Reducing our carbon footprint has become increasingly important. Global warming is already posing a big threat to mankind and our reckless behaviour towards the environment is clearly showing. Here are a few gadgets that you could help you on the way to a greener life:

D-Link’s 8-port Switch

The DGS-2208 uses eco-friendly technology to help you reduce power consumption you may not realize you’re using. The D-Link automatically detects idle ports on your computer equipment and reduces the power usage, saving energy and money.

This device is particularly great for offices (public and home) where computers are used for over eight hours a day. In some situations, the D-Link has been able to save up to 40% of the power used in these conditions.

Installation is easy and no configuration is required.

Wind Powered Battery Charger

The HYmini, a hybrid universal charger, captures renewable wind and solar power and combines it with wall plug power to charge most 5V gadgets.

A breeze over 9 mph will get the battery charging in just 20-40 minutes. This charger is great for cell phones, mp3 players, iPods, and cameras.

Bio-Recyclable USB Drive

Designed with recycled and biodegradable material, the ATP EarthDrive is also shockproof, waterproof, and dust-proof, making it a highly durable USB drive.

Its capacities range from 1GB to 8GB, and security software is built in for password protection.

ATP has partnered with the American Forest Foundation and donates a share of their revenues to planting trees.

Iqua BHS-603 SUN Bluetooth Headset by Orange

If you’re addicted to Bluetooth, Try Iqua SUN, the worlds first solar powered Bluetooth headset.

At just 14 grams, the tiny headset fits into your ear without needing a hook, and draws energy from the sun to charge.

The Iqua SUN will stay powered and ready to go through nine hours of total darkness.

All items are available on Amazon.com.

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Technorati Tags: gardening,garden tools

Growing your own vegetables can be a very fulfilling and rewarding hobby. I usually love the part where you actually get to eat them and realise how damn easy that was! My main reason for DIY veggies is the all-natural, pesticide free, alternative way you get to feed your system without slowly poisoning it. That alone is a massive benefit!

As I previously suggested, it’s just one of many good reasons to start your own garden.

Once you have decided on what to plant, you can basically start to gather the most essential tools for your project, which includes garden gloves, a fork, a spade, shears, trowel, watering can, shovel, a rake, string, plant labels and seeds.

Okay, maybe a bit over the top, but I love my Pink Garden kit. The Pink Garden Kit Includes:
• Stainless steel fork & trowel with pink soft grip handle
• Trug with stowable handle
• Soft on your knees kneeling mat
• One pair heavy duty gloves
• Easy grip pruning shears
• One Pair lightweight non-slip cotton gloves
• 100mg apres garden hand cream
• Pink daisy seeds (Bellis Perennis)
• Gardening string
• Plant labels
All the tools you need to start gardening, in pink. Available on Amazon/eBay priced at around £19.99

Garden gloves generally aren’t hard to find, there’s many suppliers in local garden centres or on the Internet.

Bionic garden gloves, looking ultra hi-tech.

Doing a bit of research on garden tools brings up one common opinion many people share; in order for your tools to last a long time, you should start off with buying good quality.

Taking care of and maintaining them is another story.

Enemy No. 1 is water. Water causes rust - so keep them dry. It’s also recommended to clean your tools after each use and keeping the wooden handles smooth by sanding and oiling them.

Here’s a video tutorial that shows how to use the most common garden tools: Videojug.

Previously - Vegetable P0rn: The Kitchen Garden From Planning To Execution I

Coming soon… Preparation And Alternatives To Soil Gardening

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Saving water is easy; just turn off the tap when you aren’t actually using the water. People who mindlessly keep the water running, irritate me a lot.

Like when you brush your teeth for instance, turn it off! You can always turn it right back on again…

The Daily Green talks about water conservation and brings to our attention that soaking vegetables and fruits first, then giving them a quick rinse, is a lot more efficient. Or keeping a pitcher of water in the fridge so you won’t need to run the tap for a cold drink.

No brainers indeed, just takes a bit of logic which some people unfortunately lack in.

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There are numerous reason why I’d really like to have a kitchen garden: the whole pesticide issue with produce bought at local shops (unless you go organic which again is quite expensive); you know what you have put into the soil and the vegetables; there’s something quite sexy about getting down and dirty with your OWN home grown veg; it’s cost effective and gardening helps with PMS… seriously.

What do you need for a kitchen garden?

A kitchen garden is meant to be a garden containing plants/vegetables being planted and grown to be eaten once they are ripe.

Before you even start digging you should decide what stuff goes into your garden, e.g. fruits or veg you later plan to eat.

A few things a garden shouldn’t be missing are: lettuce, tomatoes (for all sorts of tomato based food like sauces, salads, salsa, juice…), different kind of herbs, carrots ect… whatever you like and use often!

The things you should consider before buying seeds and preparing your garden is the amount of space you have available, what type of soil is available, what’s the climate like and what CAN you successfully plant and grow.

coming up… Choosing Garden Tools and Equipment

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Even though I don’t use the microwave very often, it still gets dirty and greasy.

However, cleaning it is really easy if you know how to:

Clean your microwave with lemon

This is a fantastic and easy way to clean. What you need is a lemon, a microwaveable cup and about 300 to 500 ml water. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze it, mix with water in the cup and place it in the microwave. Set it to maximum power for 5 to 10 minutes. As the water evaporates, it will steam the inside of your microwave and loosen the dirt plus the lemon will give it an extra nice smell.

You may want to take out the interior try before you start the steaming and be careful when removing the cup.

Voila, fresh and clean microwave.

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