It was only when an interesting online eco store www.thegreenhaus.co.uk offered to include my bedlinen on its stand at Teddington’s Eco Fair that I thought about going there at all. I don’t know where the organisers were publicising it but nothing had come across my desk and looking at the venue and the visitors I couldn’t help but feel it was an accident there was anyone there at all. A shame, as there were some interesting stands which deserved better.

I fell for a stand which had some really useful and well designed “green” gadgets. My favourites were those made by a company called Freeplay Energy and included torches, radios and a wonderful lantern called Indigo and would all make interesting Christmas presents. They work on a combination of rechargeable batteries and a simple wind up system which means you are never stuck in the dark with a torch with flat batteries! Just a few cranks of the handle and “bingo” on comes an ultra bright white light. I gather these products are now sold in some of our major high street stores but I would encourage anyone interested in buying them to go to the website where they will donate $1 from every puchase to the Freeplay Foundation. The Freeplay Foundation is committed to providing innovative and practical energy solutions and to ensuring sustained access to information and education via radio. Their product, the Lifeline, is a self-powered radio designed specifically for children living on their own, distance education or other humanitarian projects. The first radios were distributed to Burundian youth living in refugee camps in Tanzania.

Freeplay’s products give us a chance to help ourselves while also helping others.

Labels: eco, gadgets, renewable energy