I wish there were a bin that just magically sorted my recycling. Or a way to convert my car into a hybrid that isn’t complicated or expensive. Or maybe a garage door opener that turns off all the power in my house when I leave.

If anyone out there has created these solutions, or has other green ideas that can improve our lives while helping the planet, we want to hear about them. We just launched Make It Green, a campaign to find the best new “green” products and do-it-yourself projects from everyday people. Make It Green is the newest addition to Yahoo! Green, the # 1 green site on the Web (Comscore, April 2009).

The best ideas will be brought to market as real products on store shelves, earning you $2,500 and a share of the sales. Plus, you could be on the PBS TV show Everyday Edisons. If you don’t have an idea (yet), you can give the “thumbs up” to your favorites to help us determine which ideas will be selected to go to market.

Some of my favorite ideas that have already been submitted include ultrasonic mosquito repellant, a solar clothes dryer, and a hybrid hair dryer. Check out the idea gallery to see other innovations. Who knows, you might get inspired enough to submit an idea of your own.

To take these products to market, we’ve partnered with Edison Nation. They have tons of expertise and experience reviewing products, handling intellectual property, and partnering with retailers to put the products onto store shelves. That’s why there’s a $10 submission fee – to help offset some of the cost of doing all that review.

We’ll also be showcasing some of the great green ideas at Maker Faire in San Mateo, CA, on May 30 and 31. The do-it-yourself community has been hacking solutions to everyday problems with everyday materials, so we’re excited to learn about those ideas, too.

With more than 500 million users, we know there’s phenomenal creativity and innovation out there. Whether you’re submitting an idea or just voting on one, we want to get great ideas in front of the right people to make a difference. So get busy – the program ends on June 30.

Oh, and by the way, our lawyers also want to make sure you understand that terms and conditions apply – see the Official Innovator Agreement (PDF) for details.

Erin Carlson
Director, Yahoo! For Good

As the head of Yahoo! Green, I see all sorts of odd stories related to helping the planet – world naked bike rides, homes made of recycled shipping containers, and even a Buddhist temple made of beer bottles. But they’re also great anecdotes that can help us feel optimistic about where this world is heading, especially amid the dreary economic news.

With all this recession obsession, we wondered whether people would focus on the other kind of green this Earth Day (which is tomorrow). That’s why we decided to take on the common misconception that being green costs more.

Our Earth Day site this year focuses on how you can save money by being green at home. We’ve created an interactive house tour with tips for each room. Some of my favorites include:

• Adjust the brightness of your TV to the “home” energy setting, and your favorite shows will use 30% less energy;
• Borrow designer handbags and jewelry from Bag Borrow or Steal, instead of buying new;
• Try cleaning products that are safe enough you can eat them.

We also have buying guides so you can choose the best cleaning products, water filters, and energy efficiency products for an affordable price. We know everyone is at a different point on their path toward green, so we have easy tips, more intermediate ideas, or even tips for the greenest among you. We also dissect those classic “what’s greener?” choices – you might be surprised that it doesn’t matter whether you use paper or plastic (though reusable is always best) or cloth or disposable diapers.

Every year our employees get caught up in the Earth Day celebration, too. In the past, we’ve watched our founders sumo wrestle after we reduced our resource use, and we hosted a reuse fair where people could swap stuff they no longer wanted. This year we’re playing “Tag, you’re green” in five offices across the country. If employees are spotted taking green actions (reusable mug, vegetarian meal, riding the train, taking the stairs), they’ll receive small prizes.

And finally a shout out to you for making Yahoo! Green the #1 green site (Comscore, March 2009) – you know that Earth Day is every day. I’m off to go unplug some energy vampires… and keep more green in my wallet. What’s your plan?

Erin Carlson
Director, Yahoo! For Good

Photo from noticelj

I gotta say, this economy is making me approach the holiday season with more concern than usual. Battling crowds is one thing, but it feels like a particularly bad time to spend a ton of money

I’m not the only one who’s worried, and that’s why this year’s Yahoo! Green Gift Guide is chock full of gift ideas for any budget. We’ve got the Top 10 Green Gifts Under $30. But going beyond that, we put together ideas for ways you can make your own gifts and give gifts of experiences. Many of these ideas are free, and they also show that the holidays don’t always have to be about buying more stuff.

There are some great gift ideas for everyone on my list. At the risk of spoiling the surprise, Dad’s getting the business card holder made of a reused circuit board (for less than $20!). My sister with three kids gets the babysitting gift certificate or maybe the eco-friendly cleaning service. Her kids will get the do-it-yourself gum and candy kit and the Earthopoly game. For Mom, I’m thinking a cooking class or a driving monitor that tracks miles-per-gallon and gives tips on how to save gas. And for my wishlist, I’ve got my eye on this hot organic bamboo dress and the snazzy vegan heels.

The gifts are recommended by green experts, so you can feel confident they’re good for the planet. But they’re also really unique. I never thought about a rubber drum set or a coat rack made of wine bottles. Other items push the limits of “unique,” like an urban chicken coop – get fresh eggs right in your backyard! Or the oddest one yet – a bidet toilet seat that squirts water and blows warm air, all so you can avoid the resource use and waste of toilet paper.

