There's a new type of credit card in the design world called Live Checking.  It's a credit card that actually keeps a running tally of how much credit you have used which might help people manage spiraling debt problems.  This is a huge problem right now during the recession.  There are lots of people living completely off of credit right now because of the poor economy and sagging job market.  Even for those of us who are employed, it can be easy to miscalculate your spending.

The eco-friendly part of the design itself is the solar panel on the right hand side of the card.  This panel collects the power necessary to keep the card powered up when needed.  This card could also potentially really help people cut down on the amount of waste they are steadily consuming.  Perhaps people will think twice about buying disposable products or cheap junk that they don't need because they know how much they've already spent and how much they owe on this card.  Many people end up with tons of things crowding their house that they don't even need or want!

My favorite part of the design is the ability for the card to light up around the edges to let you know at a moment's glance whether you are above your credit limit or not.  If the light is blue, you are still within your credit limit.  If the light is red, you are over your limit.  I also think it's cool that the colors used for the edges are not green and red.  Green signals "go" and that is not what consumers should be doing when using their cards.

This design is by Jin-young Yoon, Wook-sun Oh, Young-ho Lee & Jun-kyo Lee.

If you're an eco-enthusiast and in the market for a new laptop, netbooks might be a great alternative.  They're smaller, so they use less resources.  Many models are extremely energy efficient.  And one model, in particular, makes me "green" with envy.

The Sony Vaio has a case that is made up of 23% recycled CD's which really increases the sustainability of the product itself.  It is very energy efficient with a backlit 10.1 inch LCD screen, a battery that lasts up to 7 hours, 250 GB hard drive, Microsoft 7, 1.66 Ghz Intel Atom Processor N450 and  1GB RAM.

Another neat feature that is extremely environmentally friendly is it's packaging.  It comes in a PET case instead of wasting resources making cardboard.  PET is a plastic made from recycled pop bottles.  I'm loving this eco-chic netbook although I might have to get it in green!

This alarm clock by Bedol is not only gorgeous in form, it's gorgeous in function as well.  There's no batteries and no plug in because it's completely powered by water!! 

It comes in 5 colors -- pink (pictured here), purple, charcoal, blue and green.  The shape of the alarm clock mimicks the only power source necessary for it to function -- water.  The body of the clock is shaped like a single drop of the most precious resource our planet has to offer.  It's transparent so that you can see the water inside of the clock and sits on a base which is actually the cap.

To fill the clock, you twist off the cap base and pour regular tap water into the droplet portion.  Replace the cap and voila!  No need to do anything else.

Some users report that the water needs to be changed every 6 to twelve weeks but this doesn't mean you need to readjust your settings.  There's a microchip inside that will keep track of the time during fills.  Empty the water onto your plants and replace with fresh tap water.

There are lots of articles online about how exactly this works.  I'm no scientist but it has something to do with using ions in the water to generate a current.  There are two metal poles inside of the clock that the ions generate a charge between without any chemicals whatsoever.

Just the kind of thing I love -- stylish, functional, waste free, chemical free and eco-friendly!  This would be especially perfect for people who travel a lot.

I've found that writing is one of my favorite pastimes through the years.  With the advent of blogging, it seemed like only a natural choice for me to start up a blog of my own.  I focused on environmental issues as a main topic for blogging because I try to make as many green choices that are feasible for myself and my family.  This means everything from choosing to buy used when the option is available, choosing sustainable resources when possible and using chemical free cleaning supplies throughout our home.  When and where there are eco-friendly options available, that is what I try to choose.

Web hosting too can be rated on a scale of "green-ness".  Many web hosters claim to be green-hosts.  However, you really need to look into a company's policies to see where they lie in the scale of light green to dark green.  Some companies may be going towards using alternative energy sources such as solar and wind power instead of electricity to power their equipment.  Others may simply have some green initiatives in terms of office waste recycling and buying recycled paper.  It is important not to get sucked into a company's green washing attempts as environmental responsibility becomes chic.

Many companies and products tend to hype their green policies as an attempt to gain more customers.  It's important to know what kind of a company you are buying into whether you're buying clothes, food or web hosting services.  There's lots of resources online that will help you determine just how green a company really is.  Web hosting rating.com can help you decide what the best website hosting company is for you.

There are hundreds of web hosts listed with user ratings, awards in several different categories, a venue for rating different hosts and a ton of articles on every imaginable topic.  They even have an article on the environmental aspects of web hosts called What Color is Your Web Host?  This is definitely worth a quick read for bloggers who are interested in going green.  Two green thumbs up!

This is a sponsored post with 100% real opinions.

Addiction is a huge problem in our society.  Everything from drugs, alcohol, gambling and many other things seem to draw people into their lure and trap them.  Recovery is definitely a hard path to go down but it's also one of only two ways out of addiction.  My cousin is in the hospital right now battling for her life as she tragically follows the only other road out of addiction.

