I have a soft spot for great new technology. I tried the Fitbit out before the “boom” of fitness trackers, purchasing the fitness band on the very day it was released. I also had a netbook back when those were supposed to be the next big thing, only to quickly be surpassed by tablets. So, when it comes to new technology, I know what it’s like to be on the side of success and on the side of absolute flops. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve increasingly done more research beforehand and maybe hopped on various technology bandwagons a little less quickly. But no matter how much research I might do, new technologies still catch on for reasons I could never have imagined and are with giving a moment’s pause. With that being said, I present to you some new technologies that may help make going green easier.
Miito
This device came up on my search results when I was writing an article about how to drink your caffeinated beverage in a more eco-conscious manner. It still appears to be awaiting patent approval, which is a bit of a letdown, however it offers a very simplistic approach to boiling your tea water. I’m not sure exactly the difference in energy usage between say, the Miito and a Keurig. But I do know that it does not use K-Cups, and you can boil only exactly the amount of tea water you need. No pouring water into your Keurig and having some of it go into that little overflow tray.WeMo
Smart Home technology is something that is only going to continue to grow in 2015. I see two trends with Smart Homes: data and visualization.Data is what is driving everything. People want data. They want to know the answers to all kinds of questions. How much power am I using? What device in my home is using the most power? What times of the day are consuming the most power?
Graphs, charts and all kinds visualizations keep us wildly entertained for some reason (consider the rise of the infographic). While I’d love to see how new homes being built are going to have a lot of these technologies built in, for now you can buy devices like the WeMo, which can not only allow you to power your devices off and on remotely but also monitor and track their usage. For those of you who are interested in that level of detail, the WeMo is for you.
OxiJet
Back to water consumption, we have the OxiJet. I can’t really say how successful I think this showerhead will be, but I think it’s something to consider in your home. Water usage is undoubtedly increasingly a matter of consideration and concern, especially with the ongoing California drought. The thing to consider is that low-pressure shower heads that aim to save on water usage are nothing new. What this shower head manufacturer claims to do differently is provide a similar amount of pressure by infusing air bubbles into the stream of water. It is an interesting take on an old problem, and my hopes are that it is successful. If anyone reading this has tried it out, I’d love to hear more about it!A working electricity app for Green Button
I am ashamed to admit how long I got sidetracked writing this article and still failed at getting an app that could look at Green Button Data from my Energy Provider. Yeah, that’s right Connecticut Light & Power, or Eversource, or whatever you call yourself these days. I have an iPhone 6, and I thought for sure the app store would have something to work with my data that has been touted as “standard” and used by many energy providers. So far, though, I’ve downloaded three apps that were highly recommended by various blogs and none were successful. Sorry Kill-Ur-Watts, Leafully and WattBuddy, but you all have failed me.Podcasts like Green Is Good Radio
No, Podcasts aren’t new for everyone. But I will say that, even as tech-savvy as I am, I only started listening to them last fall. As a data analyst, I don’t believe in coincidence, either. Generally, with enough data, I find a lot of things are pretty explainable. Without getting to existential on you, however, I’ll point you in the direction of this article written in December of 2014 that discusses the rising popularity of podcasts. In 2015, people are going to rediscover these audio treasures and, in fact, tune into some new ones. I listen to them in the car, at the gym or when I’m out for a run. This podcast, in particular, certainly can you give you great tips on going green or a wide variety of other information.Although not all of these may be “next big thing,” they seem interesting to at least imagine. Some of them are flashy new technologies; others are old dogs with new tricks. Whatever the case may be, technology is definitely one way of tackling issues of recycling and going green. It’s also very much a way of creating more recycling nightmares and eco disasters. But if we’re smart about the technology we choose, we could help the planet in a big way. So, go forth and make the decision you feel is best – just when you invest in new technology, try not to invest in Laser Disks.
