It's almost in bad taste to expect folks to get excited about buying shiny new products in these tough economic times, but judging by the throngs weaving their way through this year's International Home & Housewares Show, there is at least interest.

From cleaning products to heating products to eating products, everyone seems to be continuing on the "green" bandwagon. One company had actor and well-known environmentalist Ed Begley Jr. at its booth talking to passersby about garbage bags that decompose faster than most.

And show organizers put on a special exhibit to help folks understand the ins and outs of sustainability and environmental friendliness.

So, in deference to environmental issues, both ecologic and economic, I looked around to find products geared toward saving the planet or saving the consumer money. Many products fit both categories.

Take the AeroGarden products, for example. These are tabletop devices you can put in your kitchen and grow tomatoes, bell peppers, herbs, lettuces and fresh flowers -- year round. There's no planting mess because there's no dirt. You simply place a self-contained seed pod into the AeroGarden, add water and nutrients and let the machine do its thing.

One seed pod will grow and yield for several months. And you can eat the produce right off the vine because there are no bugs, birds or critters crawling around to run roughshod over them. And if you like to have fresh flowers around the house year-round, you got it. Plant, grow, cut, repeat.

Prices range on the selection of AeroGardens from $79 to $199. And if you're thinking $199 is too much to lay out, think about all the time and energy you'll save by not tending the garden and the money you'll save in the long run by growing and eating only as much as you'll eat.

(How often do you end up throwing away produce because it spoils before you can eat it?) For more information: http://www.aerogrow.com/.

Another product that will give you a good return on your investment -- if you're willing to provide the elbow grease -- is anything involving steam-cleaning. There were an abundance of such products throughout the showrooms, so I'm sure I did not see them all.

There are gizmos to steam-clean your clothes, thus saving you money on dry-cleaning costs. There are nifty handheld devices for small items such as scarves or shirts, and then there are tall, upright contraptions that can handle pants and suitcoats.

Even more handy, I thought, was the steam press. For those who hate to iron but love clean, pressed clothes, this could save time and money.

Steam-powered floor-cleaners were another big ticket this year. When you clean with steam, you eliminate the use of harsh chemical cleaners. I will admit I was lured to the Haan booth because they had cabaret singers. A cheap gimmick for sure but it worked.

Their FS-20 Steam Cleaning Floor Sanitizer ($89.95) reportedly will work on any sealed floor surface, including hardwood, laminate, vinyl, ceramic, linoleum, marble and slate. A clip-on accessory ($10) allows you to use it on carpet, bedding and furniture.

There are many cool things about the ECO-heater, which is like a space heater only more safe, more efficient and more aesthetically pleasing.

It's an electric panel heater that you mount on a wall, and while it is hot to the touch, it will not burn the skin. It's a good economic investment as well, using less than 4 cents worth of electricity per hour.

And perhaps the coolest thing about it is that you can paint it -- either the same color as the wall so it blends in or you could let your artistic juices flow and paint something decorative on your 23-inch square "canvas." It retails for about $150. For more information: http://www.eco-heater.com/.

The products promoted by Nostalgia Electrics aren't so much environmentally friendly, but they are fun to look at, operate and could save you some green (read: cash), especially if you have kids.

The Old Fashioned Movie Time Popcorn Cart will set you back about $200, but if you count up the cost of a trip to the movie theater for a family of four, you could blow through $200 in less than a month.

This product could provide you with years of fun -- and not just on family movie night. You could haul it out for birthday parties and holidays. Heck, you could make your investment back by selling popcorn at your kids' lemonade stand.

Some of Nostalgia's other products include a peanut butter maker (just add peanuts!), a cotton candy cart, snow cone maker, margarita maker and more. For information: http://www.nostalgiaelectrics.com/.

Debbie Meyer, the woman behind the as-seen-on-TV GreenBags, the storage bags that control humidity and keep your fruits and vegetables fresh longer, was manning her own booth at the Housewares Show and talking about her latest brainchild: GreenBoxes.

 GreenBoxes use the same technology as the GreenBags, which uses Oya, a mineral form of Zeolite (all natural and non-toxic) to absorb the ethelyne gas released by food, which makes it go bad.

The idea is the longer your food stays fresh, the more money you'll save.