Green gift guide

It's not easy being green, especially for techies who want to work for a better environment. If you've got ecofriendly geeks on your holiday list this year, we've got some ideas to bring a solar-powered smiles to their faces. In fact, you don't even have to wait to exchange gifts in order to make the holidays really green. Elsa Wenzel rounds up the best ecofriendly holiday decorations in our Crave blog.

Driving a gas-guzzling auto can be painful for the eco-minded, so why not grease up that fuel economy? Greasecar Vegetable Oil Conversion Systems are available for a variety of diesel cars and trucks. The kits come with everything you need to run vehicle on only vegetable oil, and could become the holiday vacation project for that special someone.

Compact fluorescent bulbs are all the rage these days, but they're the last thing that should hit the landfill. Several companies, including Sylvania and Bulbs.com now offer CFB recycling kits, so you can send those dead bulbs to a better afterlife. Sure, it's not the prettiest gift on the list, but it's certainly a unique present for any real greenie on your list.

The 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid is a stylish newcomer to the hybrid sedan market. It features a peppy, economical drive train, and some very well-designed and integrated technology options, including a great stereo and traffic-enabled navigation. A good balance between performance and economy, it delivers with some very swish cabin electronics, although these options will push the base price way up.

Solar power always means a few less dollars toward the energy bill. Sure, emergency cell phone battery packs are good for backup power, but what if you need to charge for more than a cell phone? Or you want to keep your gear going strong while you're, say, camping in Yosemite? Enter Solar Style portable solar chargers. Though not quite enough for a laptop, the Ultra Kit works with cell phones, smartphones, MP3 players, Game Boys, and other small electronics.

Whether you're stocking your bomb shelter with postapocalyptic tech or just feeling a little guilty about your USB power consumption, the Trevor Baylis Eco Media Player offers a wind-up solution for all your MP3 and portable video needs. A solid minute of cranking can provide as much as 40 minutes of music playback.

Why not give a laptop bag that benefits the environment and the recipient? The Voltaic Solar Backpack doubles as a tiny waterproof mobile generator that can charge just about any device (except, ironically, a laptop) without a power source. A built-in battery back stores the solar energy, and 11 attached standard adapters work with most cell phones and other portable devices. At $229, it's great for hikers and rugged individualists.

With zero emissions and a virtually silent engine, the Zappy3 electric scooter puts those loud, exhaust-belching, gas-powered scooters to shame. It's never too early to get the kids into habits that consume less oil and create fewer automotive emissions, and most parents will welcome the reduced noise pollution as well.

Much has been written about how new HDTVs, especially flat-panel models, consume lots of power, but few places actually test exactly how much. CNET is an exception -- we've been recording the power consumption of every HDTV we've reviewed for the last 18 months or so, and that data has allowed us to spot some interesting trends. More importantly, it also lets us provide tips on how you can reduce the power consumption of your TV, not only saving money on monthly power bills but also doing a tiny bit to help the environment.

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Above you'll find the winners (and loser) among HDTVs we've reviewed in 2007. The three most-efficient sets won by consuming the fewest watts per square inch, a criterion that ignores screen size and in which rear-projection sets typically dominate. For that reason, we threw in the most-efficient plasma and LCD sets too. The final two sets made the list by consuming the least and most watts respectively, and since screen size is a big factor in power consumption, they're among the smallest and largest HDTVs we've reviewed this year.

Finally, here are a few tips for reducing power consumption on your own TV: Turn off the TV when it's not being used. Some TVs, notably by Sony, also allow you to turn off just the picture, for times when you're out of the room but still want to listen. Turn down the LCD's backlight and/or the contrast control. Aside from screen size and technology, the brightness of the picture is the biggest influence on power consumption. Turn the power-saver mode, the Movie mode, or otherwise reduce the TV's light output. Watch TV together; if you can agree on a program, sharing TV time is fun and keeps the TV turned-off for more time. Oh, and watch less TV.

For more ideas, and to get the low-down on TV power consumption including our testing methodology, check out CNET's quick guide to TV power consumption.