Here’s all you need for a green cup of hot chocolate:

Step 1: Make sure you only boil as much water as you need for that hot chocolate. It’s easy to do with an Eco-Kettle or Tefal Quick Cup. At £29.50 you can’t go wrong with the Eco-Kettle. As an Eco-Kettle user myself, I heartily recommend them. The Tefal Quick Cup has had mixed reviews, and costs twice as much at £59.99. Design-wise it’s a more attractive thing to have on your kitchen counter, but looks aren’t everything. And there’s also the all new Morphy Richards Ecolectric kettle that has an 85′C setting for coffee and hot chocolate. Not a bad price at £34.99.

Step 2: Get your mug out. If it’s a global warming mug to remind you of why you’re making the effort to live green, all the better!

Step 3: Spoon some lovely Cocodirect Fairtrade Drinking Chocolate powder into your mug. It’s rich, creamy and velvety, and guaranteed to contain only Fairtrade cocoa beans and cane sugar from Latin America. At no less than 40% cocoa solids, it has almost twice as much as ordinary drinking chocolate. If you’re going to indulge, you do it properly!

Step 4: Pour the water over the hot chocolate, add a little organic milk if you like, and enjoy!

Best drunk outside watching the autumn leaves falling, wearing a pair of soft fleece eco-gloves (made of 94% recycled PET bottles) and a Fairtrade woollen beanie from People Tree.

The OWL shows you how much electricity you use and how much it costs you, as well as the level of harmful C02 emissions you are contributing to the environment through your electricity usage. It gives you everything you need to know to start saving electricity, and can end up saving you up to 25% on your electricity bill. So at this low price, your investment will pay itself back in no time, and save the planet at the same time.

The offer is only valid until the 18th of August 2008, so don’t hang around if you want one! Find out more and read product reviews here.

1. Freeplay Energy compact DAB wind up radio & flashlight

I’ll admit a bit of a penchant for wind-up stuff, so this one’s first on the list. The latest radio offering from Freeplay is a lot smaller than previous wind-up radios, and as the lovely Richard from Freeplay puts it in this video, the radio gives you more reward for your wind with an improved cranking mechanism.

2. Philips Eco TV

This sexy looking high-definition LCD television won the “Best in Show” award at CES2008. It’s the perfect telly for your off-grid home with several power saving features meaning it uses less electricity than a 100W lightbulb to run. These will be available from March in the States, with a price tag of just under $1400. Philips UK say they’ll be out here in March or April too, priced at £999.

3. Everex Cloudbook P40

A super-compact laptop with a battery that keeps going for five hours thanks to it’s low-voltage processor from Via. It comes with plenty of pre-installed open source software and is available from the end of January from Walmart stores in the US at $399. Sadly it seems these are going to be hard to get hold of in the UK, but things may change. Doesn’t ASDA belong to Walmart? Mmm, somehow I don’t see these lining the shelves of ASDA.

4. Green Plug

This little baby has been getting a lot of attention all over the green blogosphere. It’s a super clever plug that actually facilitates communications between power sources and electronic devices, reducing energy usage by putting an end to “phantom power”. Wow, that’s a bit technical for me to get my chompers round. Make your own judgement.

5. Voltaic’s range of solar bags that can power a laptop

Most bags with solar panels will power hand-held gadgetry, but Voltaic has succeeded in ramping that up to power your laptop. Charge your computer while you’re on the move, or charge your smaller electronics, camera, digital video camera, laptop, MP3 player, GPS or PDA. And, to make them even greener, Voltaic bags are made from recycled fizzy drinks bottles, using less energy than nylon and creating a demand for recycled materials. Bags cost from $199 in the US and you can buy the backpack shown in the UK for £191.79 delivered.

6. United Pepper webcams & USB hubs

Who ever heard of a Fairtrade and biodegradable computer accessory, and no plastic? NO PLASTIC? That’s unheard of. United Pepper makes webcams and USB hubs that are really, really cute, and are more eco-friendly and people friendly than anything else in the same category. Apple and Dell have some catching up to do. Buy them at Play.com priced £17.99.

7. Fashionation’s recycled speakers

These speakers are made from 100% recycled materials, and can be folded flat for easy storage and portability. They apparently sound great, and cost a meagre $14.95. They come in a wide range of colours, from functional brown to girlie purples and pinks.

