In my second gadget for Earth Day 2008, this gadget is one that will help your pocketbook. In this time of soaring gas prices and the desire for people to find alternative ways of getting around (biking, walking, etc.) the one need with all these alternative forms of transportation is hydration. With the latest news coming from the Nalgene/BPA controversy, people are confused as to what types of water bottles / hydration packs they should use to not only be eco-conscious, but also be safe.

Skullcandy has a hydration pack that has more than just hydration in mind. The Hydration Backpack has the capability to keep you hydrated and refreshed - but it also syncs with your MP3 player or cell phone. From the website:

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With today being Earth Day 2008 here in the United States, I thought it would be good to highlight some eco-friendly gadgets for all the gadget lovers out there who want to do their part for the environment. Doing something good for the environment doesn’t involve having to live in a mud hut, sustaining yourself off wheat grass and tofu and wearing only hemp clothing. You can be on the cutting edge of technology and still be green.

Who doesn’t own a cell phone or an MP3 player? Even my grandparents have cell phones. But these items need to be recharged on a regular basis otherwise they just turn into expensive paperweights or something you use to hold a door open. (See? Recycling!) But why not use solar technology to recharge those items that you use all the time? The Universal Solar Cell Phone/iPod Charger will allow you to do just that. From the website:

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Traveling to Third World countries might be cheap for those living in the West, considering the much lower standard of living, and the sights and smells are often exotic as well. Unfortunately, all that comes at a price, sometimes safe drinking water is hard to come by, and to rely on bottled water wherever you go is pretty inconvenient. Enter the Thirst Aid Pouch that makes it easy to filter water from just about any source.

Our advanced water filtration technology enables the user to get water from just about any source, from drainage ditch and muddy puddle to a standpipe, and be confident that the Thirst Aid pouch will remove it’s contaminants. The water you get out will have gone through our unique advanced filter which strips out contaminants and pathogens, bacteria and viruses; it also removes sediment, reduces heavy metals and leaves the water odorless and palatable.

A safe, clean water supply anywhere you are? I’ll take one. Sure beats drinking water from the tap and ending up with an upset stomach later on…

I have seen the future, and contrary to what Al Gore thinks, it is actually a convenient truth. One day, we all will drive vehicles that will run on air, and will actually produce healthy emissions instead of pollutants like carbon monoxide gases.

I had my brief glimpse into this Earth-friendly future when I heard about Jem Stansfield, a former shepherd now turned inventor who has designed an air powered bike. All Stansfield did was connect a few air canisters that are normally used by firefighters to a normal Puch moped. I suppose that sounds like an easy DIY operation, but Stansfield is a true innovator in creating one of the most environmentally sound vehicles today.

Of course, this moped can only reach a top speed of 18 mph, and can only travel for about seven minutes per canister. The canisters for this mode of transportation are quite expensive at $6 a tank at the most.

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Most electrical items in our homes are electrical vampires - even when they’re in standby mode, they tend to suck up power which could add up to a rather substantial amount at the end of the month. The Bye Bye Standby Energy Saving Kit offers a simple, cost-effective and convenient way to cut wasteful standby power while controlling electrical devices and reducing monthly electric bills. This action will not only help you save more money each month, it helps preserve our carbon footprint without causing even more harm to the environment.

The Energy Saving Kit is fast and easy to install with no rewiring and provides immediate savings. With Bye-Bye Standby you can power down connected electrical devices in your home, office, or school using a wireless remote control and smart socket adapters. Just one touch of the button on the remote control will cut wasteful standby power.

Assuming 6% to 26% savings, the annual estimated average savings by eliminating standby power leakage could range anywhere from $63.04 to $273.18. Guess it makes perfect sense to get this device that pays for itself in under two months when subject to regular use.

Press Release

What better way to lower your monthly electricity bill than rely on good ol’ solar power that never runs out (at least until our sun decides to explode)? The Torpedo Solar Spotlight makes a good candidate to spruce up your garden long after sundown at an affordable price.

Make a walkway safer, uplight a tree or highlight garden art without the hassle of running extension cords or digging trenches for wiring. These garden spotlights are solar powered! Each 2¼” reflective lens has three bright LEDs that never need replacing, and an integrated solar panel that pivots and swivels to catch the best rays. Lights come on at dusk and shine for up to eight hours.

Each purchase retails for $24.95 and it comes in a set of 2.

People have been paying more attention to the impact that their technology use has on the environment. Thus we’ve had a slew of of gadgets that take advantage of the sun’s rays for power. However, there are other sources of renewable power that are untapped. If you want to be the coolest eco-friendly tech lover on the block, you might look into the HyMini.

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Some of you might have houseplants, and of those some, I’m sure there is a great percentage of you that forget to water them. This next product has been designed for you.

The Grobal self-watering planters are pots designed to water your plants automatically. That’s right, automatically. There is a reservoir within the plant that holds the water, and then the “grow chamber” draws water out of this storage area when it is needed.

I’m not certain how the pot knows when to draw out the water, but I have to say that the system itself is quite efficient. After all, over-watering your plant is not only a waste of water, but can be bad for the plant itself. This way, not a precious drop of H20 is wasted in this Grobal self-watering planter.

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