Hey Alexa – what is the “Internet of Things”?

Remember when we used to listen to our speakers? And now our speakers actually listen… to us too? Yes, that my friends, is an example of the Internet of things ! In addition to being a phrase we usually hear from tech guru’s and start up veterans, it refers to: “the interconnection via the Internet of computing devices embedded in everyday objects, enabling them to send and receive data” – ( From our trusted friend, Google)

  (Designed by Yours [very ammature] Truly)

The Alexa ‘hype’ rode out its wave, but the Alexa convenience and entertainment factor is still very much prevelant. Today, we can ask our speaker to play a specific song, tell us the weather or even spew random historic facts. We have managed to connect the internet to otherwise daily objects, to make our lives easier. But can daily objects help make us more sustainable? The answer is YES! And there is one specific company that caught on to this possibiltiy really well.  I present to you : ecobee

Born out of the mind of a man who wanted to reduce both his personal carbon footprint and expenditure on energy, ecobee provides “smart thermostats” – Wifi enabled thermostats that also come with room sensors. The sensors can detect room occupancy and communicate this to the thermostat, which can then adjust the temperature. I.e. Reducing the temperature (during the winter) once you have left the room, in order to conserve energy and , save you money!

This is a prime example of using technology to create shared value. Ecobee’s founder sought out a way to gain ecobomic value by solving a social issue : energy consumption and lack of environmental stability. I truly believe that this is the path forward – making social issues our core business purposes, our value propositions! This will mean that our daily consumption is inherently more responsible consumption, because we now have objects that are in fact, accountable for themsleves, and to a big extent, for us!