Camping need not necessarily mean leaving behind all the comforts of home. This 6-person tent includes a solar panel that provides battery power to run the tent’s built-in lighting. Here is a link to a previous post we made on another model of solar tents that was more comprehensive.
Available for $249.99 (Canadian) from Canadian Tire.
$19.95 at nexusgadgets
What a cool idea, a solar led light and water bottle all in one. On your next hiking trip take this along to use as a water bottle through the day to drink from and to store up power with its built-in solar panel which will power a LED lantern for nighttime use. It has not only has your standard white LED light mode but also a blinking red light “help” mode.
Bamboo Walking Stick Flute
various models ranging $29 – $59 at Serenity Bamboo Flutes
This would perhaps make a great present for a musical hiker or perhaps someone who tends to hike in esoteric places like Macchu Picchu,Taj Mahal or maybe to a 90′s reunion of Iron John enthusiasts hiking to a the Drum Circle in the woods. Seriously though, this seems like an awesome walking stick, sturdy,light, and can take the rigors of a vigorous walk. Also made with eco-friendly bamboo. It also has a compass inlaid on the top as well as a strap and rubber tip. The tortoise shell finish is strikingly beautiful and they have other options like hand inked models and they will also customize it with engravings, custom length and other options. I didn’t see any link to hear what they sounded like but they have customer photos of places people travel with their stick flutes.
These flutes can play up to 2 octaves and are tuned to a Major Scale (G).
Weza Portable Energy Source $299.99 at HealthyHome.com
Ever want to get away from it all, be totally off grid but still have a few creature comforts? Now you can be in the middle of nowhere, in the dead of night and still be able to charge your cell, watch a DVD or TV, connect a laptop, GPS or even turn on some lights.
This new energy source will work with a step-action crank effect that with about a five minute workout will give you enough power to use a satellite phone for 20 minutes. It can even jump start your car.
For devices that require more juice like watching TV you will only get enough power for enough time to catch a few commercials. Ok, that might not be so useful but if you fully charge the internal battery from an AC or DC source, like your car and you will be good to go for much longer. I’m not sure how long of a charge you’ll get if you foot-pump it all night long but presumably you will get more time the longer you crank the pump.
It’s 299.99 price might deter some people but a bigger problem for me would be its 18.6 lb weight especially if I had to lug it far into the wilderness with all my other gear. If that isn’t a problem for you it might be worth a look.
Despite our best efforts Mosquitoes resist our efforts to do them in. They return every year to bug us and also to transmit serious disease. This will undoubtedly worsen as Global Warming heats up.
Bug Zappers, especially the “eco-friendly” solar powered ones, might seem like a good way to protect your back yard from these pests, the satisfying pop and crackle while meeting their doom seems worth the price alone. But studies have shown they are rarely effective against mosquitoes, of bugs killed maybe 4% tend to be mosquitoes. Mostly, it kills beneficial moths, beetles and other bugs who may actually eat other harmful insects. These bug zappers not only kill off good insects but may contribute to ruining an important food source for songbirds. So, in other words, they are a total rip-off.
So what is the best Green solution to mosquitoes? Mainstream repellents containing DEET diethyl-meta-toluamide tends to be the standard of effective repellent but many people are understandably wary of putting this chemical stew on their skin. One site, Journey to Forever.org,
gives a great recipe for Handmade Organic Mosquito Repellent (HOMeR), that they claim is a very effective means to naturally repel mosquitoes using lemon grass. Another natural repellent that you can buy is oil of lemon-eucalyptus, sold as Repel. Here is a great site, Mosquito.org which has a wealth of info on all things mosquito. Finally, Ecogreentips.com has some good info on some helpful solutions to the mosquito problems for you and your back yard.
Phonophone II from CharlesandMarie.com $500.00
The Phonophone II is not only a wonderfully designed object but also a great device that can transform your iPod’s earplugs into a mini-amplified speaker – without having to plug it in, insert batteries or sit waiting for the sun. All you have to do is hook up your iPod earphones to the adapter, and natural science will do the rest. The horned shape of the ceramic phonophone will capture and emit the music throughout the room (as long as the room is pretty small and no other competing sounds anyway)
We applaud the desire to save electricity but in this case the amount of power it takes to run an amplifier and speaker is extremely low, so the real appeal is its novelty and coolness factor. For me, at $500 there are quite a few items higher up on my coolness generating gadget wish list. But for the person who has everything or for rich iPod fanatics this might be a great addition to their desk. Then you can start looking for a tiny ceramic Jack Russell dog to sit listening next to it.
If you spend all day spelunking in some deep cave and never see daylight this LED headlamp may not be your best choice as you need to recharge the solar cells for at least 2 hour in full sunlight to get 6 hours of full brightness. But for the rest of us it seems like a great source of light that doesn’t require batteries that you can use camping, hiking, or emergencies. It could even work for spelunking but considering how fragile most caves eco-systems are it is probably better from an environmental view to do some urban exploring instead.
For an extra $12.00 You can also get optional charging devices that will allow you to charge you cellphone or iPod.
Everlite Solar Headlamp from Gaiam $59.00
A blender to take camping or use next to the outdoor grill isn’t on my top ten list of things I wish for, however, some people might be thrilled that you can now mix up smoothies with an energy efficient and portable blender. This battery operated blender be recharged anywhere there is an outlet, blenders aren’t real energy hogs so you probably won’t save too much juice but being able to mix up your drinks off-grid is cause to celebrate. The Rechargeable Blender is lightweight but has a large pitcher for your outdoor gatherings (or during your next power outage)
$59.99 at Eco Geek Living
Forever Flashlights $24.99 at ThinkGeek.com
If you can handle shaking this flashlight for about 30 seconds then you can get up to 5 minutes of light. As you shake the flashlight, a magnet runs over a metal coil which then generates electricity. If you need to use it for longer it can be shaken for 10-15 seconds every 2 or 3 minutes. For optimal usage, try persuading someone else to do the shaking for you!
This waterproof flashlight uses no batteries or bulbs. It does use a bright LED visible up to a mile and lasts for thousands of hours. In fact, their website states it doesn’t burn-out like a typical light bulb – it should never need replacement.
Sun Jar Solar Light UK£ 19.99 or $39.69 at nigelsecostore.com
Perhaps you have heard of carrying moonbeams home in a jar? Almost as cool is the Sun Jar
Also available at SuckUK - with lots more info and photos.
$29.99 at Amazon
