The Energy Tree
by Mark Ontkush, Boston, Massachusetts, USA 
on 04.30.07
This just in from Yanko Design - the Energy Tree. Apparently in an effort to truly unite technology with the physical environment, designer Ben Arent has created a system that contains a real tree connected to a microprocessor. The device controls the watering and feeding of the tree depending on your energy usage, and also monitors your appliances, heating/cooling, and recycling habits. It uses this information to feed and water the tree, but only if you are efficient with your energy use. If you aren't, the Energy Tree will poison and malnourish the tree, eventually killing it.
The system will also be online, using something known as "the collector." The collector is there to encourage people to recycle; Once at the depot the collector will unit will be radioed indicating that you did your job. This system has the added benefit that someone can take your recycling to the facility, while you can still get the credit. You know, to keep your tree alive.
It's a visceral idea, and (natch) still on the drawing board. According to the article, "The EnergyTree will change the perception and view of how power is being used, implementing a complete system looking at device consumption, home consumption and long term sustainability." If you got this far, I think it just did that.
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This is a cruel and unusual concept. To bring the message home a little better, why not replace said tree with a cute bunny rabbit! That'll get people to conserve.
Hehehe, an arboreal Tamagachi!
It sounds like something better suited to a classroom, actually. Plug it into the school, have the kids contribute to better energy usage, and encourage them to get a healthy tree at the end. I wouldn't mind having something like this at home for my children to use, but it doesn't sound like a product that I, as an adult, would find much interest in.
How interesting! It's a very crazy idea, but I think it'll show people how being energy efficient is really important. It'll get people to think, "Hey I killed this tree for being wasteful, if I did this, then what am I doing to the world?"
I would love to have this.
seems a little 'wrong', no?
Energy Tree? More like gadgetry...
Neat idea, but there an obvious design flaw in that trees can die of other causes. Whole thing seems a bit ridiculous. I agree with that kids might find it interesting.
What's next? Shooting puppies when we don't recycle?
Thanks for the comments and post Treehugger. I'm the guy who designed this, I created it for the 2007 startsomething PC Microsoft competition. I almost didn't enter it, and it dosn't have the level of design finish that i would like.
But the concept behind the tree was inspired from two great movies, ET and Back to Future. The ET part is looking at the emotional connection between ET and the plant that he brings back to life. The other part is using waste as food, like the Deloiroun, This isn't very clear, but the tree only gets nutrituion when you recyle and reduce energy consumption. I like the idea of linking your recyling to an output. As currently we don't know where our recyling goes and how it has a great effect on the enviroment. The reclying bins are also interesting as I proposed to have community collectors, so you would volunteer to collect a ceration type of plastic from your neighbors, sort and send off. (in turn getting reward points). Then the interconnected neighborhoods would have statisical anylsis of % of recycling. Giving neighbour hood competition to power recycling. This was going to be well illustrated in the User interface, but for some reason this couldn't be entered for the competition.
I am currently a undergrad UK designer, working in Seattle. I will be retuning to the UK in September to do my final year project. I am looking for VC's or companies to help sponsor on of many of my "cradle to cradle, socially connected" designs. Please feel free to get in touch.
Hey, don't mess with the guy who built the thing! It's a cool concept, maybe a little harsh. A tree being fed by a computer? That just sounds weird. Great idea, but why can't humans do it themselves?
hmm, chris. looks strikingly similar to a swamp.nu project. what do you folks think?
http://www.swamp.nu/projects/spore1.html
i agree with jared - cruel and unusual. you're creating a hostage situation, with a tree! "lower your energy consumption, or the tree gets it"? to really make this program effective, you should instead threaten to kill someone's child, or devise a way to automatically release a certain amount of arsenic into someone's blood stream when they start to get out of line.
Hostage situation? Oh spare me the melodrama... whats next? Condemning books on environmentalism because they're printed on paper?
Irresponsible energy usage on a large scale can have far more devastating results than a one tree dying.
A tree, one small part of nature, something simple enough for children to grasp, that wiill responds visibly to how energy is used in your home/school/whereever: This is just an extension of seeing is believing: and it can equally be a source of prime and shame depending on the choices made. I think its the sort of incentive that has long been needed.
Were I a tree, just cut me down and get it over with.
Just wanted to let you know i linked to this post on my blog. You can reach the post here
So ... the tree only receives what it needs if you conserve & recycle the "correct" amount, right?
So who determines the "correct" amount? Plus, if I avoid driving for a weekend, does that count as conservation? What if it's driving I wouldn't have done anyway?
This seems like a fun idea, especially as a school project, but I'd leave it at that.
Thanks, Ben, for the idea & insightful commentary.