I am always on the road with my current job. I never had a travel-involved career before this one, and I don’t know why I still do it now, but I keep telling myself it is for the benefits that come with it that keep me showing up every day. With twenty eight years until I can retire, it is going to be a long time of telling myself this. One of the biggest hassles that the travel brings is the packing. And not just the clothing, but the laptop bag, the work briefcase, it adds additional things to carry. And of course, everything in the office nowadays has a USB connected accessory that is required to do my job, adding the need for wall chargers and car chargers and airplane chargers. I swear I need a charger to charge the chargers. How much more electricity and energy can we waste in one trip?

Anyways, I think I have found the solution to at least the power supply problem. This USB Solar Mobile Charger gives you the power to all of your needy devices through the energy of sunlight. Never have to pack fifteen chargers again, because not only does the charge come from a free source, the kit also comes with every possible USB adapter known to man. You can power up your digital cameras, iPods, portable printers, wireless mouse, cell phones; there really shouldn’t be a single thing you can’t power up with this one. And if we hit a cloudy streak where we get nothing but storms all week, there is an option to power the charger through your USB port or AC charger so you’re not totally stuck.

I am trying to convice my office to purchase a few of these, at least one per travel bag. But it is only priced at $37, so if I had to fork up the money I would. It makes sense to have one of these readily available, especially with the short life spans some of these accessories have. I have thrown on my iPod numerous times while on the road, only to find that after four songs it is showing low battery. I know Free Bird is a long song, but it still shouldn’t kill the meter that quick.

If you have children, you will know where I am coming from. I walk through my house, and literally turn off radios, lamps, TVs and other devices that my kids forget about each and every morning. I realize the morning rush for the school bus is hectic, but you have to hear the iPod docking station blaring as you walk out your bedroom door, right? Is it that easy to tune out? Or that big giant TV screen (we have a 57″) that they walk past, knowing that they were the only ones in the room watching it. It gets a little frustrating, but rather than get into a parental rant in Bill Cosby-style, I figured I would come up with a plan of attack to try and reason with them. I know, common sense is the last merit badge of life earned before the passage into adulthood, but it has to be worth a try. And my first tool of the battle is the Kill A Watt EZ Electricity Usage Monitor.

All you have to do is connect your devices to the meter, and it will display exactly how many kilowatts it eats up. With roughly 98% accuracy, you know what the large LCD screen is saying is pretty correct. This information is very valuable, because it allows you to start calculating just how much damage is done when each device is plugged in and running, say over a 12-hour period. You can also pinpoint those older appliances that aren’t so energy efficient, and use it as an arguement with the misses to justify purchasing a new one. At least that’s the case in my if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-replace-it household. You can even use this baby to monitor voltage, line frequency and power factor. If used effectively, you could potentially reduce your costs by such a significant amount, your electric company will start knocking on your door wondering if you disconnected their meter.

I am hoping to win the war at my home by threating to withhold allowances up to the amount of kilowatts each child is wasting. I will go into each bedroom, then into the shared rooms, and using the average daily dollar per kilowatt figure I will try and reason with them. It has been my experience as a dad to get through a child’s mind with money. So far, so good. Be in the know, and know what to keep turned off or unplugged, it could really save you tons of dough in an economy that has produced high priced energy.

Now you can have clean air all of the time and wherever you happen to be with the Air Tamer. This is a personal ionic air purifier that makes it easy for people with allergies, viruses and breathing problems to have personalized clean air. This filtering gadget is about the size of an MP3 player and can be taken anywhere, even on an airplane where we all know the air quality is less than perfect. This little device operates on one small battery that is included in the device and will keep it going for over three weeks straight! Now you can fresh air around you all of the time with the Air Tamer - the best thing for clean, personal air.

$60.00 at Gaiam

Everyone wants to have a luxury shower but who wants to waste the water or spend too much money? Now you can conserve water while at the same time enjoying a great shower with the Oxygenics Showerhead. This chrome plated showerhead is easy to install and will conserve water. Unlike other low flow showerheads that conserve water, the Oxygenics Showerhead will actually give you a better shower than an old fashioned high flow showerhead. The budget look are 16 ports that circulate air through the showerhead to give you a shower that will make you feel as though you are enjoying a spa shower.

$22.99 at SmartHome

This holiday season, you can donate to support work to protect coral reefs, fight global warming, protect sea creatures and eliminate unsustainable fishing. In return of your contribution, the recipient of your choice will receive an ocean-themed cookie cutter, an adoption certificate, a limited edition baking mitt and a sugar cookie recipe developed especially for this program by Warren Brown, owner of acclaimed bakery, CakeLove. Save the fish, eat cookies!!
Options available for $35.00, $75.00 $100.00 or buy all 16 sea creatures for $250.00 at Oceana

Great Green Gadgets is excited to be the 108th host of the Carnival of the Green, hosted by TreeHugger. This is the last Carnival of the Green for 2007…catch up with us again in 2008 over at E-Bike Blog and we hope you enjoyed last week’s carnival at Live Green.

