Solar power is great, but what if the sun isn’t shining, or it’s night time and you’re caught without a light. This tiny keychain flashlight can be hand-cranked in minutes to give a good LED light. All it needs is human power, turning food into light! And the best thing is that if you keep it on your keychain then it will always be right there when you need it. This would be a great stocking filler or party gift for older kids and eco-geeks of all ages.

Costs $4.99 from ThinkGeek

Attractive enough to look almost like lanterns hanging in the yard, these glass wasp catchers work well too. No chemicals are needed. You fill the catcher with lemonade or sugar water and the wasps are lured in and trapped. Great when you are being pestered by wasps and have trouble eating outside without them descending on you. The glass traps come in three colors, green, aqua and orange or you can buy a set of three. They are 8 ½ “ high and weigh about 1lb so can hang from small trees and branches.

Costs $13 for one or $30 for set of three from Gaiam.com

These ingenious insect repelling wristbands actually seem to work to keep mosquitoes and other insects at bay. If you don’t like spraying repellants directly on your skin, or have kids with sensitive skin, this is a great solution. Geraniol is a natural plant-based, essential oil and insect repellant and is odorless to humans. Wear one on a wrist and one on an ankle and they will keep you covered. The wrist bands last for up to 120 hours, but should be kept in their resealable containers when not in use. They are made from recyclable plastic and have a child-safe breakaway strap feature so are safe for small kids too.

Set of four costs $26 from Gaiam.com

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
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Gardening ought to be one of the greenest activities, but too often ‘green’ fingers rely on not so green accessories. Take all those plastic flower pots left over from planting out seedlings and cuttings for instance. What if you could just plant the whole pot and it would bio-degrade and add to the soil as the plant grows? Connecticut dairy farmers, Matt and Ben Freund, came up with this very idea and invented the cowpot. These are completely eco-friendly pots made of composted, dried cow manure and natural fibers and pressed into convenient pot shapes. Gardeners just get their seedlings or cuttings established in these pots and then plant them out in the pots, reducing transplant shock and adding nutrients as the pot biodegrades. And no plastic to dispose of! They come in several sizes from 3” to 5”.

Costs from $10.95 for a set of 12 pots from Gardeners Supply Company