green home

Organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) seem destined to be a clean, eco-friendly solution to lighting in the very near future. OLEDs are basically LEDs whose electroluminescent surface layer is composed of organic compounds. The compounds can easily be laid down in rows and columns on a polymer substance that holds them in place. OLEDs can be used for television and computer screens as well as lighting. The OLEDs' advantage over LCDs lies in the fact that they require no backlight, allowing them to operate on far less power, and thus far longer on a single charge. They can also be made much thinner than LCDs and manufactured more effectively than both LCDs and plasmas.

That being said, GE has been working on some innovative lighting designs that use OLEDs. Due to their paper thin design

The latest and greatest light bulbs from Nexxus Lighting are here. The Array PAR30 is an LED bulb using only 7.7 watts of power with a brightness equivalent to a 75W standard bulb. They are the first LED bulbs to achieve 95 lumens per watt. These warm or cool white additions to the Array series of bulbs are rated for

a whopping 50,000 hours, over 25 times longer than incandescents. Unlike florescent lamps they power up immediately and can be used with standard dimmers. When the time finally comes to dispose of or recycle expired bulbs, rest assured the PAR30 is RoHS compliant, containing no mercury or lead.

The Nature Mill composter really looks like a great product that efficiently turns your organic waste into nutrient filled compost that can be used for a garden.

The Nature Mill works at any time, day or night, and can convert up to 120 pounds of waste into compost every month. Simply throw your organic waste - waste food, rotten vegetables or fruit, coffee grounds, etc. - into it and the Mill does the rest. The waste remains in the upper chamber in "hot composting" conditions that include mixing, air flow, heat and moisture. The energy released

Over 15 million alkaline batteries are disposed of every year. Finally, one NiMH AA rechargeable battery promises to be convenient, affordable, and reusable. Moxia Energy won a 2008 Gold Product Design Award from International Forum Design (iF) for the product. The USBCELL plugs directly into any USB port and reaches

a full charge in 5 hours. Plugging these batteries in or using an approved standard NiMH charger for even just a few minutes provides enough juice for a quick boost. These brilliant, cordless devices can be used anywhere AA batteries are needed, and charge in any computer or gaming console. A two-pack

Developed by The Laundry Alternative Inc., the Spin Dryer could be up to 100 times more energy efficient than a conventional dryer and could reduce total household energy usage in the U.S. by 6 - 10 percent.

The typical tumble dryer uses about 5,000 watts and run for close to an hour per cycle. The Spin Dryer has short 2 - 3 minute cycle and only uses a maximum of 300 watts. The Spin Dryer works by spinning at a whopping rate of 3200 revolutions per minute, compared to the much slower 500 rpm conventional dryer. This high speed allows the Spin Dryer to extract much more water than a typical washing machine

This interesting concept came from Ontario College of Art and Design Student Michael Tampilic, who designed the vertical garden, dubbed the Vert, to promote sustainable water consumption.

The idea is simple - the terrace is connected to a downspout of a house's gutter system and water is stored in a large tank. The water is then delivered to the plants over a long period of time through cotton wicks that transport the water via capillary action (so no electric pump needed). This not only saves you from using public utilities but takes care of your plant watering duties as well. It is also an

Direct drive is no longer only for turntables. Sans belts and many inefficient moving parts, the LG Eco Steam washing machine makes the drum into one big motor. This results in extremely quiet operation and simpler maintenance. LG boasts electricity savings

of up to 21 percent over comparable sized washers. In addition to being energy efficient, the appliances save water as well. A built in scale tells the user exactly how much capacity for clothing remains, insuring a full load is run every time. Several cycles and special features use steam, which results

Spanish company Domodity has announced an irrigation system for the home garden with integrated environmental sensors to regulate water usage. Users initially program the system with information on plant and soil types in the area to be watered. Then, using real-time measurements of environmental conditions

such as precipitation, humidity, sunlight, and wind, the system monitors evapotranspiration and irrigates accordingly. By insuring the proper amount of moisture at all times, plant health is optimized, fungus is kept at bay, and water usage is reduced up to 50 percent. For even further water savings, the system can be fitted with equipment that will

For those of us who are city dwellers with little inside and less outside space for an herb garden, or for those with simply not enough time or effort to devote to one, the Herbi offers an efficient, low maintenance solution.

The Herbi is basically an adjustable hydroponic herb garden. You just need to place it in a well lit place. It comes with one to six "plant silos" and a control unit. You plant your herbs in the silos and connect them to the control unit. Fill the control unit with water and nutrients and ph balancers, and you're on your

Phantom power jacking up your utility bill? Sure, you can turn off your power strip. But what if you need your digital video recorder to catch Rock of Love when you're out of town? Belkin's solution hits the shelves this summer in North America and the UK.

The Belkin Conserve is an eight outlet surge protector designed to eliminate standby power and hassle. The unit features two outlets that never turn off, for devices that must remain powered. The rest of the outlets are easily switched off using the included