It’s that time of year again. If you don’t wake up bright and early, it’s dark before you know it. In my neck of the woods, sunset is around 5:15 pm. Not only is it a bummer for those trying to squeeze in an outside workout, it means that you’ll be lighting your home to compensate for the lack of sunshine outside. It’s the perfect time of year to introduce LED home lighting (light emitting diodes).

Noah Horowitz, Director at NRDC, wrote over at Huffington Post, that LED lighting could cut our nation’s electricity costs by $13 billion annually. This in turn would save on pollution because that’s how much energy is generated from 30 coal fired power plants annually. Individually, LED home lighting saves more than $125 over the 20 year lifetime of the bulb. With a house full of LEDs, that’s some big savings.

These bulbs have gone from costing $25 per bulb just a few years ago to just around $9 and they’re available at most hardware stores. And your local utility may even offer a rebate of up to $5 per bulb.

With every size, shape, and light quality now available, here are some tips for getting what you want.

According to the Huffington Post:

For example, if you want the light to have that yellowish incandescent bulb look, buy one that says “soft white” and has a color temperature of 2700K. If you prefer more of a cooler, bluish-white look, buy one marketed as “daylight,” which will have color temperature of 5000K or so. Given that preferences vary by consumers, be sure to save your receipt and only buy a few initially so you can test and see which type you like before switching your whole home to LEDs.

And when it comes to getting ready for the holiday season, choose LED string lights. Today they’re available in just about every size and color.

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3 Affordable Alternatives to the Incandescent Light Bulb

Image: Stephen Ridgeway

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Anxious about the incandescent light bulb ban? Don’t be. We’ve got all the info you need to find affordable alternatives.

I find it a little bit ironic: we use the incandescent light bulb as a metaphor for good ideas, but one of the best ideas to emerge from government in recent years was getting rid of it! That’s right, the incandescent light bulb, that hot, fat, inefficient luminary, is about to become extinct.

In 2007, George W. Bush (surprising, I know) ratified a bipartisan law that called for a ban on manufacturing incandescent light bulbs due to the fact that they’re toxic and waste a ton of energy. The phaseout started in 2012 with 100-watt bulbs being eliminated, and then last year, 75-watt bulbs got the boot. This month, the final stage of the phase our went into effect, banning the manufacture of 60-watt and 40-watt bulbs. If you had no idea any of this was going on, it’s just further proof that this ban won’t hurt the economy or plunge us into the next Dark Age, but there are still critics and fear-mongers who claim it’s an outrageous thing to do.

To them I would say, what’s more outrageous: that the government would dare nudge people and industry toward a more efficient light bulb, or that some Congresspeople would fight tooth and nail to retain a technology that wastes millions of dollars every year? But I digress.

Despite the fact that the recent budget deal will hamper the Department of Energy’s ability to enforce the new law, it’s important for we the consumers to be proactive. Why wait until there’s not an incandescent light bulb left on the shelves to decide on a replacement? Read on as we discuss the eco-friendly, affordable alternatives that you should look for instead.

3 Affordable Alternatives to the Incandescent Light Bulb

1. Compact Fluorescent Bulb (CFL) – Uses 75 percent less energy than incandescent light bulbs.

Pros: Cheap, easy to find in any grocery or retail store, fully compatible with traditional light fixtures, average expected life span is 10,000 hours (compared to 1,200 for an incandescent light bulb).
Cons: Contains mercury which is toxic if the bulb breaks and makes it hard to dispose of properly; sometimes takes a few minutes to reach full brightness, sometimes delivers a harsh, cold glow. Some also say that CFL lifespans have been greatly exaggerated. See this list of conditions that can cause CFLs to burn out more quickly.

Learn more: EnergyStar guide to choosing a CFL.

2. Halogen Bulbs – Uses 10-20 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs.

Pros:  Fairly easy to find, same look and feel as incandescent, no heat-up time like CFLs, dimmable.
Cons: Wastes a lot of energy as heat, light can be too intense for some applications, doesn’t last that much longer than an incandescent light bulb.

Learn more: ConsumerSearch halogen light bulb review.

3. Light Emitting Diode (LED) – Uses up to 75 percent less energy than incandescent light bulbs.

Pros: Wastes very little energy as heat, cool to the touch so it’s safer, average expected life span is 50,000 hours which blows both CFLs and halogens out of the water.
Cons: Initial cost is higher than other bulbs–but this is rapidly declining as manufacturers continue to develop cheaper LEDs that are compatible with traditional light fixtures.

Learn more: CNET’s review of the best LED light bulbs.

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Image: antonfomkin, rockindave1, GE, Philips SlimStyle LED

The post 3 Affordable Alternatives to the Incandescent Light Bulb appeared first on EcoSalon.

Tired of dead devices, power cords, and outlet poaching? Have we got a solar charger gadget for you.