Meetings and support groups have been proven to provide the support and aide to addicts that they require.  Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and Gamblers Anonymous all have 12 step programs that can help addicts to follow the other path out of addiction.  Addicts and their families need to remember that there is hope.  There can be a brighter future.

Support groups are fantastic, however they are not available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  To have someone to talk to when you really need it, I'd highly recommend InTheRooms Meetings.

This is a social networking site where members can come together to talk about their addictions, their paths to recovery and to serve as a huge support network in between regular meetings.  It is one of the top recovery sites on the web today and is only growing in size.  There are over 75,000 different discussions occurring right now on the site and the members have over 100,000 years of recovery time!  Imagine all of the experiences, knowledge and information could be gleened by checking out this social networking site.

InTheRooms could help you or your loved one find your way to a healthy and sober future.  This is a sponsored post but also an idea that I believe strongly in.  So many people seem to be falling through the cracks in our society.  These people may be addicts but they are first and foremost people.  They can and do make a brighter future for themselves and others.

Just the place for me -- looking for people with opinions! lol I joined this site today that sends you surveys that they want you to complete to get points.  They send no more than two surveys to be completed a month -- I took one and it's really pretty easy.  The point value of the surveys varies depending on the length and complexity of the survey.

You can earn extra points by having friends and family members joining under you.  Join now and you can be part of my referral circle!  This can be a really quick and easy way to earn cash online. You get 100 points just for joining and can earn up to 75 points for each person that you refer to the system.  If your have 2,000 points in your account that's worth $20 cash!  15,000 points is worth $150.  Another good thing about this system is that you don't have to pay extra shipping and handling if you pick one of their great reward prizes.  The rewards arrive at your house without any cost to you at all!

The site is called My Opinion Now and offers a variety of different cash and prize incentives.  In addition to the cash and prizes you can earn through the rewards, companies sometimes offer you free products to try out for participation in their different surveys.  This is such a great way to reward yourself and your friends and it requires very little time to do.  I joined today, you should too!

This is a sponsored post with 100% real opinions.

Social networking tools really seem to be the way of the world.  I've got entire circles of friends that I've never actually even looked at!  There are all kinds of online support systems with the Diet and Fitness Community being one of the latest.

It's 100% free with new members joining everyday to have live chats, article and video uploads, meet new people, live messaging and run personal blogs.  This specialized social networking tool is focused on people interested in weight loss, fitness and different diets.  There are all kinds of different sections in the system focused on different diet programs, workout routines, weight loss goals and ideas.  This is a great way for people to gather together and discuss what works, what doesn't work, latest information on diet and exercise, new products and develop a support system to help them meet their diet and fitness goals.

I really think this is a great idea for people to get together and be accountable to others for their goals.  It's so much easier to keep at your fitness routine when you have a work-out buddy.  People can help to keep each other on track and share ideas.  Great, great idea!

This is a sponsored post with 100% real opinions.

Twitter is a social media tool that has an exponentially increasing following of users.  The Ashton Kutcher/Larry King competition for followers really emphasized the kind of power that twitter has and exactly what it can be used for.  Malaria sufferers were the real winners in this race with thousands of mosquito nets donated to areas in need and the cause gained some much needed attention.  In this day and age where a beauty pageant's response to a question from a gossip columnist can send what seems like the entire world into a flurry, causes such as water pollution, malaria and sustainable practices are virtually ignored.  Twitter can be used to really gain recognition.  It's become THE way for people to organize and take action online.

People can use twitter for anything really -- status updates virtually the same as facebook, starting social movements like Max Gladwell's #EcoMonday, rounding up participants in the Green twittersphere, keeping in touch with friends and relatives, running your own blog, promoting blogs and ideas, or even just straight promotion of products and services.

Many businesses have their own twitter pages (VistaPrint Twitter), most webpages have their own twitter accounts, bloggers are joining in record numbers and various charities and causes are discovering the advantages to Twittering.  Grassroots movements have made some major technicological improvements through social media outlets.  If you're not already there, I'd definitely recommend joining.  Join a movement or a cause that you're interested in and start making a difference today!

Wii accessories come in every possible variety now.  This "eco-friendly" wii controller is an example of going one step too far! lol  It looks like a Survivor version of a wii-mote.  In actuality, it's just a normal wii controller wrapped in hemp.  The funniest thing is that it actually works!  Maybe they could make these things actually eco-friendly by using non-toxic devices, recycled plastic and making them so that they last an extremely long time.  There's tons of ways they could green these devices.  This is cute and funny but unfortunately, not one of them!  It's still badass though and I totally love it!  Half a thumb up.

There's a whole new area of growth in the flash drive industry -- that of the eco-flash drive.  Some of these green-er choices are free of lead, cadium, mercury and other toxins.  Some of them are more bio-degradable than more traditional options.  They even come with recycled packaging and far less packaging so that they generate less waste than other flash drives on the market.  There are even recycled drives on the market as well as bamboo drives and very cool paper board flash drives!  Now even true technies can make their purchases slightly greener!  It's definitely worth looking around for more environmentally friendly options when you are shopping.  It's amazing what you'll find!