Going back to school means stocking up on the essentials. This year, consider adding some that run on renewable energy, or energy-efficient gadgets to help you save energy, water, and money! Hey, maybe you can pay back your student loans that much faster (or just have more to spend on coffee).
- Wake up to a solar- or water-powered alarm clock, and start your day with joe from an energy-efficient coffeemaker.
- Do your homework (or just spell HELLO upside-down) with a solar-powered calculator—they even make solar-powered scientific calculators. Get a splurge item? Consider a too-cool-for-school solar panel backpack or messenger bag.
- If your college student is moving into an apartment, deck him or her out with CFL or LED light bulbs and a low-flow showerhead.
- Save those quarters for something besides the dryer: Buy a collapsible drying rack or clothesline.
- For gadgets and electronics that need charging, use the sun! The Solio portable solar charger works with more than 2,300 devices, and there are lots of other solar chargers made specifically for cell phones, batteries, and laptops. (Check out Energy Star’s list of the most energy-efficient laptops, too.)
- Save money and don’t buy a mini-fridge—or call your soon-to-be roommate and share one if you must have one. If you do buy one, make sure it’s an Energy Star refrigerator.
- Use power strips for your electronics. The Department of Energy says "75 percent of the electricity used to power home electronics and appliances is consumed while the products are turned off."
--Treena Colby
Image: Laszlo Ilyes