Here’s a another great alternative to buying bottled water.   This Restore Clean Water System consists of an 8-cup pitcher and an ultraviolet adapter.  Restore has a unique dual-filter process for eliminating solid particulate material as well as bacteria and viruses from your tap water.  The pitcher has both a carbon filter and an ultraviolet germ-killing system.  Unlike pitcher filters from Pur, Brita, and Zero Water, the Restore pitcher has a two-step water purification process.  In step one – a carbon filter reduces any heavy metals, chlorine and industrial pollutants in your water – in step two, the unit’s UV purification system removes 99.99% of viruses, bacteria and microbial cysts.

As our latest Tried and True Green Products Review, HoMedics was kind enough to provide us a unit for testing.  We found that it took 4 pitchers of water to get the subtle carbon flavor of the particulate filter out of the water, but after that, the filtered water tasted fine.  The two-step process takes a couple of minutes, (the UV process takes 1 minute), and involves plugging the pitcher into the UV adapter, which has a retractable cord.  The unit has a smallish carbon filter (for filtering solid materials) that’s estimated to last 2 to 4 months, under typical home use.

The Restore pitcher, about the height of a typical milk carton, holds 8 cups of water and fits easily into our fridge.

In addition to eliminating bottled water from your shopping list and contributing empty plastic containers into landfills, the virus- and bacteria-killing UV feature of this filter will provide another level of peace of mind for folks who have sketchy tasting well water, or borderline municipal H2O (think Florida).

The system with one carbon filter goes for $99.99 and replacement filter cost a reasonable $7.99

more info @ homedics.com

What time is it?  Time to make a clock out of your tired old computer’s hard drive.  This clock should appeal to computer freaks, geekery fans or anyone related to Steve Jobs or Bill Gates.  Made from the actual recycled remains of a dead computer.  The clock’s quartz movement runs on a single AA battery and the techie time piece has reversible, black or white hands.

$35 @ the pixelthis etsy shop0

PLX Kiwi
Sure, hybrid vehicles can considerably cut gas consumption compared to conventional cars, but if you’re not ready to buy a new car, the patent-pending PLX Kiwi can help increase the fuel efficiency of your current ride by as much as 33 percent.  Compatible with any 1996 vehicle and up, the PLX Kiwi easily connects to the OBDII port (usually located under the steering column) where it gathers your car’s sensor data, including vehicle speed, RPM, engine load, oxygen sensor readings, and so on.  The Kiwi monitors and analyzes your driving behavior, then determines your car’s maximum fuel efficiency and identifies areas in need of improvement.  It even keeps track of how much gas and money you save when you modify your driving habits.  To learn more, watch the demo video.  It’s available @ plxkiwi.com for $299.99.

reNEW solar battery charger
This ‘Pez’ inspired solar battery charger is one clever concept.  Unlike conventional battery chargers, the top load, bottom dispenser design takes out the “guess” factor in fully charging your batteries.  Batteries retrieved from below always come out fully charged, so you’ll never have to pick and choose.  And, because the frame can either stand on a desk or be hung on a window, the charger is versatile and visible for the home or office.  Made from biodegradable plastic and sustainable wool felt, it’s a wiser and eco-friendlier alternative to conventional chargers.  Unfortunately, it’s still in its concept stage.  via: yankodesign.com

solar headphone radio
This Solar Headphone Radio is perfect for listening to the radio while outdoors, whether you’re gardening, taking a morning walk, or camping outside.  Its ultra-thin film solar technology provides 1-3 hours of listening power for every one hour of sunlight, with a fully charged headset able to run for as long as 20 hours.  Because it automatically recharges in light (even when in use), as long as you’ve got the sun shining above you, you’ll never have to worry about losing power.  It’s available for purchase @ ecotopia.co.uk for £24.95 (~$41.01) and comes with a 3 year warranty.

The Kiran solar lamp
The Kiran lamp combines solar technology with highly efficient LEDs to provide up to 8 hours of 360-degree lighting that is four times brighter than a kerosene lantern (see photo above).  The lamp can be hung, carried, or placed on any surface, and features 2 brightness settings to provide versatility for both indoor and outdoor use.  It is expected to be available on the market soon, and is set at a price of only $10, making it the world’s most affordable solar lamp.  Learn more @ Dlightdesign.com

Freedom Dynamo electric shaver
No batteries and no electric bill…here’s an electric shaver that offers more than just a close shave.  It brings you freedom from dead batteries and saves you the hassle of outlets.  With its Wind ‘N Go lever, men will never have an excuse to go unshaven again.  One minute of winding provides enough power for a full shave.  And, with three individual heads that flex and rotate, it won’t slack on performance.  You can purchase yours from Think Geek for $49.99 (price includes a travel case, mirror, cleaning brush, and adapters).

Germany-based Neuber and Konarka Technologies have teamed up to market a new solar charging line of bags.  Neuber’s Energy Sun-Bags feature Konarka’s Power Plastic lightweight material which converts solar energy into electricity.  The new business and leisure bags charge mobile phones, digital cameras, iPods, Mp3 Players and other small devices with solar power.

