There have been outdoor lights that are solar powered for a few years now, but there are many more innovative products that harness the sun's energy instead of using up our (environmentally and monetarily) costly power.
This patio umbrella has a solar panel hidden at the very top which provides power to LED lights along the inside. If anyone has tried to hook up lights outside for entertaining or just enjoying dinner outside, I think you can appreciate the ease of this umbrella: no more wires on the ground or extension cords to the house, just one piece that you can leave outside and not have to worry about.
There are lots of solar powered chargers out there, but there is one that seems to be the most useful so far. The Power Monkey charger allows you to save enough power to fully charge your cell phone, mp3 player, digital camera, and other devices; and has some useful extras to boot. An LCD display on the front tells you exactly how much power is left in the charge so that there's no guessing games involved. It comes with a small, folding, water resistant panel that can be either left outside at home or attached to a backpack during travel. I'm going abroad this summer, and its small design and extra international wall socket adapter makes it perfect for travel.
One other fun solar gadget that is more interesting than useful (except when you're as ghastly pale as myself) is the UV Card. This small wonder tells you the temperature outside as well as the strength of the sun's UV rays, all while being powered by the sun. That way I know when it's time to break out the SPF 65 sunscreen or when it's OK to just stick to the usual 15 in my lotion.
College students have had many brilliant ideas in the past and, despite its qestionable design, I think this solar-paneled purse from the mind of an Iowa State University student should be added to that list. Sure, it's not perfect yet, but I think this has amazing potential. Almost every woman carries a purse outdoors on most days, so why not take advantage of that space? A USB cord on the inside allows the user (male or female; usefulness should bridge the genders) to charge any electronics that they are carrying. Again, not quite right yet, but I think it's a great idea.
There are hundreds of solar powered gadgets out there that I could talk about, but there are other earth-friendly products and ideas that I thought I'd give some face time to as well.
This hand-crank powered mp3 player gives you 1GB of storage and lots of musically inspired hand exercise without requiring any power whatsoever. Not quite an iPod touch, but it does a lot less damage on your checking account and you never have to worry about running out of battery mid - Michael Jackson's Thriller again. (Yes!)
I've always wanted to have living plants around my apartment, but my gardening skills have caused every attempt of this to end in brown leaves and one very sad girl. However, there may still be hope now that there are self-watering planters so that even I can pretend to have a green thumb. All you have to do is keep the resevoir at the bottom of the pot from getting empty, and the plant only takes the water that it needs. No more wasting water only to drown your pretty plants. And they come in an array of colors for anyone's designing pleasure.
If any of you have some fun eco-friendly products, feel free to post them here so that we can all be a little greener.
Have a happy EARTH DAY!
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