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The Sun Lights Up Dallas Pathways At Night

July 29, 2010 in Green Products

Lea Bogdan had covered this new green building in Dallas downtown called the 17seventeen on the inhabitat website and I wondered what was the new lighting she was referring to. So I thought about taking a closer look at it.  No, it is not moon light and it is not your usual solar garden lights on stakes either, Solar Cynergy a company based in Norco California has a series of lights which can be integrated into the flooring thus lighting up pathways during the night. They are manufacturers of architectural solar lighting for residences, developments and cities. Looking at the product I think it could be called a solar brick light or something, as the encased light does resemble kind of a brick with its thickness and sturdiness.

Rectangular lights

The units come in 3 shapes: circular, square and rectangular shaped. The units also come in 5 colors: Blue,Green, White, Halogen White and Red. The units are all self contained and get charged by sun-light during the day. The units are removed from view and embedded beneath a scratch-resistant polycarbonate resin surface, the solar panels cycle power to a capacitor that charges during the day and automatically illuminates the LEDs at nightfall via a photosensor.

Solar Cynergy specifies that the lights need a full day of sunlight exposure before it can start lighting up the night. These lights can be integrated into the floor or walls where they will be exposed to direct sunlight. These lights which are of the top most quality do not come cheap it is priced from around 900$ for a 6pack of the round lights to around 2000$ for the rectangular lights 6pack.

The incorporated lighting really adds to the building’s architecture visually and also is a very green idea put into use in a large scale setup. Aesthetically and environmentally the solar pavers make a lot of sense. Check out the pictures below and follow the links below for more details.

Read the Full article on Inhabitat here

Check out Solar Cynergy website here or their blog here

A video I found on youtube showing the lights a little more clearly check it out:

You can check out the prices at the links below which will take you to Amazon.com or look for a retailer here

Square Blue Solar Light 6 pk

Rectangular Blue Solar Light 6 pack


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Solar Sound2: Speakers Charged By the Sun

July 13, 2010 in Green Products

These days music is not restricted to the four walls or the headsets of one’s walkman, we have moved to iPod’s and other cute and small music players and phones which double as music players! Adding Speakers make them equivalent to any standard music player which can blare music for everyone to hear. But when outside one things that hampers use of speakers is how to power them? Finding a power source/ power point etc.. wires et al makes it cumbersome. UK based Devotec Industries has a solution – Solar powered speakers!!

Devotec Industries is a new and exciting technology company whose primary focus is to develop their range of cutting-edge electronics. With a design team led by their Cambridge Phd CTO, the products they have created are among the most efficient and reliable in the industry.

The Devotec industries Solar Sound 2 Bluetooth® Speakers are light and portable while still being able to produce a deep, clear sound. With integrated bluetooth, they can be connected wirelessly to most of the latest phones, including the iPhone (with use of the iPhone 3.0 software update). The Solar Sound 2 speakers have an integrated solar panel for charging in sunny areas, and a 3.5mm connector for use with music sources that do not have bluetooth (cable supplied). This is the second generation Solar speaker from Devotec and has some significant improvements from the first version. Better charging options and higher volume being a couple.

Although you audiophiles out there will have issues with the sound, the average joe will be more than happy with music playback. Portability is the major plus point for the Solar Sound 2.

Specifications:

  • 2x 2W speakers for proper stereo sound
  • Wireless connectivity to any Bluetooth® phone or MP3 player supporting the A2DP and AVRCP profiles
  • Plug into any standard headphone jack with the included 3.5mm headphone retractable cable
  • Built in Mic for hands free communication when paired with a suitable phone
  • Large solar panel for charging the built in Lithium-Ion 1600mAh battery
  • Up to 10 hours continuous play time via Bluetooth® from the battery and and can even play from no battery on a sunny day!
  • Touch-screen panel for remotely controlling your music, including Fast Forward and Rewind buttons, as well as Volume Control
  • Gold Plated audio connectors and silver coated, oxygen free copper speaker cabling
  • Line out function for streaming music over bluetooth to a hi-fi
  • Includes protective case, AC/DC plug and charging cable
  • Charging time: from 4 hours by AC/USB, about 12-24 hours from solar panel
  • Small Dimensions: 16.5 x 5.5 x 5.5cm
  • Weight: 320g (not including pouch or accessories).
  • PowerBoost function

It is priced at $99.99 and can be Brought HERE

Source for data and video Devotec Industries Website


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gDiaper Earth Friendly Diapers: An Eco-Friendly Choice

July 12, 2010 in Green Products

My little niece is almost 2 and she goes through 3-4 diapers a day now! When she was a baby the numbers used to be much higher and my sister was always looking for an alternative which made sense economically and environmentally. She has used cloth diapers as a replacement and what we discovered was it made better sense environmentally to use the disposable kind as the cloth one actually created a larger carbon footprint than the disposable one!!(Check out the video at the end of the post you will be surprised at what you learn!)

