CES became carbon neutral in 2008 (except for attendees' travel), and any exhibitor who could spell "green" was hyping their LEDs and solar-rechargeable gadgets.

But the potential for consumer-level energy efficiency is tremendous, and CES is where we should be seeing new innovations hit Main Street. There are gadgets that would go far beyond a bigger plasma HD TV or a Zune Phone to help consumers.

Here's what I'd like to see at CES 2009:

• Prominent promises from every manufacturer about electronics recycling, with actionable information on programs from EPA and others. The major players, from AT&T to Wal-Mart, are getting on board with take-back programs, but plenty of cell phones and other toys still are going into U.S. landfills.
• Household devices for energy efficiency, such as programmable thermostats, the Home Area Network (HAN), lighting controls, appliance timers, and monitoring displays. The term "home automation," especially at CES, has been used to mean "home entertainment center with the ultimate in remote control." We need to take back that term and restore its real meaning. Home automation saves energy, and every new home should be required to have it.
• Renewable energy products that consumers can buy off the shelf and install at home. Even the smallest solar or wind system would help a homeowner to understand renewables, grasp the amount of energy they consume, and begin to associate themselves with clean energy.