“EcoSnoop” iPhone App Designed for Ratting Out Neighbors

Max Linsky
Take Part
December 29, 2009

Listen up, all you eco-warriors: Your days of griping in vain about neighborhood energy waste may be coming to an end. Finally, there’s a tool that we normal folks can use to report environmentally negligent behavior. Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to EcoSnoop.

The EcoSnoop app lets individuals report on wastage of water, energy, trash or toxic pollutants. You can view cases filed near you via GPS and add documentation using photos and commentary. You can create your own complaints if, for example, your grocery store is leaving the parking lot lights on during the day or your neighbor is dumping oil down the drain.

“ It’s an interesting idea. Some reports say as much as 30 percent of total electricity is wasted, and certainly we have all witnessed examples of this in our own communities. Crowdsourcing may be one of the best tactics for identifying such waste, but it’s not clear how these complaints will ever make their way to the property owners responsible. ”

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