My mom says it gives parents a pass to take their time to potty train their little ones, she says in her childhood with out the security of the diaper most kids were potty trained by the time they were walking! Cloth diaper manufacturers do claim their users are potty trained a year earlier than disposable diaper users.

Disposable diapers made there appearance in various forms in the early part of the 20th century. In 1949 Johnson & Johnson introduced the first mass produced disposable diapers in the US. Since then it has become a staple in every babies life growing up. The US diaper industry is valued at 3.2Billion dollars annually; which amounts to around 18billion diapers which head to the landfill every year! Each one has an outer layer of waterproof polypropylene and an inner layer of fluff made from wood pulp plus super-slurper sodium polyacrylate (SAP) that can hold a hundred times its weight in water.

Those 18 billion diapers add up to 82,000 tons of plastic a year (want to calculate the amount of crude oil??) and 1.3 million tons of wood pulp — 250,000 trees. After a few hours of active service these materials are trucked away, primarily to landfills, where they sit, neatly wrapped packages of excrement, entombed undegraded for several hundred years. In raw form sewage is illegal in land fills, some how with diapers it is kind of over looked too!

World over all countries now have access to the disposable diaper which is seen as a boon to new parents who then don’t have to worry about leaks and mishaps. Approximately 50million diapers are said to be ending up in waste dumps world!

The Great Disposable Diaper Debate from the Sustainability Institute makes for very interesting reading.

gDiaper the Green Diaper

Anyways coming to the Earth friendly diaper The gDiaper The most eco-friendly diaper available, gDiapers provides parents with a diapering solution that is good for babies, parents and the planet. You can have the flexibility of a disposable diaper with a 100% biodegradable gRefill, or opt for re-usability with super soft and trim-fitting gCloth inserts.

What makes them special?

  • g stands for green diapers. gDiapers are breathable, 100% biodegradable diapers you can flush, compost or toss. gDiapers are designed to keep your baby dry and comfortable and the planet a little happier.
  • Home compost, toss, or flush the biodegradable gRefill for the smallest footprint on earth. gDiapers break down in 50-150 days.
  • gDiapers are plastic-free, elemental chlorine free, latex free, and perfume free.
  • Comes in 2 options – Choose from two guilt-free options: biodegradable diapers with our biodegradable gRefills or reusable cloth diapers with our gCloth inserts.
  • The company also has machine washable and colorful diaper covers which they call gPants to use with the gDiapers.

The gpants which are 92% cotton, 8% spandex, no elemental chlorine, no perfumes, no latex and no guilt, comes in 3 sizes small, medium and large – priced at 101$ for a pack of 6 and are on sale now for$70.00

The grefills and diaper cloths are priced from 15-30$ depending on the size and number of pieces in a packet.

A really Cute g Pant

I find the product very interesting and am recommending it to my sister, it is nice to start a Green life style real early, and cotton am sure should be much more comfortable for my little niece :) What do you think? Live Green!

Source for Pictures and Information on gDiapers, refills etc >> www.gdiapers.com

A Very Interesting and educative Video about the impact of Diapers on the environment from the National Geographic Do check it out :)


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NREL’s “DEVap” The Future of Cooling!

June 22, 2010 in Green Products

Picture Courtesy Larry Page

The Dog Days of Summer are on us already and the heat is climbing everyday. It is a tough choice between deciding whether to switch the Air Conditioner on or keep the windows open which would be the green thing to do. When the heat gets unbearable it is difficult to not reach for the thermostat and switch on the Air Conditioner.

Air Conditioners also mean heftier power bills it climbs up in to the 100$ plus range and one is left wondering what to do to keep oneself cool without spending so much energy and money. MIT’s Technology review states it well “When it comes to home comforts, few inventions can beat the air conditioner for its ability to help us tolerate the dog days of summer. The problem is, when it comes to energy-guzzlers, few inventions can beat the air conditioner”.

