Here’s an example of one of their videos for a solar power charger for cell phones and ipods:

I just got last month’s electricity bill and it was almost half what it had been a year ago and a savings of $110 for that month alone! Since the energy savings were so dramatic, I reflected on what I had been doing bit by bit over the last year, to achieve that result. Yes, some of the stuff seems obvious and I am a bit embarrassed that I even had to think of changing our behavior - but here goes.

1. Of course, I have been changing light bulbs to more energy efficient ones, but more importantly, I religiously turn off the lights in a room when I leave if only for 5 minutes, and I certainly do not leave lights on in the house even in the hallway when I am out. Outdoor path lights blazing for the one unscheduled visitor a year are a thing of the past.

2. I have turned the fan on our furnace from ON to AUTO so the fan is not going all the time and we still get enough air circulating.

3. I do not use the dishwasher until it is a full load, and so we use the dishwasher half the number of times we used to.

4. We spend time in our summer home every weekend, so our primary residence is unused at weekends. I turn the heat way down as I leave and deal with the inconvenience of a chilly house on my return.

5. I told my husband at the end of last year that if I caught him turning on the built in wall space heaters this year when he watched television, or if he threw open the windows in our bedroom to air out the house all day and heat the outside- I would levy a fine of $10 a day. After coughing up fines a couple of times, he no longer opens the windows for a long time in winter and wraps himself up in a throw blanket rather than turn on auxiliary heat.

6. We no longer think it is our god given right to walk around the house in shorts in the dead of winter and dress in layers with silk undershirts to keep toasty. Our thermostat is several degrees lower than last year.

7. We turn the computers off when not in use, and unplug all unused appliances, even the lowly toaster, except the refrigerator, in order not to spend money on ghost energy.

The reality is we have achieved these improvements in our energy efficiency with a minimal effort on our part. Like many Americans, we were thoughtlessly guzzling energy without any thought of impact it might have on the planet. The best part for us personally is seeing that energy bill go down every month and being able to pocket the savings. It has now become a game as to where next we can effect improvements. There is still more we can do, but I feel we are on our way to being far more responsible about our consumption of energy than we have in years.

Some of these energy saving products offset their costs by lowering electricity bills. Other eco products are just plain reasonably priced, decrease landfill waste, and make sense.

Here are some examples:

CFL Light bulbs - Use 1/5th the energy and last 10 times longer than incandescent light bulbs, reducing energy usage and costs

Energy Saving Dryer Vents - a solution for conventional dryer vents, which often act as an “escape hatch”, allowing outside air to enter your home through the exposed opening, increasing heating bills in winter or cooling bills in the summer

Reusable Water Bottles - a money saver thanks to replacing the need for buying cases of water, and decrease landfill waste

Evaporative Coolers - a portable evaporative air cooler provides substantial energy saving over refrigerated air units/air conditioners. An evaporative cooler provides you with cool and filtered fresh air, which is free from C.F.C and has low acquiring, maintenance and running (electricity) costs

For the holidays, the project manager at work gave us these as a gift:

Which was super neat-o. Why? Because this isn’t just any water bottle. Notice it’s called the “Light Cap.” Because THE CAP LIGHTS UP. It’s so multifunctional-ly cool. But wait - there’s more! The light is powered by THE SUN. See the square at the top of the bottle? That’s a little mini-solar panel that stores solar energy. Then, see the little black thingy on the top? That’s a switch. Flip it one way and it’s a white light. Flip it the other it’s a red light. I used the water bottle today at my indoor soccer game (more on that in a ‘mo.) My teammates were intrigued. Also, the interior light in my car doesn’t work, so it helped on the way home from the game when my sister (also on the team) thought she dropped her keys back at the arena. We used the flashlight part to find them in my car.

For being a durable water bottle and a flashlight, it’s a good deal at $29.99, considering LED flashlights usually retail for 20 bucks and durable water bottles sell for 10 bucks.

