The verdict is well and truly in; for anyone who has not seen Al Gore talking about this in "An Inconvenient Truth" yet... guess what?

Greenland is melting very fast, so is the Arctic ice shelf and large chunks of Antarctica are breaking off and melting too.

So... what to do about it?

One way to make a positive difference is to use solar power instead of grid electricity to recharge batteries to power our electronics equipment.

By using solar power and other sources of renewable energy wherever possible, we use less electricity that is generated from CO2 Greenhouse gas emitting non-renewable sources, such as power stations fuelled by dirty coal, gas and oil.

There are many ways to do that with large infrastructure, such as geo-thermal, hydro-electricity, tidal power and large scale solar installations.

Since we can't all afford our very own renewable energy power station, we can go with the one power source that is also eminently suited to a micro scale which we can all use. That is our sun. The giver of all life on earth.

Each of us can use solar energy on a micro and small scale around our homes, offices, cars, caravans, trailers, etc.

So how do you go about achieving this?

Many smaller electrical appliances can be run on batteries instead of mains power.

For every appliance that can run on batteries, you can use rechargeable batteries that can be recharged using solar power.

Why would you want to do this?

First and foremost, using less Greenhouse gas emitting electricity is the best way we can each do something for a sustainable future for our kids and for all of humanity.

Using solar power to charge your rechargeable batteries to run your small appliances is a great way to do this.

Quite apart from using less electricity, there's also the added benefit of portability.

That's one of the great things about the sun, it shines one most of the heavily populated portions of the planet almost every single day.

You can take your solar power battery charger with you just about anywhere. Camping, boating, road trips, all sorts of situations lend themselves to using solar power to recharge your batteries.

Here is a list of just some of the devices which you can use solar power battery chargers with:

• iPods Nano through to 80GB
• cell phones, mobile phones
• portable radios, stereos, CD players
• DVD players
• GPS systems
• torches

Solar power battery chargers can be used for batteries ranging from AAA, AA, C and D cells.

Customised battery packs can also be charged using the correct battery charger equipment. 12V DC power packs, marine appliances, automotive equipment and more.

Then there are a range of solar power battery chargers specifically for some of the different equipment mentioned in the list above, including iPods and Nokia cell phones.

Whatever it is that takes batteries, chances are you can get a solar power battery charger to recharge it.

You will save money in the long run, as disposable battery costs can accumulate to a high level compared with using rechargeable batteries. Also, by using solar powered battery chargers, you will reduce the impact of climate change.

I hope this gives you a few ideas on using solar energy to charge batteries for your electronic equipment.

Please feel free to add further ideas, suggestions, additions and corrections in the Comments.