Austin Texas Real Estate Blog

The buzz-words for today’s environmentally conscious consumer are “low impact”, as in do your best to leave the planet a better place than how you found it. This article outlines ten neat gadgets on the market today that can help an average person maintain a sustainable lifestyle while enjoying some modern day conveniences.

Most of the devices run on solar power, some on wind, some on a little bit of elbow grease and one incorporates the laws of thermodynamics. All are ingenious and convenient and easy to use.

My favorite has to be the sand-powered refrigerator. Put a vessel of food in a larger one, pack the space between with wet sand, and cover the whole thing with a damp cloth. As the sand dries, it draws heat out and keeps the contents cool enough to store the food for days.

That giant ball of gas in the sky, our sun, can provide the energy necessary to power lighting fixtures, heat water, and even cook your food more safely than with the open flames of a barbecue pit or grill. The solar water heater is one device with a myriad of uses and rolls up to fit in a backpack. The kinetically powered MP3 player may also come in handy in emergency situations when the electrical grid fails and you’re in desperate need of a cell phone or flashlight. There’s the added bonus of the extra exercise you’re getting as well.

Prices for some of these gadgets range from pocket change to a second mortgage, but most are within reach of your average middle-income consumer. The knowledge that these conveniences are drawing on renewable and sustained energy sources coupled with the “it’s so cool” factor make most of them well worth the initial cost.