Light switches, great grants and the return of the SodaStream!

Chris Haslam's weekly round up of eco-themed products and projects.

I've been inundated this week with eco-themed press releases, gadgets and gizmos. It seems every company on the planet has found an eco-angle to push. This is great in most cases but, I've started to think (and call me a cynic) that there is a fair amount of bandwagon jumping going on. Everyday items like clothes airers are suddenly being hailed as environmental champions! Haven't they always been green?

Anyway, enough grumbling, here are my favourite green stories and products from the last few days.

First up is www.doyourbitswitch.com a website selling a very simple but extremely clever light sensor. It directly replaces your existing light switch and has a built in sensor that turns on the lights when you enter a room (and before you ask it won't come on during the day). It then monitors movement and if it senses you've left the room it will automatically turn itself off. You might argue that it's a lazymans gadget for people who can't remember to turn lights on and off, but I think for hallways and landings it's a useful and green safety feature. The Do Your Bit Switch costs £28.50 including P&P.

Good news for anyone thinking about doing any eco-renovations. The Energy Saving Trust has just released a free booklet with details of where you can apply for grants to help meet some of the costs. It includes info on who you need to talk to, what you need to do to qualify and best of all how much you may be able to get back. These grants can cover everything from insulation to solar panels. A Guide to Energy Saving Grants can be downloaded from www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/guidetogrants/

And finally, if like me you enjoy drinking sparkling water let me point you in the direction of the Penguin. This is the latest model by retro fizzy drinks company SodaStream, but instead of cherryaid and cola syrups and they've gone all grown up and are promoting it as a green (and great value) way to create carbonated water at home.

You just fill the good looking jug with plain old tap water and put inside the soda stream, pushing the penguin's beak a couple of times to get great tasting sparkling water. And there's no waste either as the jugs come with screw top clips to keep the fizz in. I'm converted and don't want to give my test penguin back!



The Penguin costs £99.99. Visit www.sodastreampenguin.co.uk for more details.

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