A soothing solution is on the way! for both our wallets and our homes.The NREL has built on the basic concept of the swamp cooler to make it effective and efficient to solve our cooling issues.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory has invented a new air conditioning process with the potential of using 50 percent to 90 percent less energy than today’s top-of-the-line units. It uses membranes, evaporative cooling and liquid desiccants in a way that has never been done before in the centuries-old science of removing heat from the air.

What are Evaporative Coolers?

Evaporative coolers or Swamp coolers have been used for many many years all over the world to cool rooms during the dog days of summer. They basically use evaporating water to cool the air around. They are referred to as Swamp coolers in the US probably due to the swamp like smell the algae assocaited with earlier products. Swamp coolers are perfect for areas with high heat and low humidity. In dry, arid climates, the installation and operating cost of a swamp cooler can be much lower than standard conditioning, often by 80% or so. However, swamp cooling and vapor-compression air conditioning are sometimes used in combination to produce optimal cooling results.

Swamp coolers are being used world over in tropical countries as a cheaper alternative to Air-conditioning and are typically referred to as desert coolers. The filters which the hot air passes through is made of hay/other fibrous substances which soak in water and let air pass through. the filters are cleaned in regular intervals to keep it algae free.

Like mentioned earlier the thing to watch out for is humidity which works against the cooler as adding more water to the already humid air just makes it more sticky and not cool.

The Coolerado cooler is a unique cooler which uses indirect evaporative systems use a purge air stream that removes heat from the product or supply air stream that is then directed into a building. This still does not help in humid conditions.

NREL’s DEVap The Future of Cooling!

The DEVap solves that problem. It relies on the desiccants’ capacity to create dry air using heat and evaporative coolers’ capacity to take dry air and make cold air.

“By no means is the concept novel, the idea of combining the two, But no one has been able to come up with a practical and cost-effective way to do it. The idea is to revolutionize cooling, while removing millions of metric tons of carbon from the air,” NREL mechanical engineer Eric Kozubal, co-inventor of the Desiccant-Enhanced eVaporative air conditioner (DEVap), said.

Most people know of Desiccants as the small sachets which come with shoes etc to keep them dry. NREL uses syrupy liquid desiccants – highly concentrated aqueous salt solutions of lithium chloride or calcium chloride. They have a high affinity for water vapor, and can thus create very dry air. Desiccant based cooling systems in use were very complex and hence used only for industrial purposes.

NREL uses thin membranes that simplify the process of integrating air flow, desiccants, and evaporative cooling. This results in an air conditioning system that provides superior comfort and humidity control.

The membranes in the DEVap A/C are hydrophobic i.e. means water tends to bead up rather than soak through the membranes. Imagine rain falling on a freshly waxed car. That property allows the membranes to control the liquid flows within the cooling core. “It’s that property that keeps the water and the desiccant separated from the air stream,” Kozubal said.

Picture Source NREL

NREL senior engineer Eric Kozubal examines a prototype air flow channel of the DEVap air conditioner, which he co-invented. The graph superimposed on the photo shows shows how hot humid air, in red, changes to cool dry air, in blue, as the air passes through the DEVap core.

The Devap A/C’s desiccant and evaporative cooling effect work together to create cold-dry air.

What makes it Green and Wallet friendly?

  • DEVap uses 50 percent to 90 percent less energy than top-of-the-line refrigeration-based air conditioning.
  • DEVap uses salt solutions rather than refrigerants, there are no harmful chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) or hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) to worry about.
  • A standard A/C uses around 13pounds of refrigerant which is equivalent to burning more than 1,300 gallons of gasoline, or driving over 60,000 miles in a 2010 Toyota Prius.
  • Traditional air conditioners use a lot of electricity to run the refrigeration cycle, but DEVap replaces that refrigeration cycle with an absorption cycle that is thermally activated. It can be powered by natural gas or solar energy and uses very little electricity.

When one sees what it can do it means that DEVap could become the most energy efficient way to cool your house irrespective of where you live; Phoenix, New York, or Houston.

NREL has patented the DEVap concept, and Kozubal expects that over the next couple of years he will be working on making the device smaller and simpler and perfecting the heat transfer to make DEVap more cost effective.

