Source Charleston Daily Mail

1. Compact fluorescent light bulbs.

This may be one of the easiest ways we can save the planet. Replacing just one regular bulb in your home with a compact fluorescent one would save enough energy to light more than 2.5 million homes for a year and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of nearly 800,000 cars, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Sure, they cost a tad more, but they last up to six times longer. Manufacturers are making them look like regular bulbs, not just the squiggly designs. Four compact fluorescent 60-watt bulbs are $11.69 at Costco.

2. Water clock
Target.com and ThinkGeek.com sell an amazing little digital clock that runs on water. No batteries, no cords. Just fill up the four chambers on the back and set the digital display. You can even put fresh flowers in the water chambers. The Water Clock is $15.99 at Target.com.

3. Hand-crank flashlight
Brookstone sells the Readylight hand-crank flashlight radio. Crank for 30 seconds for up to 60 minutes of power. This handheld flashlight has five powerful LED lights, an AM/FM radio with telescoping antenna and a built-in (quite loud) siren with a flashing red light for emergencies. It’s $50 at Brookstone stores or Brookstone.com, and includes an adapter to charge a Nokia cell phone. You can also buy simple hand-crank flashlights for as little as $8 at discount stores.

4. Solar charger
Why don’t we all have one of these? SolarStyle, a Baltimore-based company, makes a pocket-size solar charger that uses the sun (or any available light) to charge your cell phone, Blackberry, digital camera, GameBoy and even your iPod. It’s not only handy but will help cut your electric bill. Leaving cell phone and other chargers plugged in at home can be a huge energy drain. The SolarStyle SC002 model comes with seven connectors (for phones and gadgets) for $55.99 at SolarStyle.com

5. Tote bags
This is another no-brainer. We can all do better at eliminating the piles of plastic bags we bring home. Trader Joe’s sells a tough, reusable polypropylene bag for only $1. Think a few plastic bags don’t make a difference? Swedish home goods retailer IKEA now charges a nickel for plastic bags (proceeds go to AmericanForests.org) and sells its reusable “Big Blue Bag” for 59 cents.

6. Cleaning products
Green cleaning products such as Seventh Generation (from Burlington, Vt.) and Mrs. Meyer’s have a following. Seventh Generation (sold at Whole Foods) says if every U.S. household replaced one box of regular tissue with its 100 percent recycled box, we could save 283,000 trees, about 1,000 garbage trucks of landfill space and 102 million gallons of water. Seventh Generation 2-ply facial tissue is $1.99 at Whole Foods, and its non-toxic shower cleaner is $4.39.

7. Hemp fabric
Hemp, an industrial strain of the Cannabis plant, is considered environmentally friendly because it yields huge crops, doesn’t need herbicides or pesticides, and requires little or no bleach because the fibers are naturally bright. We found a stylish 100 percent hemp summer top (made by Sweetgrass Natural Fibers) in the season’s hottest cobalt blue at Waking Up for $35. Find it at WakingUpStore.com or SweetGrassFibers.com.

8. Trees
Here’s another no-brainer: Planting a tree offsets carbon emissions and acts as insulation for your home. Join the non-profit Arbor Day Foundation, and you’ll instantly get 10 free flowering trees, oak trees or Colorado Blue Spruce trees. A six-month membership at ArborDay.org is only $10, including the trees! Members can buy additional trees at steep discounts. AmericanForests.org also has a climate change calculator that lets you see how many trees you can plant to offset your climate-affecting carbon emissions.

9. Light-powered wristwatch
Citizen Eco-Drive makes some good-looking sporty and dressy watches that run on solar power (even indoors or in the dark) and never need batteries. Prices range from $135 to $750. The watches are sold at Macy’s, Kohl’s and Helzberg Diamonds. Find more information at CitizenWatch.com.

10. Eco-friendly soap

Marc Asher, author of GreenMundoBlog.com and president of Pleasant Ridge-based Mundo Products, uses environmentally friendly packaging, and natural and organic ingredients for his handmade, environmentally friendly soaps and cosmetics. We like the Oatmeal Lavender and Sweet Orange Ylang Ylang soaps ($6 each). Order them online at MundoProducts.com

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