I’m from Hawaii, arguably one of the most beautiful places in the world. Ironically, for such a pristine place, we’re not big on recycling. You throw away your trash without separating it, and although there are recycling programs, most people in Hawaii don’t bother. It ends up in a landfill, and that’s that.

When I moved to Tokyo, however, I had to learn to separate the burnable trash from the non-burnable from the kitchen scraps, the glass from the plastic from the metal, and the white papers from the colored papers from the newspapers. I spent more time organizing my garbage than organizing my home. My husband, Mr. Hybrid-cars/sustainable energy/protect the environment guy, even bought an $800 electric composter. You put in your kitchen scraps, press a button, and an hour or so later it’s reduced to dirt. To me, that’s a lot of money for homemade dirt.

A more affordable way to be eco-conscious is to use the products from Sanyo Electric Group’s Eneloop Universe line. The Eneloop Universe products consist of innovative products that promote an environmentally sustainable lifestyle. These products include a solar cell charger, rechargeable pocket warmer, and rechargeable batteries, complete with a cute dog-shaped battery checker (this is a Japanese company, after all). The company’s vision is to create a “clean energy society”, one in which the energy from the sun is recycled for repeated use. It’s a noble endeavor…and with all this sustainable energy being produced, you can get back to other pressing chores…like color-coding your garbage.