Kevin Muise and Jin Fan of Simon Fraser University in B.C., Canada have launched a power consumption monitoring application for Facebook that uses peer pressure and competition to foster energy conservation, ITWorld reports.
GreeNet tracks the member's energy consumption patterns, with metric data provided by the electric companies. Users who engage in energy-saving activities actually leads to the growth of virtual flowers on Facebook.
"It's just like actual gardening," says Muise. "You see other people's gardens growing beautifully and get the urge to improve your lawn."
The application recently placed second in interface design at the Imagine Cup technology innovation competition.
