This month we are giving away a fabulous solar and wind power combination charging system which straps to your bicycle to provide totally green and portable power for recharging your gadgets on the move.
The HYmini Deluxe pack includes a wind-powered charger plus a mini Solar Panel attachment so you can catch some rays as well. Connect your iPod, cell phone or digital camera to the built-in USB port and begin charging ’till the cows come home.

HyMini Deluxe Giveaway

The HYmini Deluxe Comes with a Solar Panel for Extra Charging!

Charge Your Gadgets with the HYmini Wind Turbine

We're Throwing in a Bicycle Clamp Too!

You can earn bonus points in the following ways (Be sure to let us know which bonuses you use in your comment);

• LEAVE A COMMENT TO ENTER: Just leave a comment against this post and you will be entered to win a HYmini Deluxe
• RETWEET THIS CONTEST: Simply retweet our contest on Twitter be sure to let us know in your comment!
  = +1 point
• SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the Our Everyday Earth Newsletter
  = +1 point

Enter your email address:

• PRIZE: A HYmini Deluxe solar and wind power charger and the HYmini bicycle mount (Approximate value $75.00)
• GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Tuesday, August 31st 2010 at 8pm CST
• NUMBER OF WINNERS: One – picked at random using random.org
• PRIZE SHIPS: USA or Canada
• THE USUAL: One entry per e-mail address is permitted. In the event of a tie the winner(s) will be selected using random.org and announced on Wednesday 1st September 2010. Good luck!

More Competition Info…

You can read all of our competition policies here; COMPETITION POLICIES

I haven’t posted for a long time so I felt that this weekend should be somewhat of a catchup session for my green blogging!

A discussion around the coffee pot at work led me to today’s post topic, a company called Prairie Turbines was recommended to me by a colleague and after researching their products I decided to wax lyrical about the great work they are doing to make wind power affordable.

Prairie Turbines - Making Wind Power Affordable

Prairie Turbines sell all the parts you need to setup a wind turbine and start your journey towards an “off the grid” lifestyle

http://www.prairieturbines.com/purchase.htm

The main advantages which make the Prairie Turbines much more affordable to buy and operate are as follows;

• Built With Off-the-Shelf Components
• Rugged Efficient Blade Design
• Requires No Batteries, No Inverter
• Grid Ready!!
• Easy to Build and Maintain
• 100 Pages – Step by Step Details Assembly and Installation instructions for DIY installs

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#1
Wind turbines silently turn as the sun sets on the first full day of Spring.

Wind Turbines Silently Turning Together

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My husband and I have taken quite a few bike rides in the fall and spring; cruising the many biking trails available in the area.  While riding we typically listen to our iPods, kind of a serenade along the trail.  Last time we were out, about 10 minutes into the ride, my iPod went dead. Don’t get me wrong it was still a great ride and the scenery was peaceful, but I missed the accompaniment of my music. When we got home I took a little time to search the Internet for an eco-friendly way to charge my iPod or iPhone while out enjoying nature.  I found what looks to be a great product;

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Hi, I’m  Jim, a new contributor to Our Everyday Earth.

This picture of me is included to show an unfortunately unforgettable example just how practical the strategies described in future posts to this column will be.  Real Problem ~ Solution stuff. “P ~ S”

In this case, the problem  was my fear of Sharks.  My job as chief hunter (Karen was chief gatherer) on our Sailing expedition forced me into the water almost daily.   My real instinct was to follow the plan endorsed by one of our cruising companions who claimed he had a deal with sharks, “If the sharks would agree to stay out of the Pubs he would promise to stay out of the water.”

Having seen many tearful interviews in which the victims, or their next of kin,  stated that the shark must have mistaken them, in their black wet suit, for a Harbor Seal or Walrus, I resolved to make sure that I did not – by proportion or color – resemble any standard selection on  “The Bull Shark Catch-of-the Day Menu.”

“P ~ S”.   “Problem ~ Solution”  Still alive and not so much as a close call.

In our sailing days we fitted out both of our boats with wind power and solar power and the deep cycle batteries to store all that we generated.  In future posts we will discuss those systems and power conservation strategies .  We even had a wind powered self-steering system to drive for us on long passages.

After our sailing days we moved to a totally undeveloped 10 acres situated 2 hours west of San Antonio Texas.  There we designed a super energy efficient  home, using passive solar principles and SIP Panels, that included a solar hot water outside shower, grey water system, tankless propane water heater, rain water capture system and a composting toilet.  We did all of the work ourselves.

Like on our boats, through research,  careful design and installation,  our homestead was very successful.  The climate in that area is desert-like. It gets over 100 degrees for days at a time and then down into the teens.  And yet, we never had an electrical bill over $100. and never felt like we were camping out.

Future posts will cover these green adventures and more.

See you then,

Jim