JOE PICKS A WINNER: GOING GREEN

NEW!!! Check out my new Green store at Amazon. I search for eco-friendly products so you don't have to :-)

Bamboo: The Other Green Grass

From the ThinkBamboo website:
"Bamboo is actually a type of grass, and like grass, it is a very rapidly renewable resource.

Once processed, it can be used in a wide variety of applications. It is harder than maple and has the same tensile strength as steel, yet it can be spun and woven into silky soft textiles.

As we become more aware of our strong and lasting impact on the environment, it is important to make choices that minimize this impact, and preserve our resources for generations to come."

Save a tree with a Kindle 2 Digital eBook Reader

As a New Wave kind of guy, I'm always anxious to be on the crest of the latest, and the Kindle 2: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device (Latest Generation) , and ebook readers in general, are surely the wave of the future.

Not only are you reducing the consumption of paper and saving our forests, by using the Kindle 2, avid readers can save in their wallets, too. Kindle ebook reader titles sell for about a third of their paperbound counterparts, so in no time readers see a cost savings and justify their initial outlay.

Though it's available as of February 24, 2009, the thought of having the equivalent of 1500 titles at your fingertips still seems ultra-futuristic and other-worldly. In the end, Amazon's Kindle 2 eBook Reader is a modern sophisticated tool, perfectly suited for an eco-friendly world, and destined to become commonplace.

Going Green Chic

Way cool recycling idea, and stylish, too!

UrthBags uses old telephone books, newspapers, juice boxes, coconut shells, sea shells and more to re-purpose these otherwise discarded materials.

Socially conscious and fashionista-minded at the same time.

Battery Chargers and Batteries

La Crosse Technology BC-9009 AlphaPower Battery Charger
We use them everyday to power our ever increasing digital world.
Simply re-charging your batteries keeps that many more from further polluting our landfills. Use a battery charger to get the power you need for your laptop, iPod, cell phone, or digital camera. Kill two birds with one stone by keeping batteries from being discarded, and reduce your consumption, too!

Solar Backpacks

About 200 bucks seems kind of steep for a backpack, but with your energy savings, in time these Voltaic backpacks pay for themselves. Their value is increased when you consider you're helping the environment by harvesting the power of the sun, reducing your electricity consumption and not having to buy batteries new.

When you add to that the convenience of having your electronics charged as you go about your day so you're never stuck with a dead cell phone, as well as having something to carry your books and things in, I'd say the cost of a solar backpack is negligible.

Solar Power Books

There's so much to learn about solar energy, one might get a little discouraged and hesitate. That's where Solar Power your Home For Dummies steps up to the plate and shines.

For an introduction to solar power, you can't go wrong with the For Dummies series approach, written in terms that are understandable to the "rest of us", and a healthy dose of humor thrown in for good measure.


Already got your feet wet in solar power? (Note: Phrase used for casual parlance purposes only. Do not try this at home!) Then take it to the next level with Photovoltaics: Design and Installation Manual.

Used as a textbook for many photovoltaic classes around the world, this workbook is great for anybody ready to roll up their sleeves and start their own photovoltaic design and installation. Perfect for those who get a charge out of do-it-yourself projects, and yes, this time the pun is wholly intended!

Solar Lights

We grow our gardens with the strength of the sun. With that thought in mind, seems highly appropriate that we should continue along those lines, and illuminate and further decorate our gardens and landscaping with the powerful sun's help.

Unique Arts Solar Powered Essential Path Light, Stainless Steel, Set Of 12 (left)



SohoDecor 2 Pack Iridescent Mushroom Color Changing Solar Lights / ECO Bonus Edition (right)



Malibu 3-Pack Solar Landscape Plastic Flood Light Set with Remote Panel, Textured Black #LZ413

GasBuddy

Search for gas prices by US Zip Code

I may be for the protection of the environment, but I'm also a pragmatist, and know it will take some time before we're no longer held captive by big oil. At least with GasBuddy, we can promote more competition between gas stations, thereby helping everyone save money on fuel. It's bad enough that we are polluting the world, but worse when we are forced to spend a lot of our hard-earned money in doing so, especially when those same financial resources could be put toward more eco-friendly solutions and endeavors.

Treewhispers

I have a beautiful watercolor painting by Chicagoland local, Rudy Ohrning, and searching the web for other available Ohrning works, I just happened to stumble on Treewhispers, and the artistic Rudy Ohrning contribution on hand-made paper seen to the right.

From the Treewhispers web site: "Treewhispers is a traveling, ever changing and growing art installation. It is an international collaboration involving paper, art and stories relating to trees."

Everyone is free to make a contribution to the Treewhispers art installation. Whether you express yourself on hand-made paper or have a tree story to tell, it's all good, and submissions are more than welcome. In the spirit of green living, what a wonderful way to pay homage to trees, Mother Earth, and community. I'm looking forward to seeing the exhibit this February, and hopefully, Treewhispers will soon travel to an area near you, too.

Ideal Bite

You would think after the gas rationing we went through in the 70s, ecology would have remained in the forefront of our collective minds through the 80s and 90s. That's not what happened, and I have to admit, I'm guilty as the next guy. So if I need to get a daily reminder from Ideal Bite, tailored to my metropolitan area, offering quick tips on how to go green, I say bring it on.

After all, if we are on every merchant's mailing list that we've done online business with, and willingly consider their email offers, why not join a mailing list that not only introduces us to new eco-friendly products and services, but more significantly, keeps the importance of our environment first and foremost in our minds.

Ideal Bite offers daily emails with panache. Short and sweet, easy to digest, and with greater participation, the potential to be a powerful tool in our fight to save our precious environment, and maybe even make up for some lost time.