Eventually, NREL will license the technology to industry, “We’re never going to be in the air conditioner manufacturing business”, said Ron Judkoff, Principle Program Manager for Building Energy Research at NREL. “But we’d like to work with manufacturers to bring DEVap to market and create a more efficient and environmentally benign air conditioning product.”

Hoping the day comes soon when the DEVap is available as a Green and wallet friendly cooling solution on the market. Live Green!

Sources :

NREL article by Bill Scanlon and the picture.

MIT’s Technology Review where I read it first

The Wikipedia for info on Swamp coolers


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A Dozen Plus Green Gift Ideas for Fathers Day

June 14, 2010 in Green Products

Father’s Day a day to honor fathers, paternal bonds, and the communal influence of fathers. Just like mother’s day it is celebrated by everyone to celebrate their fathers.

In the US it falls on the 3rd Sunday of June which incidentally falls on the 20th of June this year. Father’s day became a national event after it was designated a national holiday by President Nixon in 1972.  So every year we all think about what to get dad? I know if and when I have asked my father what I can get him he always says “I don’t need anything” and then am going behind his back talking to mom and then my siblings we discuss and discuss and discuss until we reach invariably the same conclusion every year – a Tie / a New Pen / electronics??. And of course the card!

The last few years I have searched diligently to find something Green for him and have mostly ended up with a handmade card and a bottle of his favorite scotch =) so this year I thought I needed to work a little more and find a list of things my dad or any other dad would love to have and would make more sense environmentally. My dad loves to spend time in his vegetable patch when not at work, so I will probably also go look at some seeds / plants etc… native of course. Then since he takes care of a whole region and needs to keep in touch via email and phone a some new technology stuff might come in handy too… well let me make a list… Yeah I do still kind of stick to handmade cards it just adds to the personal touch and makes both of us happy giving and recieving it =)

So here it goes my list of Green Gifts for the Special Man in your life –

My first Choice is a donation in Dad’s name to the Ocean Conservancy or the Ocean Futures Society to help protect the Oceans and the Ocean dwellers. The clean up of the OilSpill in the Gulf is being funded by BP but the aftermath of the spill will be long lasting and will need all the donations it can get. I have also added a list of charities at the end of the list just incase you are a donor looking to make a gift which helps others in your dad’s name.

1. What better way than a lasting gift that keeps on giving. The Nature Conservancy protects Earth’s most important natural places — for you and future generations — through great science and smart partnerships. Your dad will adore receiving this fun and personalized gift that helps to protect and restore the Earth’s most critical natural places.

I am sure it would make any Green guy happy! Price: 50$ or more per Acre.

2. A board game for the little ones and Dad – Bioviva

The more we understand about nature the more we’ll want to help preserve it. This award-winning game will help instill in your kids, and yourself, an interest in learning more about nature and our planet. In this game two to six players assume the roles of adventurers thirsting for knowledge. Each player begins the game by drawing a destination card. Multiple choice question cards are drawn throughout the game covering topics such as solar systems, plant/animal behavior, evolution, and other areas. Eco-points are awarded along with advice about environmental protection to players correctly answering questions, with the winner being the first player to collect the required eco-points for the locations listed on his or her destination card. Suitable for 2 to 6 players, ages 8 and older. Approximate playing time is 60 minutes.

All printed materials with this game are from recycled materials and recyclable, with vegetable-based inks. The wooden pawns are made from beech trees from PEFC certified French forests. What better way to inculcate the love for the environment in kids and also bond with Dad!

Price: around 30$

3. A Backpack for dad’s laptop with solar changers integrated! How cool is that?

The Voltaic Converter is a versatile solar backpack for charging handheld electronics. It is a small light weight day bag with a compartment for a water bladder, so it is ideal for biking and hiking.

  • 4.5 watts of solar power for fast charging.
  • The solar panels protect fragile items inside.
  • Included battery pack which stores power until you need it.
  • 10 adapters for easy connection to handheld electronics.
  • Wire channels throughout the backpack for headphones, bladder tubes etc.
  • High density padding in the shoulder straps and back .
  • Can be worn as a backpack or sling bag.
  • Mesh backing material for better air flow.
  • Shell uses 600D fabric made from recycled PET (soda bottles), which is tough, water resistant and light weight.
  • Indicator light inside the logo shows when the panels are generating a charge.

