Thursday, August 14, 2008

Cool For School!


Looking for eco-friendly school supplies or the coolest ideas to make life more fun and efficient? Here are our latest finds! To see the items live, click on the link at the bottom of this post to watch our segment on Great Day Houston.

Ideas For Organization
Mom Organizers - When the kids go back to school, Moms can get overwhelmed by all the information, schedules, activities, homework projects, oh my! The Mom's Agenda Desk Folio is great organizing system to keep track of everything. It's customizable and there are even helpful preprinted forms -permission slips, babysitter info, chore assignments, etc. (folio $32, agenda $45, www.momagenda.com).
Password Organizer – Are you getting overwhelmed by all the passwords you need now? Here’s an organizer just for them. And it won’t attract any snoping because it looks like a boring address book. ($19.99 at http://www.internetpasswordorganizer.com/)


School Supplies
Sharpie Permanent Pens – Here's the latest pen from Sharpie - everything you love without bleeding through the paper. (http://www.officemax.com/)
Be Green Pens from Pilot – Eco-friendly pens made from 70%+ recycled materials. Same price and quality as the conventional pens. (http://www.pilotbegreen.com/, office max, target)
Smencils - Scented pencils made from recycled newspaper. They smell great! (http://www.delight.com/, $11.50)
Lapsac - "Purse" and laptop bag in one ($58 http://www.delight.com/)
Osprey Book/Laptop Bags – These durable bags have pockets for everything (laptop, ipod, cell phone, water bottle and personal items) and a padded shoulder strap that conceals your Ipod cords. (Float Bag $79, Flip Bag $69, REI)


Space Saving Gadgets & Electronics
Digital Picture Frame – What a space-save for the dorm room or any room. Pop your digital camera’s memory card right into the Giinii frame and it's an instant slideshow. ($119, Wal-Mart, www.giinii.com)
Pulse SmartPen – Have you ever missed something while you were taking notes during a meeting or lecture? This pen keeps track of the audio in the room as you take notes. Miss something, just go to the spot on the page where you missed something, and the pen replays the conversation that took place when you took those notes! You can even download the pen to your computer and instantly transcribe your notes. ($199, http://www.amazon.com/, Target)
HP Pavilion dv5 Entertainment Notebook PC – What a space saver! It have a built-in flatscreen tv plus all the features a college student wants - Webcam, TV tuner, Wi-fi, Quick Play ($549.99, http://www.hp.com/)
Protective Neoprene Laptop Case – These cases protect against shock, scratches, and moisture and come in cool colorful, high-resolution designs. You can even upload your favorite pictures and have them printed on your bag. ($35, http://www.designersleeves.com/)
Electronics Wipes – E-tronic wipes are made for cleaning TVs, cell phones, and other electronic gadgets. ($5.49, Target)
Palm Centro Smartphone –touch screen, full keyboard, a camera with video capture, BroadbandAccess Connect capable, Wireless Sync enabled, web browsing capabilities, a digital Music Player and Bluetooth ($319, verizon, att, sprint)


Green Up Your Lunch Box
Organic fruit & nut snacks - Fruit and nuts are the only ingredients in "Peeled Snacks." So yummy! ($2-$3 at Whole Foods or http://www.peeledsnack.com/)
Stainless Steel Water Bottles – 100% food-grade stainless steel water bottles by Ecousable. No need for plastic water bottles when you use this reusable bottle with filtered water from home. ($14, http://www.ecousable/)
Reusable Sandwich Wraps – No need to throw away a baggie every day. The Wrap-n-mat is an eco-friendly way to keep your sandwich clean and fresh. (made in the USA, $6.50, http://www.wrapnmat.com/)
School Jersey Napkins – Napkins that look like college jerseys ($3.19 for pack of 8, http://www.jerseynaps.com/)


Beauty
Just Be T-Shirts – These cute t-shirts come with sayings like "Be Muddy, Be Sweet, Be Organic ($15, http://www.jb-justbe.com/)
Eco Friendly Shoes – These cute shoes are by J-41 Shoes. The soles are made from 51% recycled rubber and the uppers from 100% recycled material (Palm Vegan $89, Madrid Vegan $99, Urban Sole Outpost, Whole Earth Provision Company, http://www.zappos.com/)
Zeno "Zit Zapper" – This gadget uses low level heat to kill the bacteria in occasional blemishes ($89, Wal-Greens, Target)

Eco-Friendly Dorm Room
Reusable Grocery Bags – No more stashing or trashing all those plastic grocery bags. Envirosax are reusable and washable. ($35 for pack of 5, http://www.redenvelope.com/)
Laundry 101 Bag – This laundry bag has stain-fighting instructions printed right on the bag ($38, http://www.delight.com/)
Nellie’s Natural Laundry Nuggets – Easy, pre-measured and biodegradable nuggets you can just pop in the wash – ($17, http://www.delight.com/)
Room & Linen Spray – Keeps the dorm room smelling fresh and sweet. Safe for linens, paper, and your skin ($34, signature perfume www.whirledevents.com)
Poo-Pourri – Keep the common bathroom smelling sweet with a natural bathroom spray ($10 - $15 http://www.poopourri.com/)

Click this link to see the our finds live on Great Day Houston http://www.khou.com/greatday/video/?nvid=272413&shu=1 Click here to see the Pulse Smartpen http://www.khou.com/greatday/video/?nvid=272423&shu=1