8. The Trevor Baylis Eco Media Player

Er, did I mention earlier that I have a penchant for wind-up gadgets? This is my latest, and favourite, eco-toy. In fact, I’m listening to Gogol Bordello in crystal clarity as I sit here writing this blog post. They are bigger than the iPod and probably not the coolest looking gadget out, but as far as function and adaptability goes, it beats the others hands down. As Stephen Fry said after trying one of these out, “Eat Trevor’s dust, Apple!” In my house it’s fondly referred to as the ecoPod, and those with a mere iPod look on in envy when their batteries run down on a weekend away from their PC.

9. USB Earthdrive

ATP covered all the environmental bases when they created the Earthdrive USB flash drive. It’s made of recycled materials, and is fully recyclable. Also a portion of its sales will go towards planting trees with the American Forest Foundation. It’s even completely waterproof, so even hardened treehuggers can take these out and about on their treehugging adventures and not worry about being caught in the rain.

10. NoPoPo eco-friendly batteries

Are they taking the piss? Apparently not. These batteries with an infinitely entertaining name are powered by urine, water, beer, juice, you name it. This is how they work: the batteries contain a mixture of carbon and magnesium which reacts with liquid to produce power. NoPoPo also contain no mercury, hexavalent chrome, lead or cadmium, so they’re okay to dispose of once they’ve been used to death. Worth keeping an eye out for.

2008 looks to be a promising year for green gadgetry. Exciting times ahead!

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Newsflash! There’s a UK mobile service provider who cares more about the environment than making massive profits.

Green Mobile has some great packages that give something back to the environment. Firstly, they encourage you to keep your current phone rather than upgrade when you switch to them. They offer refurbished phones with contracts as well as new “greener” phones, and plant trees or support an environmental charity for every new customer. And to top it all off, their line rental is cheaper than that of Orange, Vodafone, T-mobile and O2.

What are greener phones?

Green Mobile are set to be the first to introduce the new “Sunflower Phone” to the UK. It’s a totally biodegradable phone that has a built-in seed that will grow once the phone is planted in the ground.

Find out more and switch at the Green Mobile website.

Advertisement: Reduce your CO2 footprint by as much as 2 tonnes/year & save up to £150 on your energy bills.

Electronics & Gadgets

This is a good gadget. In Stephen Fry’s recent review of it he declared: “Eat Trevor’s dust, Apple!” The Trevor Baylis Eco Media Player plays music, video and fm radio, and also functions as a torch, sound recorder, photo viewer, mobile phone charger, ebook viewer and data storage device. You can even record your old LPs onto it. It has a dual power system, so if you’re away from your power source (in this case your PC/laptop USB port) for a while, who cares, just wind it up. You get 40 minutes audio play time for each 1 minute of winding. The Eco Media Player features a 1.8″ screen, and 2 gigabytes of internal memory, which holds around 500 songs, and can be expanded by adding an SD Memory Card. £169.99 £134.99. Free shipping with promo code FSCS25 until 21st December 2007. I’m getting one of these babies for my birthday in a couple of weeks time, can’t wait!

Here’s a little something for boys of all ages. The H-Racer is the world’s smallest hydrogen powered fuel-cell car, a futuristic toy car containing one of the most exciting and advanced technologies of the 21st century. With new advances in technology, hydrogen is on its way to becoming the world’s next fuel. The H-racer is the working miniature version of what is being developed in real-size cars of the future, which are also called “zero emissions vehicles”. I can just see boys and their dads falling head over heels for one of these. £74.99 including delivery.

The Eton FR200 Wind Up Radio with Flashlight is ideal for camping, gardening and even in emergencies. The radio has a heavy-duty, splash-proof ABS plastic case, a long-lasting rechargeable battery pack and gives you access to AM, FM, and 11 International Shortwave bands, so you can stay informed where ever you are, even in emergency conditions. Just one minute of winding will give you approximately an hour of radio operation. A gift that will appeal to geeks, hunks or grandpas.£23.99.

Fashion
Handbags and gladrags tend to make an appearance at this time of year. This gorgeous bag wouldn’t be out of place now or at any other time of the year for that matter. The Fairtrade felt Flower Bag is handmade in Nepal by local village women. It’s fully lined and zips up, keeping keys and purses safe. Buying Fairtrade gifts is a wonderful way to give back something at Christmas time to people who work hard for wages that are much lower than ours. £18.50 including delivery.

