Your top 5 products/Innovations

[duncang]

Good Afternoon!

I am just getting into all the products that are out there, from can crushers, to energy saving light bulbs, and from solar panels to dryer balls.

I would love to hear from you as to what your TOP 5 products would be, if you had to choose.. I am looking forward to hearing the variety of products out there, and ultimately then go out and try some for myself!!

Over to you, and thanks a lot!

Duncan

[Cornelian]

My home built washing line strung under my verandah on a house on top of a hill - catches all the wind and sun and no rain. Who needs a dryer?

My runnerup prop clothes line that is strung over a vegie bed and doubles as a framework for bird netting when I need to keep birds off the edibles.

I also love my food dehydrator - perfect for everything to saving the apple crop to drying seeds and herbs.

[duncang]

Hi there Cornelian
I am about to build a dehydrator this weekend, so glad you mentioned it!!

Did you build your own?
Got any photos?
Got any tips?

Duncan

[Wombat]

I think my article on building a solar drier is on the main site.

Bicycle & Solar oven!

Nev

[revdode]

Unfortunately a lot of eco products and innovations seem to be triumphs of marketing rather than being of any real practical help. The mindset remains buying our way out of a problem, the next gadget will do the job.

These are rather generic, not at all innovative and in no particular order.

Compost (waste disposal with no miles)
Jumper (a warm room wherever you go)
Switched sockets (comes as standard and uses less energy than alternatives)
Down pipe rain divertors (no moving parts)
Bicycle (lots of moving parts)
Grass hook (I don't have a big enough garden for a scythe)

The internet (sorry)

[Thomzo]

Hi

I certainly think the internet is one. It's really helped me to do research and, of course, be part of this forum . I also think it saves fuel as you don't have to go all over town to find the store that sells what you want.

My solar/wind up radio. I can take it anywhere and not have to worry about the batteries running out. I just wish they did a solar CD player.

In the days when I had a Rayburn, I put a simple drying rack on the wall above it. It was fantastic as I could dry jeans in an hour and towels etc in about 20 minutes. Much faster than a tumble dryer.

My breadmaker. Not strictly an Eco product but it does mean that I can chose what ingredients I put in my bread and can leave out the folic acid if I chose!

Ice cream maker for the same reason. Uses up surplus fruit and eggs (although I've not yet had any of those).

Cheers
Zoe

[Ranter]

I suspect this isn't one that will appeal to you Duncan, but my top 'eco product' has to be my mooncup. It's also saved me a fortune on disposable sanitary wear.

[the.fee.fairy]

I suspect this isn't one that will appeal to you Duncan, but my top 'eco product' has to be my mooncup. It's also saved me a fortune on disposable sanitary wear.

y'know, i was trying to think of my top 5, and i was having a difficult time til i read this. I whole-heartedly agree!! It has to be the best eco product ever invented!

[Andy Hamilton]

There are a couple that I like the look of that don't have like the bycycle powered washing machine and the stapless stapler.

Bread machine is something I use a lot as it my bike.
Energy saving bulbs in every room so I guess I have bought into that one.
Internet - defo for that one too, would not have a job without it. - although its a double edged sword as it can be too much of a distraction too.
Does the rail network count as an innovation? - I use that all the time and am very impressed with the Eurostar also would be lost without the local train.

Not so impressed with my solar phone charger as it seems like I have to plug it in more than charge it by the sun.

[Stonehead]

My top five? I was tempted to say arms and legs, and occasionally head, but that's probably a little too silly even for me.

1. Scythe
2. Axe
3. Agricultural hoe
4. Computer and internet
5. The off switch

[Wombat]

I suspect this isn't one that will appeal to you Duncan, but my top 'eco product' has to be my mooncup. It's also saved me a fortune on disposable sanitary wear.

y'know, i was trying to think of my top 5, and i was having a difficult time til i read this. I whole-heartedly agree!! It has to be the best eco product ever invented!

Yeah, I dunno, I never found them all that useful............

Nev

[glenniedragon]

mmm, 5 lets think......

water butt+guttering
internet
bicycle- non polluting, energy efficient and convienient
'wind up' technology
Compost, well the knowledge of how to do it effectively.

kind thougths
Deb

[OurEcoHouse]

Most of the things mentioned above + manual lawn mower

[the.fee.fairy]

There are a couple that I like the look of that don't have like the bycycle powered washing machine and the stapless stapler.


Not so impressed with my solar phone charger as it seems like I have to plug it in more than charge it by the sun.

The bicycle powered washing machine was at BGG last year - it does look good, but it takes a lot of man-power!!

The stapless stapler resides on my desk, but its not so good if you've got a lot of things to staple, or yu don't want big holes in your paper.

I had a solar phone charger too, but it doesn't work for me either

I saw a thing on acoustic stives the other day - they look ingenious! They've been invented for the third world. As you cook, they conver the excess heat into electricity. Cook for 2 hours and you can charge phones, or you an light a bulb for 24 hours! There's heat exchanger ones as well (i didn't understand them) that convert the energy in the heat to be able to get pipes cold enough to make ice.

[catalyst]

i have to go with stonehead, ie garden hoe.
and hosepipes, secateurs, horseshoes, and of course the internet (where i learn several ways of doing something, and ignore them all to invent my own!)