Light up your garden with a solar powered plant pot
Add a glow to your gardening with these fun, funky solar powered plant pots. The pots soak up the daylight, which charges the pot’s internal LED bulbs. These built in bulbs cause the pot to glow gently in the dark, adding a magical touch to your garden or patio. The pot’s solar panel comes on a separate spike attached to the pot by a cable so that, even if the plants don’t sit in direct sunlight, you can simply place the solar panel in the best position to maximise the sun it receives. It’s easy to do – no mains wiring required – plus it’s splashproof to guard against the joys of the British weather. The amount of time the pots glow depends on the amount of sun they receive, varying between 6-8 hours in summer and 2-4 in the winter – so plenty of time for you to enjoy their evening glow even on these winter nights. You can choose one of these lovely eco-friendly pots that glows white, or one that changes colour – and if you cluster a few together they make a stunning display that will put even the most exotic plant to shame. So why not brighten up your garden with a solar powered plant pot?
A solar powered security light helps keep your home safe
The recession has seen a steep increase in the rise of burglaries, so being security conscious has never been more important – and with this Proteam solar powered security light you can safeguard your home and the environment at the same time. This easy to install dual headed light is suitable for your home, garden, garage or shed. It comes with a wall mount bracket and 1.8m of cable, so that you can choose the best position to place it and it can be corner mounted or flat mounted against a wall. Featuring dual adjustable heads, LED bulbs, a solar panel and motion sensor, the Proteam security light is environmentally friendly and inexpensive to run, as it requires no mains power. It features a distance and timing adjustor and can be used to detect motion up to 10 metres away, depending on your requirements. The lights are also easily pivoted to give you the best coverage. As research repeatedly shows that all but the most determined thieves are deterred by even basic home security measures, this solar powered security light is an inexpensive way to help keep your home safe. In these dark months, it is also useful if you live in an area with poor street lighting – no more fumbling for your keys in the dark! Best of all, you can be sure that in protecting your home you are also protecting the planet by choosing this environmentally friendly system.
Add a touch of style to your home with a Roberts DAB high gloss piano radio
If you’re a fan of radio and great design – or even just love the show Mad Men and want some fifties style in your life! - this limited edition Roberts DAB high gloss piano radio will be the perfect addition to your home. It combines gorgeous retro styling with cutting edge DAB technology, so it not only looks great, it sounds fantastic. This Roberts Radio is a new addition to the Roberts Revival family and has features that include FM/DAB wavebands, FM RDS station name display, an easy to read LCD display and auto tune. The radio’s beautiful fifties styling includes gold plated fittings, rotary tuning and volume controls, carry handle and amber backlight display, giving it a high gloss, authentic look. But it is of course the epitome of modern: the radio has a stereo line in socket for iPod/MP3 playback, as well as a headphone socket. Roberts Radio has been making radios since 1932, so has decades of experience in creating quality equipment, and its eco-range is aimed at both saving money and being energy efficient. Roberts Radio even uses recycled materials in its packaging to minimise environmental impact, as well as producing solar powered DAB radios. This limited edition DAB high gloss piano radio is exceptionally energy efficient – it can be powered either from the mains or by battery and it has reduced energy usage and longer battery life – 120 hours! So you can enjoy crystal clear sound, digital quality and great style, as well as knowing that you are supporting environmentally friendly products.
Stop your battery going flat with a Sunforce solar car battery charger
This Sunforce solar car battery charger is perfect for cars, small boats and motorbikes and other vehicles. It utilises solar power to provide a ‘trickle’ charge to your 12 V car battery and is the perfect way to ensure your car battery never goes flat. (This is a particular concern at this time of year, when the last thing you want is to be stranded on the roadside in the cold weather hoping someone will stop to help jump start your car!) Compact, easy to install and affordable, the charger connects in seconds via crocodile clips or your cigarette lighter and is easily mounted on the inside of your car window via suction cups (a cigarette lighter adapter cable, suction cups and battery clips are all included with the price of the solar car battery charger). The charger will also not overcharge a standard car battery, so you don’t need to worry about your car suddenly short circuiting! You can also easily adapt it for long-term use by simply using a silicone sealant to attach it to the car/boat window. It is rated at 1.8W and has a five year warranty. So why not add a Sunforce solar car battery charger to your car care kit? You never know when you might need it!
