Eco-Gadgets...

I like Gadgets, I like Eco-Friendly stuff so a combination of the two really excites me!! Here's a small selection of things we've got, with a mini review of each...



The Bodyflik is designed to help you remove water from yourself after a bath or shower, leading to less water to be towel dried. In theory, more water is sent down the plughole to be re-used than that which is left driping on the bathroom floor.

It's a nice idea but not one that I'm wholly convinced of. However, I do prefer to remove as much water as possible before using my towel so whilst I'm not convinced of the eco nature of this product, I am impressed with the drier me that steps out of the bath! I'd give this a 6/10 for being useful, if not as definatively environmentally sound as claimed. Bodyflik - The Human Squeegee <--- More Info.



The Solar Powered Mobile Phone Charger, avaialble in varying designs from eBay has failed to impress D & I. It was a birthday gift and we had high hopes for this nicely designed product but alas, it has failed to live up to the hype and barely gives five minutes of charge to my mobile after a full day in bright sunlight. It may be useful for a small boost when you're about to loose power but no good for avoiding the mains supply for even daily charging of your phone. A disapointing 2/10.



The Paper Potter device creates small bio-degradeable pots for seedlings to grow in. They're plantable in soil to avoid disruption of the growth and don't fall to pieces when watered. The device itself is a wooden affair consisting of two parts, one to wrap newspaper around, the other to help shape the base of the potter. This has been both fun to use and entirely practical. I've been totally impressed with the success and rate this re-useable device highly!! 9/10, only missing one point because the packaging is too large for the device, meaning there's some cardboard waste! (I'm being harsh!) Widely avaialble (example)



Not really a practical gadget, this is more of a toy I suppose but I bought this for D for Xmas and it's been spinning on the windowsill ever since! Whilst it's not saving the planet in any way, it does look good and remind us of the great energy we can collect from the sun. I love this and give it full marks for just being great! 10/10 (Bought from eBay)



The Solar Wind turbine came with a freebie... The stapleless stapler! A sturdy little device intended to avoid overuse of metal staples! And it does do what it says on the tin! There are limitations to how many sheets it can manage at once but for day to day clipping together, it's ideal! No running out of supplies, no wasting resources, it's a fine example of an eco gadget that works... I just can't help wanting to use staples and paperclips for important documents though... A turst issue? Only 9/10 for not being able to staplelessly staple too many sheets at once!

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In other news... I've been shortlisted for the Community Matron Post!! Interviews at the end of the month... Watch this space! Jxx