Price: 200$

4. A solar Cooker from Sun Ovens-

Sun Ovens International is striving to develop and implement comprehensive solar cooking programs that will radically decrease the developing world’s dependence on fuel wood and dung as the primary cooking fuels while benefiting the environment, raising the standard of living and improving the health of the poor worldwide. Solar cooking doesn’t have to be limited, however, to those in developing countries. Sun Ovens can be used anywhere, year-round.

Price: Around 300$

5. iSolPlus – The Super solar charger- Get Dad a portable charger to help keep his small electrical device running longer. We have all experienced running out of power while listening to your MP3 player, playing your PSP or talking on your cell phone. Silicon Solar offers the new iSol Plus. This innovative solar charger can be charged using free solar energy. No sun available? Don’t worry, the iSol Plus can also be charged using your computer’s USB port.

The iSol Plus comes with 3 different DC output settings: 5.5v, 7.5v and 9.5v. The charging time for the iSol Plus using the solar panel is about 10-20 hours and 2-4 hours using the USB connector.

The iSol Plus is great for PDA, MP3, IPOD and more. The kit also comes with adaptors for some Motorola and Samsung cell phones. Adaptors are constantly changing with today’s technology and if this kit doesn’t have what you need, there are many companies that sell the USB adaptors for your device. If you have a USB adaptor to charge your device you will be able to use the iSol Plus to provide the charge. A male USB Mini 5 Pin adaptor is included with the iSols, rather than a female USB A (standard USB).

Price: around 35-40$

If looking for some more solar stuff check out here

They also have some cool lights on sale here

6. A Green Laptop Jacket for Dad

GreenSmart’s Laptop Jackets are a stylish choice for laptop protection. They are made from supple, strong, durable fabrics derived from 100% post consumer recycled plastic water and soda bottles.

Eco-friendly Always On Protection stays on your laptop full time, to open and close with it. Sized to fit your laptop, lightweight, and sleek enough to fit into another carrying bag. Handles can be used for carrying or tucked away. Shoulder strap included for added convenience. Price: $45.00

7. Dad needs a new display for his Computer? Get him a Green one!

Lenovo L2440P 24 inch Wide Flat Panel Native resolution of 1920 x 1200; Internal power with 35 watts/50 watts power consumption; Up to 50% less power consumption than conventional monitors of the same size and resolution; 33% less mercury content than conventional monitors of the same size and resolution; Four high speed USB 2.0 connectors; Tilt, Swivel, and height adjustable stand ; Pivot for portrait or landscape viewing; Analog and DVI-D video signal connectors; supports HDCP: Compliance with Energy Star 4.1 requirements; Kensington Lock slot for security; TCO 03 compliance; EPEAT Gold certified; GREENGUARD certified  

Price: $374.99

Anything Tech related and Green You can find a few more here

8. Does Dad love his iPod? Get him a Green iPod speaker! Sprout Creation Vers 2X – Bamboo

Vers2X – Bamboo Ever heard of a plastic violin… neither have we. Vers is the first hand-crafted wood iPod speaker with real wood finish – made to look and sound like a musical instrument. The lustrous bamboo finish will match any decor in your home, and the 1/2″ thick wood speaker chambers and dual ported stereo design provide exceptional sound performance. Perfect for the Family room, Kitchen or Bedroom, or anywhere where superior acoustics are demanded.

Vers is more than just a great looking and sounding speaker system; it is good for the planet. The wood comes from sustainable plantation forests, what is used is replaced. Vers also features a low power consumption amplifier and power supply to save energy, plus all packaging comes from recycled material and is completely recyclable.

Price: $199.99

9. Recycled Glass bowls and Glasses from Amazon price from 20- 56$

10. Swiss Army knife with a Blade, Nail file with Screwdriver, Scissors, Key ring, Tweezers, LED Mini White Light (18,000 MCD)

11. A Casio Solar powered digital watch – Shopping for a fashionable, feature-packed timepiece doesn’t need to drain your bank account. The affordable Casio Men’s Tough Solar Digital Sports Watch #WL500-1A comes packed with features typically found in more expensive digital watches, like solar powered quartz movement–which means you’ll never need to change its battery–an LED light with Afterglow technology for telling time in the dark, a day and month calendar, and four daily alarms (including a snooze function for when you need a few extra minutes of sleep). This watch also includes a stopwatch that can record split time and a low battery warning. With a resin band with a traditional buckle clasp, this watch is water-resistant to 165 feet (50 meters).  

