I’m not very fussy with pens, many times I prefer your classic clear ballpoint pen for writing checks, taking notes, doodling while on the phone, and an occasional sketch. If I wrote long cursive essays about how I spent my summer or breathy entries in my daily diary I’d probably want to go with the elegant fountain pen but as most of my pen use takes less than a minute or two I’m happy with the basics.

With my lack of pen connoisseurship in mind, I enjoyed trying out this new B2P pen from Pilot and was sold by the fact this new pen is made from 89.9 percent post-consumer recycled content made me take note. Taking just one plastic bottle out of the landfill makes approximately two of these pens, it probably won’t make much difference to the sorry state of plastic pollution in our landfills where some 50% of potentially recyclable materials there are from recyclable plastic bottles that people thoughtlessly ditch anyway. Every little bit helps and we have to start somewhere; the more we can reuse plastic for something as worthwhile as a decent pen then all the better.

The pen itself worked great for me, I liked the satisfying click, it works, the roller-ball ink didn’t skip and wrote smoothly and is still working fine after a couple of weeks of using it off and on. It looks a little like a the water bottle that it brings new life and is an attractive clear blue with water bottle swirly indentations with its design. The pen uses the Pilot G2 gel ink refill. I tried the blue but also comes in black and red.

Here is a doodle/sketch I made with this pen – silly drawing but I had fun with it and the pen did its job pretty well.

$23.20 for 12 pens at Amazon.com

The best ways to save water and energy long-term are to cut back in small ways on everyday things, and a shower is certainly an everyday matter! But you don’t have to shiver under a trickle of lukewarm water to save money, water and energy. This oxygenating shower-head adds oxygen to the water to give an invigorating spa-like shower, while using less water and less energy than ever. It can save an average household up to 70% of water used in showers, so reducing electricity bills too, without anyone feeling hard done by. It has a chrome finish and sturdy resin components to avoid clogging.

Currently on sale for $59.99 at Real Goods

Teflon pans may have been convenient for non-stick cooking, but we now know they are a health hazard with toxic fumes being emitted at high heats. If you are looking for alternatives to Teflon cookware, this Starfrit eco-friendly pan set could well be the answer. It uses a natural non-toxic ceramic coating to create a non-stick surface to the pans and it really does work. The pans themselves are made of recycled aluminium and designed to retain heat, as well as to be recyclable at the end of their lifespan. These are quite light pans and nowhere near as sturdy as cast iron, so don’t expect them to stand up to chipping with metal implements, but it you are looking for Teflon alternatives and a set of non-stick cookware with a similar functionality and general use, this would be a good and much healthier choice.
Set of five pans costs $139.99 at Amazon
.

The solar camcorder is the latest gadget to get the addition of solar wings to support its rechargeable batteries. I’m not sure how much advantage the solar back-up gives, as it only claims to add 12 minutes of running time per hour of sunlight exposure, but as the batteries should anyway give 5 hours per charge most video opportunities should be covered! I guess if you’re filming a wedding up a mountain and haven’t brought spare batteries the solar addition could be a life-saver! Energy saving aside the camcorder captures HD video in 720×480 pixel resolution and takes still images as JPEGs. It comes with image editing software for Windows, Vista and XP and Mac.

Costs $129.95 from Hammacher Schlemmer

A retro look with a modern eco-conscience! If you love candle light and want to create an atmosphere in your yard at night without the dangers of fire, one of these fun solar powered candle lamps dangling in an old fashioned shepherd’s hook lantern will add loads of mood to your garden. A sensor automatically turns on the light at night and off during the day, when it charges from the sun to provide 8-10 hours of illumination. It has an amber flicker LED to look realistically candle-like and comes with an AA rechargeable battery to power it. Easy to assemble, you just drive the stake into the ground with no wiring needed. This is one of the most affordable solar candles around and still looks realistic.

Costs $15.99 at Amazon
.