My Eco Toys

Boys like toys! A few years ago I would have vehemently denied that I was in any way attracted to any of these childish objects. I have always considered myself mature with no inclination to frivolity. However, I have recently realised that I don't really mind fiddling with some kinds of toys especially those that seem to do something useful or lead to some revelations and enlightenment, and most importantly they save energy.

As my job often involves appearing at various Eco exhibitions and events, I usually get offered some of these toys for free. I call them toys because they are meant to be played with, and Eco because they are designed with the environment in mind. I will be writing about just a few of them in my collection.

At Sustainability 2010 in Norwich I picked this mechanical torch which is probably the most useful in my collection. At first it looked and seemed ridiculous but when you come to look at it you realise it has got its place. It doesn't use any battery at all and the luminosity is impressive. You charge it by gently pumping it with one hand several times and that can last for long. It is a toy because it is fun to pump it and romantic to use when the lights are off. The text on it even says "Live, Work, Play". I know at least one place on earth where this could be a very essential companion though.

Another interesting toy I picked up from the same event is called an ecobutton. I haven't really used it much as it is a bit cumbersome. You connect it to your laptop through the USB port and whenever you plan to be away from your desk for some time you just press the button to bring the laptop to standby mode consuming much less power. On your return you press the button again and it tells you how much energy you have saved by using this device. The problem I see with it is competition for USB port with other device e.g. memory stick, headphone etc.

If there is one thing that should attract me to a toy it should be its ability to be interactive and flexible especially when it gives you figures. The Eco-Eye Plug-In does that for me. By plugging various appliances to the socket you can see the power rating, energy consumption and how much it is costing you. You can hardly call it a toy but it great to play around with all the home appliances both in use and at standby. It is really revealing and you will probably start unplugging appliances after trying it. I think I picked it up at the Green Business conference in Bury St Edmund. And by the way the reading in the picture is for a laptop in use.

The next one called Ecosavers is probably meant to make you lazy. With it you can remote-control absolutely all your home appliances. With one remote control you can manipulate up to 4 sockets meaning you will have no reason to leave things on. I picked this one from our office and it is one of the give-aways in the Act on CO2 campaign. The major setback with this one is that the remote control does use a battery to operate.

These are all wonderful energy saving inventions. The reason I classify them as toys is that as with most children's toys you use them for a short time and then store them away until the next one. This is exactly the reason why Suffolk Energy Action Link (SEAL) seem to have decided to stop issuing energy monitors as part of the Greener Home DIY Scheme wish list. I know I am still in the look out for other interesting ones. I used to have one for mechanically charging the mobile phone but I think I have given it out as a present. It is really entertaining charging your mobile phone and battery mechanically!

Are they useful? Have you got any of these? Please share your thoughts and experience.