Sparkle with solar powered Christmas lights
Solar powered Christmas lights are a great way to add some festive cheer to your home without any green guilt! Normal Christmas lights use both energy and create CO2 emissions, but you can still light up your life with these solar powered Christmas rope lights. Made in Germany and created for the British climate, they are designed for both outdoor and indoor use, though they do work better outdoors where, on clear winter days, they should be able to store enough power to work for around two and a half hours every evening. Stylish and simple, these solar powered Christmas lights can actually be used all year round as beautiful garden decorations, but are particularly lovely at this festive time of year. The solar powered Christmas lights are available with yellow and red bulbs (or you could buy two sets for a mixture of both!). If you don’t trust the British winter to deliver enough clear light to charge these over the whole of the festive season, you can always use these to complement your existing traditional tree lights, only switching on the electric lights if your solar powered lights have not fully charged – you’ll still be saving energy and money, and doing your bit for a greener Christmas. And probably impressing the neighbours more than having a giant glowing Santa on the front lawn…
The Horizon H-Racer Hydrogen-Powered Car
Do you feel the need for speed – but the guilt to be green? The eco-friendly Horizon H-Racer is the world’s smallest Hydrogen-powered fuel cell car and lets you indulge your inner Top Gear without damaging the planet. This futuristic toy car is powered by Hydrogen – a non-toxic, renewable energy. The car’s fuel cell technology converts Hydrogen to electricity without any combustion, meaning the only exhaust resulting from fuel cell cars is pure water. The remote control H-racer is an exciting toy that uses the technology that is being developed by motor industry manufacturers to power this eco-friendly car. It contains an onboard Hydrogen storage tank, a fuel cell system linked to the car’s electric motor and a Hydrogen refuelling system that can be linked to an external system solar-powered refuelling system (which is included in the kit) so the car runs on completely clean energy! It is also totally safe, given the tiny amounts of hydrogen used. Developed by Horizon, a group of scientists and entrepreneurs dedicated to developing greener energy solutions, this toy car uses technologies that might one day be commonplace on our roads, helping solve one of the greatest energy challenges we face today – our dependence on fossil fuels. But in the meantime, it provides endless hours of eco-fun and makes the ideal gift for the would-be Lewis Hamilton in your life.
Stay safe and stay green with eco-friendly cycle lights
Cycling is one of the most eco-friendly modes of transport, but now that the evenings and mornings are darker, it’s important to keep safe when you are cycling. Luckily, there is now a range of eco-friendly products available to help you cycle safely without damaging your eco-credentials! Pedalite battery free 360 degree pedal lights are a brilliant solution to the problem of visibility. Designed to keep cyclists visible to motorists from any angle, these lights are powered by your kinetic energy, so as soon as you start pedalling, the pedals harvest and store energy. This means that, if the bike is stopped at a junction or you are freewheeling, the lights continue to flash. Because they use no batteries or rechargers, they are environmentally friendly and cheaper to run. Pedalite also produce a solar powered bag light: this light slips easily over rucksacks and gives over three hours light when fully charged, so is ideal for cyclists (or horse riders) who want to be sure they are seen on the road. Another eco-friendly, battery-free solution is the Power Plus wind-up head light, which comes with a universal clip to attach it to any bike. Visibility isn’t the only issue in these winter months: no one wants to break down on a wet and windy road, so make sure you keep your bike well-maintained. You can buy eco-friendly bike maintenance kits from Green Oil UK, which will help keep you on the road all through the winter.
