iPhone users asked to rat on energy wasters

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iPhone picture of patio heater
Smart-phone owners are being encouraged to snoop on energy wasters and report them
 

The idea is simple. You’re out for an evening stroll and pass by an office building. The last employee left hours ago but the building is lit up like your grandmother’s birthday cake.   
 
According to the founders of EcoSnoop, you are no longer powerless to act. 
 
Snap a picture using your iPhone, tag some information about ‘the case’ and join a community of EcoSnoopers who are ‘saving the world one picture at a time.’
 
The location and information is there for other EcoSnoopers, who can join forces, gather support from the local community and propose solutions.
 
‘Once a resolution is in place, the location can be tagged as resolved and given a green thumbs up as an environmentally aware business,’ says EcoSnoop’s website.
 
So far, users have used the site to report outdoor heating, daytime street lighting and over-lit shops.

Frosty reception

But EcoSnoop has had a frosty reception from the online community. While the company claims not to be ‘Big Brother’, many of the posts on the website today were critical.
 
One ironic tag next to a picture of open shop doors said:

‘Oh my God, they left the door open. I can’t believe it. Why hasn’t anyone called the cops? Someone please give me their address so I can report this or else global warming will make San Francisco sink in the Pacific Ocean.’
 
But EcoSnoop says that the application is there to promote energy saving rather than address climate change. 
 
‘EcoSnoop frankly has no idea if man-made CO2 is the source of climate change. EcoSnoop helps identify opportunities for making improvements that help companies and communities reduce cost, waste and inefficiency.’

Useful links

EcoSnoop

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