Casio Solar Watches Price: 30$ to 300$

12. A Recycled Cycle Chain Bottle Opener – Manly indeed!

The first chain-driven bike was made in 1885. But it took more than a century for the next great innovation – the recycled chain bottle opener – to be developed. The flexible chain makes a unique handle for the colorful anodized aluminum head. So much fun to play with you’ll wish twist-offs had never been invented. And of course a good conversation starter!

Mix and match colors. Dimensions: 8” x 1.5”. Available in Red, Silver, Green, Blue, and Orange.

Price: 11$   Bambeco has a lot of Eco-friendly stuff in different price ranges.

These are some other charities who do amazing work around the world do take a moment and check them out when you have some money and time to spare. Thank you.

For Human rights – Amnesty

For Global Education – Cosmos Education

For the Children - Worldvision

For fighting Aids and Malaria – Global Fund

For the wildlife around the world - WWF

For the Chimpanzees – Save the Chimps

For Women – Women for Women

For the environment – Stop global warming

Well looks like I have enough for this year will have to pick something soon so I can get it to dad by Father’s Day. Happy Green Gift Shopping! Live Green!


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Mission Fake Chicken

June 7, 2010 in Green Products

Picture courtesy Time magazine

Going Vegetarian has never been easier. It is one of the ways to really go Green. If everyone would avoid meat once a week it can reduce the amount of green house gases by a good amount. These days you can pretty much find vegetarian alternatives to almost every meat favorite from soy sausages and “Fib Ribs” to Tofurky jerky and mock lobster. Most restaurants including fast food chains are providing vegetarian menus and veggie burgers too.

One of the things that have been missing has been Chicken! This spring, scientists at the University of Missouri announced that after more than a decade of research, they had created the first soy product that not only can be flavored to taste like chicken but also breaks apart in your mouth the way chicken does: not too soft, not too hard, but with that ineffable chew of real flesh. When you pull apart the Missouri invention, it disjoins the way chicken does, with a few random strands of “meat” hanging loosely.

Read the entire article here

Check out the video here

FYI – By switching to a vegetarian diet, you can save more than 100 animals a year from misery.

And if you are planning to go vegetarian start with the birds and their eggs as they are smaller more of them need to lose their lives to feed a few of us.

If interested in going vegetarian check out go veg GO GREEN!!


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2 Green Products For A Green Summer

May 13, 2010 in Green Products

We have been searching to find something useful and green; And there are just so many Green products out there. Then we thought it is going to be summer, which means yard work! Found these two products – One will help you cut manicure your lawns and give you a decent workout, and the other one will reduce the amount of waste that goes into the waste dumps. Using less motorized equipments and composting essential parts of a Green garden!

Remember pushing the lawnmower around as youngster? Well that was and still is the eco-friendly way to cut grass and keep your lawn looking good. Our first product is the Brill Razorcut Lawn mower.

Everything that is old is new again.  Here is Push Reel Lawn Mower that is a joy to use.  Lightweight, super efficient, easy-to-handle and quiet. And as an added bonus — no pollution. This really is one of, if not the best, push mowers you can buy.  Green living is easy.

Brill Razorcut Push reel mower

BRILL REEL MOWER BENEFITS:

5 Blades — The optimal number of blades for superior cutting and ease of pushing.

Weighs only 17 pounds – light enough to hang on the garage wall or pick up with one hand

8 inch diameter wheels

Silent cut design — The blade misses the bedknife by less than a millimeter. This reduces friction and allows the mower to cut the grass like scissors. It also increases the blade life, which means you won’t have to sharpen for a decade or more.

Flame hardened, welded steel blades — harder than tempered alloy, which also helps increase blade life.

Dry powder coat on metal components — Powder coated surfaces are more resistant to chipping, scratching, fading, and wearing than other finishes. And colors stay bright and vibrant longer. Powder coating is also highly protective of the environment, because it contains no solvents.

Sealed bearings. No extra maintenance required, because the bearings are sealed.

Brill mowers feature a 2 year manufacturer’s warranty.

The Silent Cut Design reduces wear and tear on the blades. In this system, the reel blade and the bedknife don’t come in contact – instead they remain separated by less than a millimeter and shear the grass like scissors. This clean cut also helps the grass recover, because it doesn’t mangle the stem or leave a jagged edge.

