As we all move into the hottest days of summer, many people have asked me questions about affordable ways to minimize their electrical usage. And we have located a solution that everyone should know about – a SOLIO solar powered charger (http://www.solio.com/). It is a compact solar panel charger that you can wear around your neck as a solar collector or leave on your desktop to collect the sun’s energy. And then it is powerful enough to charge all of your handheld devices – from MP3 players, to PDAs such as Blackberrys or iPods, or your mobile phone. A one stop solution to free power…

For those who are remodeling their homes, we are in the process of finishing the first Gold-certified LEED eco-friendly showhouse for Good Housekeeping magazine. Expect to see the photos in a special insert in the November issue. But in the meantime, the one product that everyone should know about it is the use of denim insulation (yes, that is right – you can recycle jeans!) in the walls. It requires a minimal amount of energy to be manufactured and is Class A-nonflammable and because it is natural denim cotton fibers and 100% post-industrial, the fibers are free from any contaminants which is great for those with sensitive skin or allergies to standard insulation products.

Finally, with so many summer weekends, we want to recommend that for your outdoor living, you consider using solar powered walkway path lights which gather the sun’s energy throughout the day – from http://www.gaiam.com/ which is an affordable site for solar energy products.