It’s 9:32 am on a Saturday, and I’m not only awake, but climbing into my sneakers for a rare weekend run. Although I’m not exactly thrilled for the sweating and soreness, the fact that I can listen to my favorite Pandora stations on my phone makes the ordeal less daunting.

I grab my water bottle, plug in my headphones, and then I notice it–my phone’s battery is dangerously low. Having forgotten to charge it the night before, this blinking yellow battery symbol threatens to deny my achievement of weekend exercise. There’s no time to plug it in. Any delay could result in me giving up and heading back to bed.

But wait! I remember the WakaWaka Power I’ve been testing is still sitting on the windowsill where I left it. I check, and it’s fully charged. I plug it into my phone’s mini USB port, and the juice is flowing instantly. I toss both into my purse for the drive to the park, and by the time I arrive, I’ve got plenty of power to last through 3.28 miles (I’m a new runner).

If you’ve ever found yourself on the road with a device that’s gasping for its life, you know how stressful this situation can be. Technology does so many things for us that it’s hard to cope when it craps out.

That’s why I was thrilled when WakaWaka (which means “shine bright” in Swahili) offered me a chance to take their newest solar-powered device on a test drive. Here are my thoughts after a few weeks of use.

Pros

Minimal Packaging – My judgement of a product’s true eco-friendliness begins at the mailbox. I was pleased to see that the WakaWaka Power came in a thin cardboard box that slides out of a simple cardboard sleeve which is printed with visual instructions (in case you hate reading instruction manuals). No tape to cut or plastic shell to discard. Win.

Sleek, Compact Design – I’ve reviewed solar chargers before, and usually they come with A LOT of moving parts, like solar panels, adapter cords, and a separate battery for storage. Not so with the WakaWaka Power. Everything–solar panel, 2200 mAh LiPo battery and two powerful 0.5W LED lights– is included in the device itself, which is about the size and weight of my smartphone (in fact, it’s probably lighter). Simply pull open the built in stand, and place it in direct sunlight.

Easy-To-Understand Power Meters – Another complaint I’ve had about previous solar chargers is that it’s hard to know how fast it’s charging or how full the battery is.

The WakaWaka Power makes it easy to answer these questions with just a glance. From where it sat on my windowsill, I can easily see the flashing red light that lets me know it’s absorbing solar power. One flash for a slow charge, two quick flashes for an a normal charge, and three fast flashes in a row if the sun is really cranking up the power.

Just an inch away from the charging indicator are a series of four lights that indicate battery status: one for 25 percent full, all the way up to four for 100 percent fullness.

USB Charging – The WakaWaka features both mini and full-sized USB ports, making it compatible with just about any device cord on the market. Not only that, but these ports also mean you can plug it into your computer or even a regular electrical outlet to boost the charge if you don’t have time to wait for the sun. (In my experience, it takes about 6-8 hours of direct sunlight to achieve a full charge. At 100 percent, the Power can provide 40 hours of bright LED lighting, and fully charge a smartphone in just two hours). And it’s  compatible with both iPhone and Android.

Cons

Access to Charging Ports – If I had to think of something I didn’t like about the WakaWaka Power’s design, it would be that you can’t charge your device without unfolding the stand. When completely closed up, the stand covered both ports. But I understand that they did this to achieve an overall compact design, which I appreciate, so it’s really not that big of a deal.

Button Blindness –  Sometimes, when you tap the power button because you want to check battery levels, you accidentally blind yourself by turning on the LED lights at full blast. It’s also not exactly intuitive that the only way to turn it off is to fold up the stand. But after a few times, you learn.

In short, I love this thing. It’s absolutely effortless to take with you anywhere, easy to keep on your desk or kitchen window, and a reliable source of both light and power when you need it most. To top it all off, buying WakaWaka products here in the West helps the company donate them to off-grid communities around the world. For a $79, that seems like a huge win.

(Disclosure: Waka Waka supplied me with a free unit for testing, but all opinions expressed in this review are mine alone).

The post Review: Waka Waka Solar Charger and LED Lamp appeared first on EcoSalon.

One of the 2011 shelter trends is for light-emitting diodes and bare filaments to take the stage. These two trends will both have a powerful presence this year.

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are an efficient and effective source of light. Most bulbs have a lifespan of 50,000 hours, which adds up to just under six years of continuous light – and all by emitting just one tenth of the carbon dioxide incandescent bulbs emit. This sort of efficiency gives me goose bumps. As this clever little light source evolves from widespread uses out in the world (such as traffic lights) into our homes, watch for aesthetic versions of LED lights to emerge.

