This video is, apparently, what happens when you let geeks loose on the pressing question of energy efficiency. Tech Digest's Gary Cutlack is clearly on the right track when it comes to the complex science of turning stuff off, but should he perhaps be focusing more on the C02 cost of his idiot toys rather than blaming everything on his poor old fridge? Proof if proof be needed that nutrition is a mere accessory to the truly dedicated gadget freak, I'd say...

Related: Friday Fun: 'The Front Fell Off' video | Ali G on the environment

If you've seen the latest EDF TV ads, you may have noticed that Kermit the frog appears to have brought his act right up-to-date and, er, changed sex. That's because the ad features a new arrangement of the muppet's famous lament, which has proven so popular that EDF now want to release it as a single. It's performed by a group called '2 Different People' and is really rather catchy...

Follow the jump to hear the new version of 'It's Not Easy Being Green'

At the age of 12, while other girls were embracing the onset of womanhood, experimenting with lipstick and getting into boys, I was...writing letters to the people in the future. (In many ways it's not surprising I had a hard time at school!) But it was only last week when I was packing up bits and pieces in my room before moving that I found one particularly amusing and poignant letter I'd written in 1990 -- addressed to myself age 25! I opened it five years too late, but it was intruguing to see what I'd written, particularly the concerns I had about the environment, and the rest is just downright funny.

Follow the jump some selected highlights to spare my blushes!

There are lots of fruits in season this month that make terrific jams and jellies: Apricots, peaches, greengages and blackberries are all packed with natural sugar that will taste scrumptious on your toast for months to come.

I've collected together a few recipes for making jam with ripe, homegrown August fruits that you shouldn't have to travel far to find.

Follow the jump for the recipes

Celebs love their eco gestures, phoney or otherwise, and love nothing better than to be spotted out and about with the latest bit of green chic. This chap was spotted toting a hardy looking manbag recently, but can you guess who he is? The pic does afford us a few clues: the owner is male (well, I kind of gave that away in the title), likes to look after the environment (hence the Green Bag) and is married (I don't need to point out the ring do I?).

Can you guess who it is?

It's Friday, which means it's time for another tasty, healthy and seasonal treat to give you plenty of vitamins and positive energy for the weekend! This week, it's brought to you by our friends at Chow Vegan, who have shared their favourite blueberry and banana smoothie.

Blueberries are in season at the moment, along with blackberries, greengages and raspberries. So you should be able to get your hands on some fat juicy ones without too much trouble, whether it's from a local farmer's market, superstore or your own hedgerow.

Read on after the jump for instructions...

Related: Hippy Hippy shakes: enjoy an organic milkshake | Vegan and vegetarian bbq recipe ideas

Here in London, we've been promised perfect barbeque weather this weekend, and I for one will be out in the garden, setting fire to things. Being a veggie with several vegan friends makes this slightly more complicated affair than it otherwise might be, but I think it can also be a lot more fun when you're forced to be creative with your cooking. So I've been scouring the web for tasty meat-free, outdoor cuisine, and am really excited by what I've found.

Whether or not you normally eat meat, why not check out some of these recipes? You're bound to impress your guests when you offer them something that differs from the usual discount burgers and bangers.

Follow the jump for the recipes and please send me more ideas!

Related: How to have an eco-friendly barbeque | Traditional West African style recycled BBQ

If you decide that what's been missing from your life is a small, light-seeking technicolour robot, then your luck may just be in. Meet Bert: he's one of a whole colony of 'bugbots' currently seeking a home over at Tinyminds' shop.

Each robot is powered by a tiny solar panel on its back, and will crawl towards any light source. Just make sure you keep an eye on yours, as butbots have an unfortunate habit of leaping to their doom.

[Via The Alternative Consumer]

We've all got them: old jumpers that are no use to us at all in summer, and probably won't look any more attractive in the winter, when they emerge moth-eaten from the depths of our wardrobes.

But as this fun idea demonstrates, old jumpers have a summery side they're just itching to bring out: they make great, hard-wearing picnic mats. Follow the jump for step-by-step instructions on how to make one of your own.

Related: Picnic responsibly with veggie-based cutlery | Biodegradable picnic kid from Firebox

So many celebs are falling over themselves to prove their eco-worthiness that it's easy to forget that there are still A-listers out there with the carbon manolo-print of a small country. Chicago Tribune has published a damning list today, featuring 8 of the worst offenders.

Culprits include: Celine Dion (I'm not sure why, but this somehow fails to surprise) and her habit of getting through 6.5 million gallons of water at a house she hasn't even moved into yet; Liz Hurley, and the 'best day of her life' which turned into the bane of her life; John Travolta, who enjoys playing with aeroplanes and David Beckham, who laid claim to the 'world's highest carbon footprint' in 2006.

Click here for the full hall of shame.

This looks to me like one of those products that desperately wants to be green but can't quite give up the short-haul flights. The thinking behind it is that you pop the wooden 'sleeve' over a standard issue coffee cup, and hey presto, you've got a sturdy cup you can use again and again. But the blurb also suggests you use it as a bracelet, suggesting you do go ahead and ditch the coffee cup after use anyway, which really means all it does is keep your hands cool and makes a nice bangle. And are takeaway coffee cups really re-usable anyway?

The most good I can see this doing is removing the need for the additional heatproof sleeves we sometimes use to protect our hands from scorching coffee, but that's not going to save a whole lot of trees (not least the ones it's made out of!). I suggest you keep the cool bangle and invest in a nice flask to solve the hands/coffee issue instead. [Via DVICE]

Forget Earth hour! 1st April is Energy Wasting Day. A list of tips on the best ways to waste energy has been published in advance of the occasion, including "fill the kettle right up to the brim and make yourself a nice little cup of tea" and "turn your thermostat up to the max and pop on a pair of shorts".

If Mayoral candidate Sian Berry's Alliance Against Urban 4x4s isn't hardcore enough for you, here's a campaign from the states that really lets you vote with your, um, fingers.

The F*** You Hummer project aims to give the 'ultimate H2 salute' to anyone selfish enough to drive one of these gas-guzzling monstrosities.

The site's owner urges readers to send in pictures of their 'giving the bird' to Hummer H2 drivers, and surprisingly, 4566 people already have. But remember kids -- as the site itself admits, the H2 is a 'death machine' and ought to be approached with caution...

Recycled art is all the rage, and plastic makes a great basis for an arresting sculpture: it's tough, comes in every colour of the rainbow and scores highest in recycling points as it would otherwise take so long to biodegrade.

Artist Robert Bradford is using discarded plastic toys to full effect in his upcoming exhibition, which will be in London from the start of next month. 'Plastic', which features as well as the dog above a much less friendly AK-47 made out of toys, will go on display at the Trafalgar hotel, just off Trafalgar Square on 2nd April.

This little piggy will teach your kids two of life's most important lessons in one go: save money and help the environment.

The adorable pointy-eared, slender legged pig has a slot for coins which undoubtedly hit his aluminium abdoment with a satisfying 'clunk'. In a previous incarnation the pig was a bottle, which has been neatly fashioned into its new shape by artist Luitpol Ruiz Gaviria in Peru. Available with free shipping from Novika