Gadgets...

My wife travels a lot, so I thought I would try to make those long trips more fun by buying her a portable DVD player. But being a good greenie, I wanted to make sure I chose the most energy-efficient model. My quest led me to a Sony device that happened to have the government's ENERGY STAR logo stamped on the package.

But wait, I thought, isn't ENERGY STAR just about refrigerators and air conditioners?

No, it turns out that the program is much broader, ranking all kinds of home and business appliances, electronics and other commercial products. In addition to home heating and cooling devices and major appliances, the program evaluates TVs, battery chargers, stereos, cordless phones, computers, copiers, lighting systems --- and even new homes!

According to ENERGY STAR's website, "Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved enough energy in 2007 alone to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 27 million cars — all while saving $16 billion on their utility bills."

Sounds like a program doing good work, while helping us all in the process. So keep an eye out for that logo -- it definitely makes a difference.