This lets you cut low enough for the golf course look, and high enough for an average length c
Cutting height ranges from 15mm to 45mm (0.7 inches to 1.8 inches). ut for a wide variety of grass types.

Mowing width is 38 cm (15.2 inches). Small enough to maneuver easily through the yard, but still about 75 percent as wide as the average 20 inch wide gas mower.

Mower comes fully assembled except for the handle. The handle comes in three pieces and requires no tools to put together and attach to the mower. Takes about 10 minutes to get out of the box and into the yard. The handle has a great design giving this model a more stylish and sleek look while allowing for easy maneuvering.

Detailed information on the ball bearing system:
Brill reel mowers have a sealed bearing with a separate bearing race.

Types of grass where the Brill is NOT usually suitable

Brill mowers are lightweight, which makes them perfect for most types of grass. However, a few thicker grasses will typically pose problems for Brill mowers. If you have St Augustine grass, Zoysia, or Bermuda, then you should consider something like the Scotts Classic reel mower instead, which does fine with those grasses.

Things to keep in mind with any manual reel mower

1. Manual reel mowers don’t cut tall weeds well (but they do great on grass!). Because of the design, the reel will roll over tall weeds and dandelions without cutting much. So they aren’t a good choice to mow a vacant lot, but they’ll do superbly with a grass lawn.

2. If you don’t mow weekly, it’s going to be much harder to push. You know how a gas mower will bog down when you try to mow grass that hasn’t been cut in weeks? Well, it’s like that with a reel mower, except you’re the motor.

Priced around 300$ inclusive of the grass catcher. You can buy it HERE

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Our Second Product is a simple compostor made out of recycled plastics, which makes composting easy and affordable.

This unobtrusive recycled plastic composter is an easy way to turn kitchen scraps and other organic waste from your home into fertilizer for your garden.

The durable design of this compost bin makes it an efficient composter for kitchen scraps and yard waste. The large lid, oversized handle, and 4 sliding access panels (one on each side) make it easy for any gardener to start composting. As the organic material decomposes, you simply open any one of the sliding panels and shovel out your rich, high-quality compost.

Recycled Plastic Compost Bin Features and Benefits:

  • Requires no tools for assembly, so you can start composting in a matter of minutes.
  • Holds more than 12 cubic feet of material (approximately 90 gallons), which is plenty of room for several bags of leaves, grass clippings, kitchen scraps, etc.
  • The extra-large lid allows you to add lots of organic material at once. This also helps with watering and mixing the compost.
  • Features 4 sliding panels so you can easily take out the compost with a shove.
  • Opened bottom compost bin. This lets the liquid compost tea that comes from the compost seep into the soil where the bin is located, improving the soil in the area around where you’ve set up the composting unit.
  • Wide air slots for proper air circulation and efficient decomposition of organic waste.
  • Dimensions 85centimeters tall x 75 centimeters wide x 75 centimeters deep (the approximate size in inches is 33″ h x 28.5″ w x 28.5″ d)
  • Comes with easy to assemble instructions.
  • Made from 100% recycled Polypropylene plastic.
  • The dark color soaks up sunlight and maintains a warm operating temperature for accelerated results.

The Polypropylene plastic that’s used in this composter is unusual. Unlike type 1 plastic (PETE) or type 2 plastic (HDPE), Polypropylene (type 5 plastic) usually ends up in the landfill rather than being recycled into new products. There isn’t much demand for recycled Polypropylene – it’s primarily used to make bottle caps and drinking straws, and those can’t be made from recycled plastic for sanitary reasons. By purchasing products made with recycled Polypropylene, you can help prevent unnecessary waste and create market demand that encourages more people to recycle.

Energy Saving

Using this product will cut down on the amount of energy we use in our everyday life.

Low Carbon Footprint

Through its process it does no produce a large amount of CO2.

Recyclable and/or Recyclable Packaging

The materials used in this product can be recycled at the end of its use, or is made from recycled materials which saves waste.

If your compost dries out too quickly, you can help keep moisture inside by adding coco fiber to the compost mix. By using a good mix of dry and wet ingredients, you can accelerate the process of turning trimmings and kitchen scraps into healthy soil!

Priced around 120$ this is available Here

Hope it helped in Greening your Garden! Live Green!


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6 Green Gifts For Mothers Day

May 3, 2010 in Green Products

Happy Mother's Day!!