Pricing of the bags begins at under $150 U.S..  They can be purchased at neuber’s website (be prepared to translate from German)

source: press release

Techie fun, marketing innovation and wind speed site analysis all on your iPhone?  Mariah Power and Create with Context will soon release an iPhone app that will let you know how much wind is whipping through your property and if it’s enough to spin a Windspire small wind turbine.  Just hold your iPhone into the wind and it will measure the wind speed and do the math.  The app will also estimate how much CO2 your potential Windspire installation will save the environment.

You can sign up at Mariah Power’s website to be notified when the app is available.

Related: previous Altcon posts on Mariah Power and its vertical axis wind turbine

It appears that both the audience and judges at this year’s Consumer Electronics Association’s i-stage competition agreed that Regen Inc.’s eco friendly ReNu personal power generation and storage system is the big winner.  The centerpiece of the ReNu product line is the stylish, portable solar panel and battery.  The modular design allows the panel to work with a wide range of devices including the Regen iPod Sound Dock (pictured at right – $149), which pumps out 8 hours of tunes when powered by a fully charged ReNu panel. The solar panel also charges Apple’s iPod and iPhone via ReNu’s iPod Dock.

The ReNu panel will go on sale in Feb. 2010 for $199.  The iPod/iPhone Dock (pictured at top) stores enough power to recharge an iPhone twice and will run you $249 -  pre-order and get more info @ regenliving.com

The Lenovo ThinkVision L2251x Wide desktop computer display is the first to be awarded the new TCO Certified Edge designation for excellence in combining green and high performance in IT design.  The award recognizes several “green” features including: Lenovo’s use of 65 % post consumer recycled plastic in the display’s construction, recycled packaging materials and a proximity sensor that saves energy when the user is away from the computer by dimming the display.

via: prnewswire

As part of LG’s “Life’s Good when it’s Green” initiative, which first launched back in January this year, the company recently unveiled a solar-powered touchscreen phone called LG GD510, or better known as LG Pop.

The new smartphone can be powered for 2 minutes and 15 seconds of talk time (or 180 minutes of standby time) for every 10 minutes under the sun.  A lifesaver if you’re running low on power and don’t have a charger on hand.  Built-in software even let’s users monitor the amount of CO2 emissions they’ve cut with the use of the solar battery. (more…)

You can turn off the TV and stop watching the Weather Channel right now.  The +Eco Clima Control desktop weather station from Oregon Scientific will give you all the weather info you need right from your desk.  It will also save on your electric bill because it’s solar powered. (more…)

More companies continue to see the value in green marketing.  Sprint is now expanding its offerings to consumers searching for more sustainable everyday products.  The company has just announced an expanded line of accessories that includes chargers and device cases.  Their growing line of “green” phone accessories will be available in the new, dedicated green sections at all company-owned retail locations, and online @ sprint.com.

Included in the expansion is a new eco-friendly cell-phone charger: the All-In-One Vehicle and Wall Charger to complement the SOLIO solar powered charger the company currently offers. The All-In-One charger is an all-in-one car and home/office charger.  It features an inline USB port that allows two devices to be charged simultaneously and operates within Energy Star guidelines.  The All-in-One charger is available for $39.99.
(more…)

The folding bike specialists at Dahon have come up with an energy efficient way to charge your iPod, iPhone, MP3 player or handheld device – bike power. The FreeCharge transfers power from a bike’s generator hub to a high-capacity battery, which in turn supplies steady current to your USB powered small device.  The FreeCharge unit secures to the bike’s frame in a silicon case.  Duhon is including the charger on a couple of its bike models in the near future and as a stand-alone accessory sometime around March 2010 for an estimated $99.

Nice concept.   via: bikehugger

This new Novothink Surge solar charging case slides neatly over iPhone 3G and 3G (S) phones.  The slim hybrid charger can store power from the sun or through your computer’s USB port (from which you can also load tunes from iTunes.)

Features a button activated LED status display, volume and headphone access and a wide choice of colors.  Solar panel is on the back and will store power to dispense as needed.  The Surge will cost you around $70 when it becomes available in late 2009.

via: appmodo related: sunblazer

For $2.99, eco-techies can now fight global warming directly from their iPhones.  The new app, called Carbon Pulse, was developed by Sevencord Studios. The green application is now available on the iPhone App Store.

Press release: Carbon Pulse users can see exactly how their lifestyles are affecting the environment, pledge to take action to help reduce their impact, and track their progress making changes. The application also estimates a user’s carbon emissions based on his or her vehicle, acceleration, distance and time driven during each trip and miles per gallon, then compares that estimate to that of the average U.S. driver. Carbon Pulse users can feel good about their app purchase for another reason: Sevenchord donates a portion of the proceeds from Carbon Pulse sales to clean energy projects. (more…)