Food & Drink

Food is such a great gift not only because it brings pleasure to the recipient, but also because it’s something that can be all used up, there’s nothing leftover to go to landfill. And what’s more of a luxury than beautiful and delicious cake and deserts. Tom and Ant’s organic cakes are a feast for the eyes, the taste buds and the stomach. This Christmas Celebration package contains a 10″ cake of your choice and a large mixed desert box, including brownies, chocolates and fudge. £55 including delivery.

Gifts for the Home

This is such a cool gift that it won the Gift Association’s Eco-friendly Gift of the Year Award this year. The Sun Jar is a traditional Mason jar containing a highly efficient solar cell, rechargeable battery and three low energy LED lamps. During the day, put the jar in a sunny location where the solar cell creates an electrical current that charges the battery over a few hours. At night, this energy powers the warm coloured LEDs in the jar, the light of which is diffused by the frosted jar. The jar is watertight so the jar can be put outside to benefit from maximum sunlight. Makes an excellent garden light, mood lighting or night light for children. £19.95.

I hummed and hawed about putting this item on the gift list. It is a piece of furniture, and I’ve never bought anyone a piece of furniture for Christmas, but if you’re one of those couples who buys something together for your home instead of a gift each, or if you have a son or daughter (or friend) who’s just bought their first home, this may be just the thing you’ve been after. They’re called Rock’n'roll shelves, a unique shelving system made in Sweden from unbleached high density paperboard. They are paintable, washable, not inflammable and fully recyclable. I think you’ll agree that they’re also beautiful. £189.99 for a pack of 5 rolls. To make the pictured configuration you’d need two packs.

Kids Stuff

“He thought he could fly up in his spaceship and just grab the star. But his spaceship had run out of petrol last Tuesday when he flew to the moon.” A quote from How to Catch a Star, one of my daughter’s favourite story books. Rockets and spaceships play a big part in children’s fantasies, and this really cool Paperpod Rocket is eco-friendly too. It’s not just a toy rocket, small astronauts can actually fit inside it for planetary exploration missions. It’s made from recycled cardboard, is a blank canvas for budding artists to decorate and personalise, and can be folded away at the end of play. This really appeals to my motherly side, and to the side of me that likes a tidy living room once the kids have gone to bed. £29.99.

The Lorax is a classic in every way. Who doesn’t love Dr Seuss? And this is no ordinary Dr Seuss book, in this book Dr Seuss gets serious and spells out an ecological warning that is as relevant today as it ever was. A great book to get children into the ideas of environmentalism and earth stewardship (although sometimes I think it’s the kids that get it, and it’s the grown-ups who should be reading books like these). By buying a child a copy of this book, you’re passing along an important message in a most enjoyable way. £3.99.

This is the best value wooden kitchen that I’ve come across. I bought one for my daughter 18 months ago and it’s stood up extremely well to being played with on a daily basis. I heartily recommend this all-in-one kitchen for its durability, for being fantastic value for money and for being compact enough to be wheeled into a corner at the end of the day. The kitched includes cooker, hob, washing machine and sink. £79.95.

Book Recommendation

This great read has been the top-seller in our bookshop since I reviewed it back in June. In “How to live off-grid“, Nick Rosen goes into every detail of off-grid living. He provides not only the inspiration to get off the beaten track and find your own space, he also provides countless resources to help you do just what he suggests. To gather the information to write this book, Nick took to the road with his wife and baby daughter in a converted care bus fuelled by vegetable oil and sun. They toured the UK meeting with off-gridders of all sorts. Yurt-dwellers, communards, utopians and rural squatters were all on Nick’s path, all living happy and comfortable lives completely off-grid. Their stories are fascinating, inspiring and sometimes quite far-out. But they all have some lessons to pass on to those of us who until now have only dream about being self-sufficient. £9.09.

Stocking Fillers

Multi-Striped Organic Cotton Socks – treat their feet! £5.95 £4.75

Divine Fairtrade Milk Chocolate Coins – pennies from heaven. £1.99

Felt Finger Puppets (set of five) – These cute little guys will provide hours of fun for the little people in your life. £5.95 £2.35

Swedish Firesteel – For outdoors enthusiasts, these are really cool little gadgets. No need for lighters or matches. With one of these you can pretend you’re Ray Mears. £14.95 £11.95

Forest friendly Butterfly Castanets – For the littlest of people. Brightly coloured butterflies that make a delightful clackety-clack in small hands. £2.49 including delivery.

