I got a really interesting email this week regarding a new “eco” product that is taking the country by storm. It’s one for you dog owners and it’s called the Poopod!

A dog loving British family has created the ultimate accessory for responsible dog owners. When Nicole, their 15 year old, made it clear that carrying a smelly, steamy bag full of dog poop, when walking their Yorkie Rosie, was just not good for her image at all, the Bells worked together to develop the ingenious, award winning, Poopod as a fresh solution to a dirty problem.

The Poopod is a clever, all in one device that includes a dog lead attached to a bag dispenser with a sealed container allowing pet owners to discreetly dispose of their dog’s mess without leaving the scent of ‘Eau de Poop’, wafting behind.

With over 900 tonnes of ‘it’ being deposited in Britain every day, complaints about dog mess have created a big stink all over the country. Responsible dog owners have been rallying against this flow of faeces and armed with Poopods they are a force not to be sniffed at.

As a multi-award winning product, The Bell family won a ‘double gold’ award at The British Invention Show. And Sue and Nicole Bell won a ‘special recognition for innovation award’ for Poopod at the Womens’ Innovation Inventors Awards only three days after Poopod’s hugely successful debut at Crufts. And there is a good reason for that!

Embarrassment when carrying a warm, squishy bag of dog droppings is the reason given by 90% of those who still won’t clean up after their dog according to a survey undertaken by the Department of the Environment. The Poopod transcends this tricky issue by making it convenient, simple, clean and smell free to store and dispose of messy dog waste.

Everything you need for your dog’s walk is simplified into one great product. Just clip the detachable lead provided - or even your own lead - to the Poopod, attach your dog and you are ready for walkies. Once your dog makes his deposit, you can proudly demonstrate what a caring and responsible dog owner you are by pulling out a handy bag from your Poopod dispenser. You can then place the used bag into the scented Poopod compartment and no one will ever be any the wiser, until you dispose of your parcel properly.

Sue Bell, MD of Poopod explains: “Rosie and I enjoy our walks so much more since we invented the Poopod. I can take her anywhere now and I never get embarrassed by her little presents any more.”

The Poopod comes in two sizes, ensuring that dogs of all breeds can have embarrassment free owners. They even do a pink one for those image conscious owners like Nicole. Available from just £11.99, you can be the first in your neighbourhood to lead the way to a cleaner, sweeter smelling dog walk.

Find out more at http://www.poopod.com

Genius!

A new program pointed out to me looks like it could help to cut down on the amount of paper we all waste when printing from the web. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has tried to print something from the net only to find 2 or 3 pages that are all but blank, save the url and date.

If like me that makes you really angry check out http://www.printgreener.com/index.html It has a free version which I have played with that seems to do a lot already.

Save Trees! Think before you print

As part of this new section of OrganicLinker.com we are pleased to bring you our first product review.

The Water Powered Calculator

The H2O Power Digi Calculator - to give it its full name - is a great little product that demonstrates great forward thinking. It is part of TangoGroups WaterPowered Range that includes 2 different calculators and 2 clocks. Each of these run on their patented water powered batteries. The blurb from their site quotes the technology as such…

The patented technology simulates a basic battery oncept where two electrodes consisting of specially formulated alloys, one positive the other negative, are immersed in water. As soon as water comes in contact with both electrodes an electrochemical reaction takes place resulting in the production of electrical energy. To maintain a constant supply of energy simply refill as the water evaporates. This system has a minimum continuous life of at least 2 years.

The box with the calculator in arrived through the post direct from Tango Group and I felt like a small boy with a new toy that had top be played with. I finally had my first eco product review to do.

Any thoughts of a review, or work for that matter went out of the window and it was straight to the kitchen sink to see if this “magical” battery really did work. Maybe it was some bogus claim that had us all duped? I immediately opted for the classic male approach to technology and bypassed any form of instruction manual that fell from the box and immediately filled the battery. The battery holds less than a thimble amount of water and this will keep the wee beast powered for about once a month. Once filled it is simply a case of plugging it into the slot and you are away.

It really did work, water was powering it, not an environment destroying AA battery but simple H2O. Could this be a step towards reducing battery consumption? That remains to be seen, after all the water battery has plastic and metal parts and it does eventually need to be replaced. The lifespan for each of the tiny sized battery is quoted as being ‘useful’ for 2 years, though Tango will guarantee the battery for 1.

I was so pleased with the technology of it that I even annoyed my friends by proving to them that it did work, and not only did it power it, it actually did the calculation correctly, like for some reason it wouldn’t!

In conclusion I feel this is a great little product that demonstrates a technology that could really go somewhere. It is a gimmicky toy, but a good harmless one that any eco warrior with accounts to do is sure to appreciate. Maybe its time to go out and get hold of the scientific version! Surely you cant calculate serious trigonometric equations on a contraption powered by something you get from the tap in the kitchen!

The Calculator and many other great eco gadgets are made by Tango Group Ltd (www.tangogroup.net) and they have a list of recommended retailers that can be found at http://www.tangogroup.co.uk/stores.htm.