We’ve got a ton of posts, so let the fun begin:

JP Davidson at GreenDealsDaily writes about carbon neutral holiday cards.

Green Living Online has a post about sending out green seasonal greetings.

Vihar Sheth presents Compare the Candidates posted at green | rising.

Ian Welsh presents How To Do Stupid Smart: The Center for American Progress Shows the Way posted at The Agonist.

kcawley presents Some More “Green” Power posted at Tomorrow’s Confusion.

JP Davidson presents GreenKnickers Cover Your Butt Sustainably posted at Green Deals Daily.

Melanie Rimmer writes a post titled: Why you should know your hourly pay? (It’s a crucial tool to help you combat over-consumption.) on the blog, Bean Sprouts.

Betsy Teutsch presents With the Thermostat Set to 63, These are a Few of My Favorite Things posted at Money Changes Things.

Alex Ho points out a site that sells Holiday Solar Lights.

Financial Hack presents Entrepreneurial Lessons From Trash Art posted at Financial Hack.

GP at the Fish Creek House presents Eco friendly gift ideas for EVERYONE in your family.

David presents What Exactly Does ‘Organic’ Mean For The Products You Buy? posted at The Good Human.

Hedgewizard presents How to Make a Simple Worm Bin from Free Materials posted at Hedgewizard’s Diary.

Shannon Christman presents What You Need To Know: Fair Trade Products Basics posted at Saving Advice Blog.

Stephanie presents The Keeper - A Three Month Review posted at Stop the Ride!.

Hell’s Handmaiden presents Antilia posted at hell’s handmaiden.

kcawley presents Get Organized, America posted at Life, the Universe, and Everything.

Tiffany presents Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal! posted at Natural Family Living Blog.

Sagar Satapathy presents Travelhackerm- Top 50 Ecotourism Websites posted at Travelhacker.

Beth Terry from Fake Plastic Fish presents The Perfection of Imperfection - This holiday season, it’s important to remember that while we are trying to be green, we might have to sacrifice a little eco-correctness in order to connect with the people we care about sometimes.

Another from Beth Terry from (great blog!) Fake Plastic Fish on The Sounds of Silence - How taking time out for silence and stillness can be the greenest thing we do in the long run.

Stretch Mark Mama presents Tic Tac Toe Stuff a rant against the game Tic Tac Toe, posted at Stretch Mark Mama.

Erich Engelbrecht presents Over-Illumination And Light Pollution – Seasonal Phenomena? posted at Innovation Politics.

John Beetham from A DC Birding Blog submitted a post titled: Seabirds Dying in the North Sea.

Tim Fowler from Eco New Mexico presents a post titled: The Sexier Side of Weather Stripping

Alena presents Skiing Green posted at Powder Passport Ski Blog.

Brave New Leaf has a post about Buying Green Power, a straightforward look on green power programs and why we should consider investing in them.

Doug Green submitted a video titled: 3 steps to an environmentally friendly lawn.

Roger Haeske presents What Magic Question Will Make You FEEL Like Going Raw? posted at Raw Food Diet, Bodyweight Fitness & Self-Help.

Sol Shaver Solar Razor UK£ 29.99 or 60.89 U.S. dollars from Jill’s Eco Store

One idea for a green gift this christmas is the Sol Shaver Solar Razor, a solar powered electric shaver. It’s not as green as re-gifting last years presents but it does have an appeal to a special man in your life who likes to keep his gadgets green as possible. It’s especially good for the guy who travels or hikes a lot or maybe just frequently has to contend with the five o’clock shadow. You just put it in the sun for charging and then tuck and later you’ll have a cordless shaver whenever you need it, without being tethered to the plug.

the original buzz from Gizmodo’s post here

These were a huge hit for the holidays last year. A great place to stash your gold coins or a place to hold the remote control on the coffee table. It is fun to personalize them for each recipient. A great present that will keep them talking to GroundHog’s Day. Made from old recycled books.
$17.50 - $39.00 at Secret Storage Books

I’m always surprised on how many people don’t “get” the moon….always asking “is the moon full?”. The way to tell is that when the moon is full, it will rise at the same time that the sun sets. So if you see the moon and it is still light out ..it can’t be full! ….or just get this clock and you will always be in psynch with that big cheese ball in the sky.
$89.00 at Gaiam

[Via Green Apartmenttherapy]

Innovative LECD (Light-emitting ceramic device) technology emits a soft, glowing green light when energized. A nice non-obtrusive light when you need to find your way around in the middle of the night while others are still sleeping. Best feature? It costs an estimated two cents per year to operate!! Runs on electricity from a standard wall outlet = 120 volts AC, 60 Hz. and Made in USA
$46.95 at GreenFeet