The Green Gift Guide also has a ton of useful information beyond the gifts. The ideas for wrapping, decorating, and entertaining in an eco-friendly way also save money. And it answers those burning questions like, “Which is better, a real or a fake Christmas tree?”

So check it out. Every time I pull up the Green Gift Guide, my holiday anxiety goes down, and my hope goes up for a season of giving that makes both my family and my bank account happy.

Erin Carlson
Director, Yahoo! For Good

I’ve been accused of having a green heart. That’s why I’m so pleasantly surprised by what seems to be a major shift in public opinion on climate change. And we can definitely thank Al Gore for that.

My team, Yahoo! for Good, had the privilege of previewing An Inconvenient Truth as a result of our Earth Day efforts in April. We even got to hear from Al himself — he was a surprise guest at a theater filled with only 50 people. He was so passionate and, get this, witty. Where was that in 2000?

Our team left the theater truly transformed. We wanted to ensure that the most people possible saw this film. We even arranged for hundreds of low-income high-school students in Los Angeles and New York City to see it opening week.

Fast-forward to the DVD release. What a no-brainer to make the film available to the youngest (and sometimes most powerful) influencers. So we donated more than 220 copies of An Inconvenient Truth to high-school science teachers in neighboring communities of Yahoo! offices — from California to Oregon to New York. After all, it’s required viewing for all students in Norway and Sweden.

After hearing that the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) rejected a donation of 50,000 DVDs from the movie’s producers allegedly for fear of losing corporate funding, we knew this Purple Act of Kindness was more important than ever. It seems tragic that education is such a low public funding priority in the U.S. that the NSTA has to worry about risking capital campaign contributions from the likes of Exxon Mobile for simply educating kids about global warming. But alas, that’s another story…

In the meantime, Yahoo! will continue to put the environment front and center and educate people on how they can protect it. It’ll do my heart good.

Erin Carlson
Senior Manager, Yahoo! for Good

I love my job, I really do. But sometimes we get so wrapped up in the cerebral that we forget why we do what we do. Events like our recent Purple Act of Kindness remind me why I work in Yahoo! for Good.

My department started Purple Acts of Kindness this spring so we could reach Yahoo!’s local communities with unexpected, generous acts to surprise, delight and, in small ways, make the impossible possible. We’ve committed seven Purple Acts so far, including going on personalized shopping sprees for underprivileged schools in California and India, taking New York City and Los Angeles high-school students to screenings of “An Inconvenient Truth,” hosting hundreds of YMCA kids at a San Francisco Giants game, and flying a severely injured veteran to participate in his battalion’s homecoming from Iraq. When I told my mom we do these every month, she said they reaffirmed her belief in corporations… I think it’s because this is the only part of my job she actually understands.

Our latest Purple Act was for the Bayview Hunters Point Center for Arts and Technology (BAYCAT), a nonprofit that teaches art and technology to underserved youth and adults (ages 13 to 24) in one of San Francisco’s toughest neighborhoods. BAYCAT’s goal is to educate, empower, and employ its students. This summer, 50 of them got free training in video production, animation, and graphic design, resulting in creative productions that examined everything from social justice to images in the media.

After learning BAYCAT was staging a graduation ceremony, our Purple Acts team descended on the center to transform the event into a mini-Oscars. We erected a white-and-purple balloon arch, poured flutes of sparkling cider, and laid out platters of elegant hors d’oeuvres. Students and families expecting a casual affair instead found themselves walking a glamorous red carpet into an evening celebrating their talents. Knowing how kids these days love the bling bling (well… me too), we gave each of them a blinking flower lei and sunglasses to up the cool factor.

And it didn’t end there. As no awards show is complete without a “schwag bag,” we handed out art supplies, cameras, and picture frames to help maintain artistic inspiration. But we saved our biggest surprise for BAYCAT itself: two professional-quality SLR digital cameras and a color photo printer! The program director actually fell to his knees in gratitude.

At show time, you could just feel the pride. I don’t think any of us expected the energy and inspiration of the students’ productions. We all laughed hysterically over “Flip the Script,” a video demonstrating what would happen if gender stereotyping was reversed. Just picture it: young men imitating hoochy mama moves while auditioning for a dance video before leering female music executives. Another personal favorite was a mock news broadcast with headlines like “White kids’ test scores are plummeting” and “Income levels of blacks continue to rise.” It really made you think.

During the presentation, BAYCAT CEO Villy Wang asked the students how the program had influenced their lives. One answer summed it all up: “No matter how small you are, you always have a voice.”

I left with my blinking lei and a reminder that perhaps Yahoo! for Good focuses on helping communities. But that day the community helped me remember why I love my job. I get to interact with real people doing really cool things in amazing organizations. And I can make a big impact. In a way, we all can, right?

Erin Carlson
Senior Manager, Yahoo! For Good