water. You will have to change the filter every three months though.

Feel free to add your experience with the above faucets below.

4 Energy Star Scanners For Home & Office

In the past, I have talked about how you can go green in your office. There are plenty of energy star accessories and gadgets that you can pick up to reduce your electricity bill and consume less energy. You can buy an energy efficient laptop, monitor, and routers for your office. But that’s not all. If you happen to be into scanning documents, energy star scanners could come in handy. Scanners are not energy hogs, but going green with your scanner wouldn’t hurt. There aren’t too many of them around, but here are 4 ECO scanners you should take a look at:

Epson Perfection V500 Photo Scanner: an energy efficient scanner that lets you create crystal-clear photo enlargements and scan slides, negatives, and medium-format film.

Canon CanoScan 8800F Color Film/Negative/Photo Scanner: a complete scanning solution for at home and office. Digitally removes dust and imperfections from old photos. It’s great for color scanning film/negative/photo.

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5 Cool Green Gift Ideas for The Holiday Season

So you still haven’t picked out gifts for the upcoming holidays? You still have time. If you are giving a gift this year, why not give the gift of green? Eco-friendly products are not only as capable as their non-eco counterparts, they also save energy and money for the owner. So they make great gifts. With that in mind, here are 5 green gift ideas for the coming holiday season:

Kindle DX: one of the best, if not the best, e-book reader on the market. It comes with a large screen, it’s energy efficient and makes a great gift for those who are obsessed with learning new things (through books and audio-books).

ASUS Eee PC 1005HA-PU1X Netbook: it’s a very lightweight and energy efficient netbook that makes a perfect gift for students and business pros. It just works for everyone.

Apple MacBook MC207LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop: a more energy efficient and powerful Macbook. It’s fairly affordable too. If you need a real good laptop that lasts you a while, getting this Macbook is a great place to start. (more…)