Bob Marley fans would recognize those words in a heartbeat, and while I am not that much of a Marley fan, this song has been playing in my head for the longest time. I guess my nighttime lighting at home just fits the song perfectly – or vice versa.

For those who are into lighting as much as I am AND care about your impact on the environment as well, the Lucet should be in your Christmas wish list (for 2010 maybe).

The Lucet is a lamp designed by Rui Palma, and basically involves harnessing the sun’s power to light up your room at night. I have to admit, the concept is nothing new – that’s practically what every other solar gadget in the market does. There is one distinguishing feature of the Lucet that I think would make it appealing to a lot of aesthetically concerned people: it is designed so as to give the user freedom regarding viewing pleasure. That is, one can create different patterns with several Lucets, depending on one’s preferences.

The Lucet is quite small, with three roundish protrusions containing white LEDs each. In the middle, you have the power source – 2 AAA batteries. The whole thing can be slapped onto your windows – the ones that get the most sunlight throughout the day, of course – following any design that you want.

Unfortunately, this lamp remains a concept for now. Still, it is something to look forward to. I can already imagine my windows being a conversation topic with these lamps!

Photo courtesy of Eco Friend

Check out this wonderful demonstration from the Ricoh booth. That young fellow isn’t ironing paper for nothing… he’s actually demonstrating that new erasable advance paper there. Actual printed ink disappears when heat is applied. I bet you chuckled too.

The real-world application (?) oh check this out… re-useable paper! No, you don’t need an iron, silly, one could just fashion a gadget where you put paper in, heat is applied and out comes brand new paper. You could just imagine the great impact this has on everything. Lesser trees to be cut is just the tip of the vast iceberg… I’m talking about a reverse of gobal warming, or at least a small step towards it. The funny side would be the paper shredders maybe a thing of hte past.

“Every year in the United States, Americans buy, use and throw out billions of batteries. The demand for batteries can be traced largely to the rapid increase in cordless, portable products such as cellular phones, video cameras, laptop computers, and battery-powered tools and toys. Because some types of batteries still contain toxic constituents, such as mercury and cadmium, they can pose a potential threat to human health and the environment if improperly disposed).” – from US Environmental Protection Agency

The Solar Pot (designed by Korean Jangho Kim) is nothing to sneeze at. Simple as the next solar re-charger, it does drive a viable point at illustrating how the simple activity of recharging your batteries (versus throwing them away) helps mother earth grow healthier each day.

We all talk about gadgets here… but hidden therein our marvelous toys is a serious issue to consider. Geeks, we as consumers have the power to steer developments of great and environment-friendly merchandize… let’s unite and make it happen. (which makes me wonder, seriously, if fruit-named gadgets are eco-friendly? hmmm.)

After all, what is the greatest gadget like if we have no planet to enjoy it in.