Illuminate Your Flower Pots With Solar Power
by Mairi Beautyman, Berlin, Germany 
on 01.18.06
Here’s a stylish solar way to brighten up your potted plants. The resin Solar GardenGlo planter by Patio Living Concepts uses sunlight to power six LED bulbs, which last 20,000 hours, according to the manufacturer. The planter comes equipped with a solar control unit, meant to be mounted to a ground stake and positioned in direct sunlight. The unit then captures and stores rays, saving the glow for later. The planter’s best feature? The hi-tech control unit is also light sensitive—a flick of a switch, and it can be programmed to turn on automatically at dusk (it can also be turned on or off manually). Color choices include frost, lemon, green, stone, and blue and terra cotta (shown here). To the surprise of Patio Living president Dale Klaus, the planter has also been known to serve as a cooler. Add a little ice, and it keeps a bucket full of beer chilled…
An electric version of the planter is also available. To locate a retailer near you, email dklaus@patiolivingconcepts.com. :: Patio Living Concepts
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Using solar power to light up something that was never lit up before? How does that hug trees? Seems like pointless consumption to me, and overall bad for the Earth.
I agree. This site is a bit too quick to celebrate anything that uses solar power. I mean, remember the glowing bathtub?
=== author's response follows ====
It's all about the baby steps. We like to encourage green design, and if that needs to start with a planter...or a bathtub...so be it!