Stylish solar-powered Sun Jars provide eco-friendly lighting for home and garden
Solar powered lighting is many things, but it is rarely beautiful. However, eco-friendly designers Suck UK Design have come up with an innovative lighting solution that manages to be both green and stylish. Their Sun Jar lights combine solar technology with classical design to provide energy efficient lighting. Made with a traditional Mason jar, the lights contain a solar cell, rechargeable battery and low energy LED lamps. Simply leave in direct sunlight to charge up the Sun Jar, and it automatically activates when it gets dark or when the lights are switched out. (There is an override switch located inside the lid so you can turn it off and conserve the power). Because the Sun Jar uses warm coloured LED lights and the glass is frosted, it gives a warm glow – looking like sunlight diffused through the jar. With no visible external switches, it will intrigue and impress visitors! The Sun Jars are also watertight, so make ideal garden illuminations as they can be left outside whatever the weather. As they give a warm rather than harsh glow, they are also ideal energy efficient and safe nightlights for children. Suck UK Design produce the Sun Jars in a range of colours including pink and blue (the Moon Jar) so you can combine them to beautiful effect. For anyone who likes a more high-tech looking lighting solution, though, Suck UK Design also produces Glow Bricks, which use the same technology placed in an actual lightbulb, encased in an acrylic brick. Available in green and blue, these sharp designs give a contemporary look to your lighting, as well as saving you energy and money.
The Solargorilla gives you more solar power
Solar power is a great eco-friendly solution, but the problem with many solar powered chargers is they simply aren’t capable of charging more energy-sapping devices. The Solargorilla solar laptop charger takes solar power to the next level. The Solargorilla is the latest solar charger from Powertraveller and comes with two solar panels. It is capable of charging most laptops, notebooks, games consoles, music players and mobile phones: it even comes with two sockets, so you can charge up your laptop and mobile phone at the same time! Designed for travel, the Solargorilla has tough, durable solid panels but folds up into its Neoprene case when not in use. It even has a special slot allowing it to be hung from a tent, caravan or vehicle, so it’s perfect for travelling. If a Solargorilla is more power than you need, you can always try the more compact Solarmonkey. Also designed by Powertraveller, the Solarmonkey is a smaller device which is ideal for recharging mobile phones, Ipods, and even some digital cameras and games consoles. This device also offers the ability to save energy into a smaller capacity device, the Monkey Nut. This allows you to still use the charger when the sun has gone in, and stores extra standby power – so you’ll always be able to make that vital call! Like the Solargorilla, it comes with a selection of connector tips and a travel case. So whatever your energy requirements, you can go nuts for these solar devices!
Eternaled and PIR: eco-friendly floodlights
Unfortunately, gone are the days when doors could be left unlocked at night without the fear of burglary. Sadly, gone too are the days when doors can be left unlocked during the day – even open windows are a risk in this age of social and moral decadence. Nevertheless, despite the oft-reported mobs of ASBO-crazed teenagers and recession-hit scoundrels who bring horror to communities up and down the country, the present day and age is also no time to be leaving the lights on. In fact, one of the few remaining social crimes happens to be relatively new: environmental inefficiency.Indeed, whilst the aforementioned unruly delinquents are served up meaningless anti-social behaviour orders and thieves are handed fines or suspended prison terms, anybody seen doing harm to the planet is likely to face a public hanging, at least metaphorically speaking. Thus, installing old style security floodlights may seem like a great idea to those who do not fancy having their properties ransacked, but to others they may appear to be an incredible waste of energy. Fortunately, the Eternaleds Floodlight Bulbs are on hand to make home security an environmentally friendly pursuit. Available in 9W and 18W varieties, the LED floodlights from Eternaleds offer energy savings of around 80% over their incandescent cousins. Furthermore, the bulbs feature a shatter-proof plastic casing with passive cooling technology, which basically means the bulbs are kept cool enough to be handled. Also of value to the environment, these superb floodlights contain no hazardous or toxic materials, such as mercury, which can cause harm to the local environment on disposal. Indeed, the Eternaleds bulbs provide basic home security in an entirely eco–friendly manner.
Another eco-friendly solution is the solar powered PIR Light Stake. Retailing at under £30, this can be wall mounted or freestanding and is ideal for driveways and gardens. Operated by a motion sensor, it is a perfect green choice for security lighting.
