High Fructose Corn Syrup is getting replaced by sugar in many packaged foods and drinks. High Fructose Corn Syrup has recently gotten a bad reputation as an artificial sweetener. It is heavily processed and offers little nutritional value. Changing to sugar is almost a marketing gimmick. Researchers have concluded that sugar and High Fructose Corn Syrup have the exact same effect on obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. One is not better than the other. Consumers should seek less sweet alternative products.

People need to drink water instead of soda. Snack on fruit instead of cookies. Yes they are not as appetizing, but they are far healthier.

We saw this cup at a museum store that looked like a standard coffee cup but was made with porcelain.  It is  called “I Am Not a Paper Cup” and is dishwashwer and microwave safe, $12 from Amazon. eco cup is another similar reusable coffee cup or beverage cup.

Many coffee shops will not allow you to use your own cup, claiming health code problems. Starbucks sells a $15 reusable Venti cup and applies a 10-cent discount on the price of the drink of your choice each time you bring your cup in and order. Apparently these sold out an are being scalped on eBay.

I wonder how many other coffee places will let you use this.  Most independent coffee shops have no problem with this. Just thinking about how many paper cups are tossed each day is mind boggling.  Few people wash their coffee cups and recycle the cup and plastic top.

Have you considered renting a computer or audio video gear lately? Do you have a meeting, project, trip, etc that requires some new gear you do not own?  If you like to try out a new Mac or digital camera without making the full commitment, renting is a great solution.   No need to spend thousands of dollars for a temporary need.

Meetingtomorrow.com rents computers, audio, and video gear and only charges $49 round trip shipping. Renting a MacBook Pro for a week is $255. Zilok helps rent equipment too. BorrowLenses.com rents high end digital camera equipment.

‘Cash for Clunkers’ Appliance rebates start shortly.  Energy Star website has links for each State’s program as each state is different.

In California, we have the $35 million California Appliance Rebate scheduled to start in April, 22 2010 covering:

• Refrigerators
• Clothes washers
• Room air conditioners

Three residential appliance categories were selected to be eligible to receive rebates: clothes washers (rebate $100), refrigerators (rebate $75), and room/window air conditioners (rebate $50). FAQ link. These rebates are in addition to existing rebates offered by California’s utilities or appliance manufacturers

The rebate funds are estimated to last six weeks, so start shopping now. Be sure to recycle your old appliances.

Credit: PowerGen

The RollerGen Power System attaches to bicycles (Either stationary or standard) and turns Pedal Power into Electric Power for Electronics Devices.  It powers cell phones, MP3 players, GPS units, anything powered by USB, the standard for modern electronic devices. Power is stored in a pocket sized miniature battery that has the dual USB output plugs.

It charges up 30 watts in a short 4-5 miles of riding. The unit fits bikes like a standard rear rack and has a spinning flywheel that contacts your tires. The only downside is that it costs $495.  Hit $99 and they will sell a ton of units.