It’s here: water bottle

Anyway, the other thing I like about it is that it’s a good water bottle with a tight lid and it holds 32 oz. of water. This was good because it meant it lasted throughout the entire soccer game tonight. We played a bunch of little whippersnappers (ages 17-21) again, and these ones were ruffians. My sister Chrissy was a like a bull out on the field, knockin’ down little chickies and throwin’ ‘bows. It was an aggressive game indeed. Even I got into it: I stuck my foot in the air and tripped the girl who pushed me from behind (a million times) when we both were battling for the ball and I fell. Later two of hooligan girls ran into my knee, which is now on fire. We ended up winning anyway. I think it’s because we had three strings. And, of course, because I was well hydrated.

Final Score: 4-3

The Going Green Expo in early February in Boston is now a distant green memory, but was well worth the visit. I tromped around wearing our very own juicebags solar backpack, which charges cell phones, mp3s and other portable electronic devices. A few people, including the green business reps, asked me to demo how it worked. I came with my own cellphone charger and phone inside the pack, and promptly brought it out upon request.

The thousands of folks who were walking around when I was there seems to be a good indicator that going green is important to Americans, especially in Boston. And now that our city was ranked the 3rd greenest in the US, we can have something to be proud of.

For Her:
1. Recycled Vase Shows Everlasting Love - 100% recycled copper will live on long after the flowers are a distant memory.

Recommended:

100% Recycled Copper Vases – many styles
$47.99 and up

2. Drive Her Wild with Tires - handbags, totes, and clutch purses made from recycled rubber tire innertubes.

Recommended:

Recycled Rubber Tire Camara Handbags – many styles
$144.99 and up

3. Enrobe Her with Sustainable Bamboo - Nothing says you want to surround her with love like an organic 70% bamboo and 30% cotton blend robe. Bamboo fabric is known to be a plusher and cozier choice compared to ordinary terry cotton robes.

Recommended:

Bamboo Eco-Spa Robe – 2 sizes
$94.95

1. Naturally biodegradable bags for your home – for trash cans, composting, lawn and garden.

2. Thick, rich and comfy made from sustainable materials…bamboo shag rugs are now available.

3. Some new cookware made from soapstone, which is naturally non-stick without chemicals leaching into food while you cook.

4. Fun artful trivets and coasters made from recycled street signs.

5. Is it time for a new mailbox?

6. Brighten up any room with new light switch plates.

7. Using our reusable shopping bags can replaces nearly 1000 plastic grocery bags.

“Perhaps you have already started to go green but like all of us you could do better? With all these innovative green products, we bet you will find something that will help you reduce your footprint in the coming year,” says President, Mercia Tapping.

View all products to help with green New Years Resolutions recommended by GreenandMore.com: http://www.greenandmore.com/green-new-years-resolutions.html

The following new products have arrived at GreenandMore.com in December:

A super line up of new shower heads that save water but do not affect your water pressure:

http://www.greenandmore.com/eco-friendly-standard-spray-showerheads.html

http://www.greenandmore.com/eco-friendly-rain-spray-showerheads.html

http://www.greenandmore.com/eco-friendly-handheld-showerheads.html

Time to get rid of that cracking, ugly old vinyl office mat and replace it with something eco-attractive:

http://www.greenandmore.com/elegant-touch-bamboo-office-chair-mats.html

More eco-hand bags made from organic wool and cotton:

http://www.greenandmore.com/artem-earth-friendly-wool-hand-bags-purses.html

http://www.greenandmore.com/ceres-earth-friendly-organic-cotton-hand-bags-purses.html

All I want for the holidays is a ….compost bin:

http://www.greenandmore.com/indoor-kitchen-composter.html

http://www.greenandmore.com/garden-revolution-ultra-efficient-tumbler-compost-bins.html

New England winters can be hazardous for driving. I keep a large bag of clay kitty litter in the trunk of my car during the winter. This not only helps with added weight, but should I need traction on the roads, it will not damage the streets as the salt melt products do.