David Kuo's Blog

Today, there has been a rising awareness of the need to go “green”, to become more sustainable and environmentally friendly. But how does one start about reducing their carbon footprint?

It all starts with the awareness of ones’ own usage of resources. If consumers are aware of their power consumption or water usage (and how it’s used), consumers can take on initiatives to reduce their overall consumption. For example, a Sauder alumni, Janice Cheam, created Energy Aware and its product: the Power Tab. This device allows consumers to monitor their energy consumption in real time, making them more aware of their consumption.

Like Helena Lin states in her blog, with the addition of the Power Tab and BC Hydro’s smart meter program, BC Hydro can save money by being more effective in energy distribution with the newly collected data. By partnering with other utility companies in various markets, Energy Aware allows individuals, and companies to become better in tracking the energy consumption and energy distribution. Aware individuals have the ability to innovate new methods to save energy either by reducing consumption, or consuming a more sustainable type energy (solar, water, instead of coal, or gas).