May 9th is Mother’s day, the day to honor motherhood anyour mother. I was thinking about gifts for mom and thought it would be nice to make a list of gifts, affordable, useful and environment friendly! Just like a mom keeps on giving get her a gift which would keep on giving. After searching high and low these are some of the options I came up with :

  1. Instead of boquets why not a garden / a flowering plant? - it lasts longer and keeps on giving flowers! If one picks perennials it will come back year after year after year! You can make it a garden kit with accessories like kneelers, pruners etc… Check this link or Check out your garden store you will be pleasantly surprised at what you can find.


    2. Photo courtesy Diana

  2. Ecoist makes one of a kind handbags from candy wrappers! I thought they look pretty cool and stylish! Ecoist handmade handbags are made from recycled candy wrappers, food packages, soda labels, and other recycled materials. We collect waste and “upcycle” it into eco friendly bags, recycled purses, and one-of-kind, limited collection handbags. Price 22$ to 170$.

  3. Gaiam has these cool solar shoji lanterns for outdoor living, energy efficient! eye catchy and very useful for out door entertaining! It is weatherproof and also comes in a set of 3. Price 30-90$

    4. To buy Shoji lanterns

  4. You can adopt and acre of land in the Appalachian in mom’s name and that is a gift which will keep giving for generations to come!  When you give Adopt an Acre® Appalachians as a Mother’s day gift, The nature Conservancy will sent a packet in a special envelope to your mom announcing your gift. You can also set up an e-card to announce your gift on Mothers day. When you Adopt an Acre® today, you can choose to help protect forest in the United States, lush rainforests sanctuaries abroad, the grasslands in East Africa, or one of many magnificent coral reefs. Price 50$ per acre.

  5. Sunlight in a Jar!! Have you ever wanted to capture sunlight in a jar? Aww. Sounds nice, right? Well, now you can do it! Seriously! Pairing a traditional glass mason jar with a solar-charged high-tech energy efficient LED lamp, the Sun Jar generates soft natural light in a very appealing package. Just place the Sun Jar in direct sunlight during the day (perfect on your window sill), and see that sunlight returned in the form of glowing LED awesomeness at night. Perfect on a patio or in your garden, and quietly reassuring as a nightlight in a bedroom, the Sun Light is a very bright idea. It’ll really glow on you!  4″ diameter, 6.5″height price 45$

    6. Available here

  6. Canvas eco friendly shopping totes with Mom’s name printed on it is a wallet friendly green gift for every day!

    Check them out here

And there is always the option of donating to charities especially with the economy being where it is and all the natural calamities world over, they can use all the help they can get. The International Red cross, Doctor’s without borders, Clinton-Bush-Haiti-fund , Help Tibetan Earthquake victimsetc to name a few.

Will add more gifts as I find them, Let me know if you have something you would like to share. Happy Green shopping for Mom!


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Green Product Of The Week- Preserve Paperstone Kitchen Cutting Board

April 29, 2010 in Green Products

You will find a listing of green environmentally friendly products here. We at Connect-Green believe it will make an impact in the long run as to what we choose to use in our daily lives.

This week our feature product is a cool cutting board which should be a classy addition to any Green kitchen.

The Preserve Paperstone™ kitchen cutting board

List Price: $24.99
Price: $15.39

The Preserve Paperstone™ kitchen cutting boards are master food prep boards made entirely from 100% recycled paper. This knife friendly and eco friendly cutting board is available in two sizes – bar board and prep board. The cutting boards include a unique design with a wave patterned grip hole. The grip hole also makes it easy to hang these boards on a hook or a pot rack. The Paperstone™ board has an easy to clean non-porous coating that is free from chemicals and petroleum based ingredients. The kitchen cutting board is made with paper that is sourced and certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. The olive black prep board and bar board are also designed with soft curves that eliminate any sharp corners. A kitchen cutting board that is designed for the times and manufactured for sustainability. Now that’s progress!
Features:

Powered by leftovers™
Made with 100% post-consumer recycled paper
Durable, knife-friendly board
Easy-to-clean, non-porous surface
Feels like wood, but dishwasher safe
Curved soft outside corners
Easy grip hole makes hanging convenient

Sizes:
Bar board – 8″ x 6″
Prep board – 13″ x 8″

You can buy it here: Eco Friendly Preserve Post-Consumer Cutting Board (Large)


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