We can look to European designers to satiate our LED craving – they have an incentive to master this light source because the European Union is phasing out incandescent bulbs by 2016. Moooi, headquartered in the Netherlands, has some glamorous and gorgeous fixtures with gleaming LEDs. Moooi’s Raimond pendant is, “a perfect sphere of mathematical ingredients punctuated by tiny LED lights”. This elegant stainless steel globe is analogous to a starry night dangling from the ceiling (and I see traces of the iconic disco ball too. We can only hope lighting designers follow in the design-conscious footsteps of Moooi and offer up more shining LED fixtures.

This year will also bring more exposed lighting filaments on display. Interior electrical sculptures encased in pristine bulbous glass houses will lend an industrial glimmer to spaces. As you know from our previous discussions of 2011 shelter trends, this year design is concerned with honesty and the essential framework of objects – so it seems fitting that the functional components of light bulbs will be on display. Plus, with the undeniable attraction and allure of LED lights, we’ll take this year to visually drool over the incandescent bulb (it may all but flutter away soon). In the past, light fixtures have existed to hide light bulbs, this year, the bulb and filament will proudly shine uninhibited. Industrial chandeliers and utilitarian lights will reign supreme. West Elm is embracing the trend by offering specialty light bulbs, so your exposed filaments can have vintage flair (yes, I admit, I love these bulbs).

Don’t miss the rest of the 2011 shelter trends.

(Thank you to Julie Beun of The Ottawa Citizen for introducing me to Moooi.)

(Images by Nicole Marnati for Moooi.)

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This little LED number called Flare is the sustainable party girl’s answer to looking beautiful and technically tailored. Imagine showing up at the company holiday party aglow in the Stijn Ossevoort creation!

In spite of all the buzz from the gadget geeks proclaiming the wonders of wearing something as fashion-forward as Flare, one question keeps flashing like a red light: What if it gets wet?

No worries. The Flare dress runs on wind energy which means if worn correctly (read: walk really fast) the dandelions will light up from your personally generated breezes.

Sure, your sweat might trigger a zap, but what the heck. Don’t you want to be known as the sustainable energy employee at the office? The woman who lives and breathes eco-advancement? The one who brings her reusable bottle to dish at the water cooler?

Many of your co-workers will swear they saw you surrounded in light the following Monday. Others will say the dress was an epiphany that fashion can be more than a beauty statement. You will be busy recharging for the next appearance.

The post Getting a Charge Out of Dutch Designer’s Flare Fashion appeared first on EcoSalon.

First up – is there really such thing as a green gadget? Answer: define “green”, says Wired. And is it really cheaper to recover gold from junked electronics than to mine it out of the ground? (Amateur gold panners, please form an orderly queue at your local landfill.)

Things doubling up as other things afterward – we like. So Paul Clark’s design for a plant pot doubling as a birdhouse – seen here at designspotter – is an intriguing idea (and perfect for my allotment-mad corner of the world).

A holiday with a difference – you’re stuffed into a sphere and slung into the trees. In fact, this prospect is far from nightmarish, as Twilight Earth explains.

Handmade goods are doing great: the economy, well, not so much. The Etsy revolution (and that really is beginning to look like the right word) currently represents around $90 million of commerce every year and growing. Clive Thompson takes a fascinated look at Wired, via Apartment Therapy.

Eco-friendly heater upgrades: brilliant idea. And lots of money up front. Ouch. So it’s nice to see the new administration is keen to lend a helping hand, in the form of very welcome tax credits.

Oh PETA. Why, PETA, why? Again and again, you make us feel older than our years. And now this? Can we get back to the business at hand, please?

Fashion websites should absolutely drip with style, yes? The same way dentists should have good teeth. Take a look at Smashing Magazine’s round-up of the most beautiful sites out there – via The Steel Closet – and attempt to resist their formidable charms. (Bet you can’t.)

You can do anything with LEDs. Even – prepare yourself – Extreme Sheep Art. You heard me. Or how about this?

We’ve been following Josh Dorfman – a.k.a. The Lazy Environmentalist – for a while now, and we were delighted to hear about his new book The Lazy Environmentalist On A Budget: Save Money, Save Time, Save The Planet – and he’ll be on the Sundance Channel this June, as Ecorazzi reports.

If you want to make your business sustainable – truly sustainable – it’s about utilizing creativity, cutting-edge business practices and more interdependency than ever before. It’s about facilitating small-scale “minipreneurs” so they can thrive. It’s a new business model for a new era.

Meet the latest tool in the fight against pollution – chickens! Or rather, what chickens leave behind. As Planetsave reports, it turns out that chicken poop seems to act as a catalyst for the breakdown of crude oil in the soil.

Where do you think you rate on the Global Rich List? Higher than you expect.

It’s the weekend – time to switch off the computer and get out into the “real world”? Except that line is getting awfully blurred. Do you Twitter? Use a Blackberry? So when exactly are you actually offline? As Max Gladwell quips, who needs Second Life when the everyday world is getting just as wacky and wired?

And lastly…true love has rarely had such dire consequences!

Image: masochismtango

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