Well, our friends over at Quality Logo Products have introduced a Eco Pen that serves both needs – solid promo materials with an environmentally conscious finish.

These click-action ballpoint pens are high quality, black ink, and each barrel is made from “100% post-consumer recycled paper with a natural wooden clip and 98% post consumer recycled plastic accents.”

When is the last time you saw something environmentally friendly offered at a promotional items store?  Frisbees? Mugs? Bags?  Most of those items cause tremendous harm to the environment when they’re produce.  And even the so-called eco-friendly products that are just badged that…  They do more harm in producing them than their less environmentally friendly counterparts!

With the QLP Eco Pens, you’re assured great pricing, incredible value, and awesome customer service.  Plus, bonus points when you hand them out to clients!  Who can argue with that?

Included in the post, there is a parts list for all those DIY’ers out there!

The end result is a solar panel that will charge a 12 volt battery – creating almost 18 volts of total power!

Check it out and let us know what you think…

JD

In my searches, I found a how-to that I wanted to pass along to you.  It’s Earth4Energy.com.

Earth4Energy is a revolutionary solar guide that has been featured on CNN and CNBC.  It’s all about building your own solar powered home system – complete from the panels to the battery stations.

The thing I liked about it particularly was that it included both and inter-grid and an off-grid setup so you could tie it into your house’s existing electrical setup!

Check out the program.  And let us know what you think of it…

We’re going to be doing a comprehensive review coming up here shortly :0)

JD

I tried to find cleaning ingredients that you could mix in bulk, not recipes that you would need to make for individual instances.  This way you only need to make the products once and it will last awhile.

PLUGGED DRAIN:
1/2 Cup of Baking Soda
2 Cups Boiling Water
1/2 Cup of Vinegar

**Pour baking soda and vinegar into the drain.  Make sure you cover tightly to allow the chemical reaction to break up the gunk. Finally, pour the boiling water down the drain to rinse.

TOILET CLEANER:
1 cup borax
1/4 cup vinegar or lemon juice

**Mix the ingredients together to make a paste. Put the paste along the inside of the toilet bowl, let sit for 1 to 2 hours, and scrub.

KITCHEN CLEANER:
Kosher Salt
Water

**If you have tough stains and grease sprinkle on kosher salt, and scrub.

GLASS CLEANER:
2 tablespoons white vinegar, club soda or undiluted lemon juice
1 gallon of water
Newspaper

**Combine white vinegar with water. Add both of these to a used spray bottle. Spray on glass and scrub with newspaper. Do not use towels; they cause streaking.

CARPET FRESHENER:
1 cup crushed dried herbs (such as rosemary, southernwood, or lavender)
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda

**Mix all ingredients together in a jar. Shake well. to freshen carpets, sprinkle some of the mixture on your carpet. Let it sit for an hour, and then vacuum it up.

WOOD FLOOR POLISH:
1/4 Cup Vinegar
30 Ounces of Warm Water

**Mix the white vinegar and warm water. Add to a used spray bottle, then spray on a rag.  Use the rag to polish your floors.

Here are my top 10 favorite green sites as of now (in no particular order). I tried to find a site for everyone. Check them out!

1. Blackle
Blackle is a black screened Google search. A monitor uses more energy and power to display a white screen as opposed to a black screen. The energy savings are small, but they do add up. Help the environment and add text in your email signature:”Blackle.com – Saving energy one search at a time.”

2. Ecorazzi
This site is for all the celebrity gossip lovers. It is the latest in green gossip. This site combines celebrity gossip and environmental causes. I enjoy this site because it is great to see what some celebrities are doing with their fame and money to help the world!

3. The Daily Green
They call themselves the consumer’s guide to the green revolution. Green Living Enterprises is an authentically green company. They are one of Canada’s leading and most respected and trusted environmental organizations.

4.  Ecosalon
How do you go green without sacrificing style? This is the question that defines EcoSalon. This site is one of my favorites because they believe that being environmental consciousness doesn’t have to mean being bland or not fashionable. You can keep your own style in life and be eco-friendly at the same time.

5. National Wildlife Federation
National Wildlife Federation inspires Americans to protect wildlife for our children’s future.

6. Environmental Protection Agency
EPA leads the nation’s environmental science, research, education and assessment efforts. The mission of the Environmental Protection Agency is to protect human health and the environment. Since 1970, EPA has been working for a cleaner, healthier environment for the American people.

7. Treehugger
This site truly is a one-stop shop. You can find green news, daily tips and product information. Tree Hugger also helps companies that are looking for a little green guidance. TreeHugger also sympathizes with the fact that most people aren’t willing to compromise their current lifestyle in order to improve our shared environment, so we have created a place where you can discover how to maintain or improve your quality of life while reducing your harmful impact on the earth.

8. Green Is Sexy
Green is sexy is about little changes with an enormous impact! The name may throw you off a bit, but this site is great for tips and other interesting information relating to going green. They believe in changing the world one day at a time.

9. The Green Guide
The difference between this green guide and all the others is that it is part of National Geographic. Because National Geographic is so well known, the information you get here is definitely credible. This site is here to help you find the newest products and practices of going green. They even have a magazine you can subscribe to!

10. Mindful Momma
Mindful momma is a blog written by a stay at home mom. I am not a mother, but I think this would be helpful to all the parents that do have children. The author of this blog is just trying to find a balance between a green, healthy life and going broke. This site is definitely easy to relate to.