Advertisement: Reduce your CO2 footprint by as much as 2 tonnes/year & save up to £150 on your energy bills.

London based boutique electronics company, Hulger, is searching for a producer for their latest design project, the Plumen low-energy light bulb. They were designed to counter the ugliness of CFLs that are currently available, and are objects d’art in their own right. No need to hide these babies under a bushel lampshade.

[via: dezeen]

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To win one of the three 256 Mb and two 128 Mb bamboo USB storage devices, simply enter your details on the form below. The draw will take place on the 31st October 2007. The winner will be announced on Ecostreet and notified by email.

This giveaway in now closed. See our competitions page for more giveaways.

Advertisement: Reduce your CO2 footprint by as much as 2 tonnes/year & save up to £150 on your energy bills.

Please leave a comment if you know of any other places where you can buy it.

From the back of the bottle:

Biocare contains no aggressive chemicals and is biodegradable. The active ingredients in each product are extracted from plants grown using sustainable agricultural practices. The products are created to be safe for the user and to minimise impact on the environment. Biocare does not support or engage in genetically manipulated products or processes and does not support or engage in product testing on animals.

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Activism

Staff of the natural cosmetics store, Lush are baring all at their Edinburgh branch today to encourage consumers to buy products without packaging.

Business & the Environment

Jacobs, the green transport specialists, has banned it’s employees from riding bicycles. This bizarre ban apparently has something to do with the company’s insurance, but isn’t scoring Jacobs any points with its client Transport for London.

There are now no less than four eco-friendly taxi services operating in London, and the competition is fierce, with each company trying to outdo the other by offering in-car eco-friendly products, like recycled tissues and environmental magazines.

We reported early last year that Mackies of Scotland were making ice cream with fresh milk, cream and renewable energy. They have now added another two wind turbines to their existing one to ensure that not only is all their electricity provided by the wind, but they will be able to provide renewable power to 1,000 homes via the National Grid.

Ikea has removed all plastic bags from its stores. Good move Ikea!

Renewable Energy

A new report published by the Wales-based Centre for Alternative Technology says that Britain could be carbon-free by 2030.

Eco-Technology

Sharp has introduced the world’s first eco-friendly LDC TV. The TV has been awarded the EU eco-label.

Responsible Transport

Sisters of the Dominican Convent and Ecology Centre in Wicklow, Ireland are the proud owners of a Toyota Prius hybrid car. Sr Julie Newman says it’s a lovely car to drive, and excellent in city traffic.

Jeremy Clarkson has done it again. He’s driven off-road vehicles on the Makgadigadi salt pans in Botswana, causing damage that could last for decades. Clarkson is well known for his ridiculing of environmental issues.

The Spice Girls have sparked fury from environmentally minded fans (or in some cases ex-fans) by arranging to fly each band member in a separate private jet to the various venues of their reunion tour. Come on girls, have you learnt nothing from Live Earth?

Eco-friendly House

Thai architect Soontorn Boonyatikarn is changing the face of Bangkok with over 200 eco-friendly homes, a university and some commercial buildings under his belt. His own eco-home was inspired by a mango tree growing in his garden.

Toxic World

Len Aldis runs the Britain-Vietnam friendship society and is calling on the US government to take responsibility for their crime of spraying 80 million litres of chemicals in Vietnam over a ten year period from 1961 to 1971. These chemicals included Agent Orange, now known for its continuous damage. It has caused devastation to the land, the forest, the lakes and particularly to the people of Vietnam. To support the cause add your name to this petition. To watch a video of Len Aldis talking about the damage caused by Agent Orange, click here (be aware that the video contains disturbing images). via The Ecologist

That’s all for this week folks. See you next Friday for a summary of the week’s eco-news.

Sponsor: Save money and do your bit to save the planet – switch to ibuyeco 100% carbon neutral car insurance

Two thirds of all energy generated in the UK’s nuclear, coal and gas fuelled power stations is lost as waste heat – that’s enough heat to meet the whole of the UK’s heating and hot water needs.

Greenpeace has launched a new short film, “What are we waiting for?” Made by BAFTA award-winning Memory Box Films and narrated by Clive Anderson, the film answers the crucial energy question facing the UK: how can we combat climate change and ensure energy security without nuclear power.
YouTube