Mi Casa Verde’s new home automation system hopes to prove to the world that it actually can be easy being green. Sorry Kermit. Vera, a Z-Wave / 802.11 hub with a robust web interface for monitoring energy usage of devices in your home, is the kind of simple gadget we could all use to do our part to reduce energy consumption. The device shuts your gadgets down if they are burning too much power. You can also use it to set any of the devices to power on and off with a timer. Pretty handy.

Vera runs using a modified Linux format and also is touted as being able to operate locks and security cameras. The company also boasts that the system actually saves more power than it uses. Wait a minute, really? Somebody call Obama or McCain. We may finally have a forerunner for endless energy.

The street date is October 31st and the retail price for the unit is set at $299 with a secure remote access gateway running $8 a month. Mi Casa Verde is offering a pre-sale price of $149 with one free year of gateway access, though. Get on it! You carbon footprint is gigantic. Really. It’s huge. People have been talking.

All right! It’s about time – a 13-port USB hub!

Kudos to Synchrotech for bringing us a 13-port USB 2.0 hub, which is much smaller than Century’s CHMP-16, the 16-port version designed to serve 2 computers (pictured below). For a mere $45 you can enjoy the sleek and small design and add peripherals to your heart’s content!

And hey – perfect stocking stuffer idea!.

Shipping now is the $129 Belkin 5-port Network USB Hub which works with an existing wireless router to give wireless access to peripherals. It works by simulating a direct USB connection, tricking the computer into thinking the devices on the network are directly attached to it, thereby letting you use USB 2.0 devices at full speed.

The company does warn that the system doesn’t support some high-speed/high-bandwidth USB devices such as HD-streaming webcams or other video-transfer applications.

Just when you think it is safe to browse the USB hubs and webcams again, here come strange little eco-friendly Lili and Oscar.

Oscar (the USB hub) and Lili (webcam with 1.3-megapixel sensor and a built-in microphone) are available in four different colors, are constructed from recyclable materials, and are produced "in a fair trade environment." Lili will cost £30 ($60), and Oscar will be available for £20 ($40).

Can you imagine the poking and prodding this thing could do? If one imagines it larger than it really it, it’s actually quite frightening. But as a combination USB/Firewire hub, it’s pretty remarkable in a very dense field. Made by Ora-Ito, "The Hub" includes dual USB extension cables, a standard USB cable, a miniUSB cable, a USB fan and a USB light. I’m sure there’s artificial intelligence in there that wakes up the moment you place it on your desk, that performs alien medical experiments, but if you’re willing to take a chance it’s reasonably priced at $90.