Here are a few ideas that will help, or at least not hinder the Australian environment
Oregon Scientific Solar Weather Clock
$139.99
THIS tidy unit is as practical as it is sleek and is ideal for campers and caravanners. Best of all, it’s green friendly. After fully charging the solar panel in the sun (takes about six hours) it’s right to operate for two months. Its main game is displaying the time and weather (inside and out), but it also forecasts the weather 12 hours ahead. The alarm function is easy to use, inoffensive and comes with a snooze function. As a bonus, it comes with rechargeable batteries and one spare regular AA should the rechargeables go flat when least expected.
Australian Geographic and www.oregonscientific.com.au
Dynamo Sports FM Radio
$29.95
THIS little Dynamo sports radio is powered solely by winding the supplied handle in one direction for a minute to give you enough time to catch up on current affairs, the top 10 music charts or a session of the cricket while you’re holidaying in remote places. Crank the handle for 10 minutes and you have six hours of listening time. Reception is pretty clear and no interference could be detected on a good hike around hilly declines and riverbanks. It fits snugly in your hand and is light and compact.
Ph (03) 9593 9433
or visit www.adhgifts.com.au
Soap2GO
$2.99
IT’S questionable whether this really is a “gadget” but it’s clever and eco-friendly so I just had to include it for this theme. At first glance these colourful little packages seem like another gimmicky, posh item for hikers’ backpacks but when you take a closer look and add some water to the wafer-thin soap sheets, you’ll have all you need to soap up, cleanse and wash all over. The paper is biodegradable. There are five lines: Anti-Bacterial Hand Wash, Body Wash, Shampoo and Conditioner which can even be used with sea water. Each line comes in a compact flip-top container of 30 single-use sheets.
Priceline & Priceline Pharmacy outlets. Ph 9979 3811 for stockists.
Emergency Travel Charger
$29.95
ANOTHER clever device requiring little more than some elbow grease to generate some power, the Dynamo Emergency Phone Charger also says goodbye to batteries and electricity. It’s small enough to slip into any pocket of your bag which makes charging your mobile phone anywhere without mains power a breeze. With a quick connection to one of the four adaptors supplied for Nokia, Motorola, Samsung and Sony Ericsson phones, two or three minutes of winding of the handle will provide up to eight minutes’ power great for an emergency.Ph (03) 9593 9433 or visit www.adhgifts.com.au