How Technology can Support Sustainability

Julie Starr • January 17, 2022



Nowadays, the word on everyone’s lips is sustainability, which goes for businesses and households as people look for ways to protect the environment in the long term without sacrificing productivity, convenience, or comfort. Once again, technology may have an answer. 

Integrated Technology 

Integrated technologies are becoming more and more commonplace; one stand-out example in the Internet of Things that creates an integrated home or office environment, for example. Physical objects such as kitchen appliances, vehicles, and fitness devices are interconnected. 

So how does this help sustainability practices ? For one thing, it helps to cut down on energy wastage; if you can program all of your devices and appliances to switch on and off at the right times, you reduce your impact on the planet without sacrificing any of your overall convenience. 

Energy Storage

Many of the sustainability issues that we face come down to energy. We need energy for the world to operate, but how we create and store the energy is a point of contention. Fossil fuels, the energy that once drove the economy to new heights, is no longer viable or responsible. 

The only way forward is to develop alternative energy solutions such as solar and wind power, but while this is sustainable to produce, it is also difficult to store in conventional batteries. That’s why new batteries are being developed, like the Tesla Powerwall, a viable option. 

Data Analytics 

If you can monitor and track information about the way customers respond and behave when interacting with your company, it’s possible to generate insights and create projections that allow a business to optimize its performance. This is the task of data analytics and digital charts. 

Software for Process Behavior Charts is one way of doing this; with PBCharts, you can make your business processes simpler and more streamlined simply by measuring the nature of certain metrics and variations and adapting your business to perform more sustainably in the future. 

Food Technology 

It is not just fossil fuels from industry the contribute to the greenhouse gas effect; human food consumption is responsible for around 14.5% of emissions. By lowering food emissions from humans, we can reduce the planet’s carbon footprint and create a more ethical diet for people. 

One of the best ways of doing this is to cancel meat from your diet and choose a plant-based diet instead. While this is realistic for some people, it is not for others; many people refuse to give up on meat. However, there is an alternative as technology develops non-animal meat.  

Alternative Energy 

In the last five years, solar panels have become more efficient and affordable than ever before. Solar panels are no longer just for industries ; they are a viable option for households as well backed by government incentives and the possibility of selling excess power back to the grid. 

As with battery technology, solar cells are becoming better and cheaper, which is good news for government climate targets. It’s not realistic to supply your home partly or completely with power from solar panels, and while they might have higher upfront costs, they are cheap long term. 

5 Everyday Items That Can Quietly Boost Your Brand

By Julie Starr • July 17, 2025
The best branding doesn’t always come from big campaigns or expensive graphics. Sometimes it’s the smaller stuff that leaves the biggest impression. Things people actually use, touch, or carry with them. That’s where your brand can quietly make its mark without needing to shout about it. If you’re only focusing on social media and business cards, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Here are five overlooked ways to get your name out there that feel natural, useful, and more personal. Thank-you slips If you’re already sending out orders, there’s no reason not to include a short thank-you slip. You can easily get these made through any decent online print shop , and they’re usually pretty cheap to run off in small batches. Just a simple note that says thanks, maybe with a reminder to follow you online or a cheeky discount code for next time. It’s quick, thoughtful, and makes the whole order feel more finished. Customers notice that kind of detail, especially when everything else they buy online comes with zero personality. You don’t need a complicated design either. Just something clean with your logo, a message that sounds like you, and maybe a social handle. The point is to give them a reason to come back or remember your name without it feeling forced. Branded zip pouches If you sell physical products, offer services, or run events, small zip pouches are surprisingly effective. Think of the kind you’d use for stationery, receipts, or travel bits. You can get your brand printed on the side and hand them out with purchases or include them in welcome packs. People keep them because they’re actually useful. They get tossed in handbags, school bags, or glove boxes and your logo just keeps turning up. Cleaning cloths for glasses or screens This one works brilliantly if you’re in tech, health, beauty, or anything involving screens or eyewear. A simple microfibre cloth with your branding on it can go a long way. Everyone needs one. Whether they use it for glasses, a phone screen, or their laptop, it’s something they hang onto. It’s not the kind of thing people throw away, and that means your name sticks around too. Receipt envelopes You might already use little envelopes to hand over receipts or business cards. Branding those envelopes is a small change that makes a big difference. Instead of someone getting a scruffy bit of paper in a plain sleeve, they’re handed something that feels a bit more finished. You can even add a message inside. Doesn’t need to be anything dramatic. A simple “thanks for visiting” or “see you next time” is enough to add a personal touch. Wet wipes or mini hand gels If your business is in hospitality, food, or anything hands-on, branded wet wipes or pocket-sized hand gels are surprisingly popular. People actually use them, especially at festivals, food stalls, pop-ups, or kids’ events. They end up in handbags or cars and stick around longer than you think. They don’t scream “marketing” either. They’re practical, and when done right, they make your business feel thoughtful. That’s what good branding does, it shows you’ve thought ahead.

How Student-Led ‘Energy Audits’ Are Cutting School Costs (and Lighting the Way Forward)

By Julie Starr • July 14, 2025
What happens when students stop waiting for adults to fix things and start conducting their own energy audits? Money gets saved. The lights get switched off. Data gets analyzed. And a quiet revolution in sustainability begins—inside schools that once overlooked their own inefficiencies. Across the globe, student-led energy audits are proving that change doesn't always need to come from a policy shift or a major capital budget. Sometimes, it begins with a clipboard, a spreadsheet, and a group of curious minds asking: Why are the hallway lights on at noon when sunlight floods the building? The Energy Detectives These audits aren’t science fair projects. They’re rigorous investigations, often done in collaboration with facilities staff, local environmental nonprofits, or even engineering mentors. Students go from classroom to classroom measuring electricity usage, checking for phantom loads , and identifying where heat is escaping in winter or air conditioning is leaking in summer. One high school in Ontario saved over $12,000 a year after its Grade 11 physics students ran an energy audit and suggested simple changes—LED upgrades, motion sensors in bathrooms, and smarter heating schedules. They didn’t just propose ideas. They pitched them with spreadsheets, thermal images, and payback timelines. It worked. Learning That Pays Off—Literally Unlike textbook learning, these audits blend real-world math, environmental science, economics, and persuasive communication. Students aren’t just learning about sustainability. They’re doing it. And the savings add up. From dimming overlit hallways to reprogramming HVAC systems that run all weekend for empty buildings, students are surfacing blind spots that administrators often overlook. In some districts, their findings are influencing energy policy. Elsewhere, the audits have inspired school boards to hire sustainability coordinators—often alumni of the student programs themselves. There’s something poetic about a school funding new books or laptops from money saved by students who found out the vending machines didn’t need to be plugged in 24/7. Why This Matters More Than Ever With education budgets tightening and utility costs rising, every dollar saved is a dollar that can go back into classrooms. And here’s where it gets interesting from a family finance perspective, too. If you’re a parent setting aside money for post-secondary savings, every bit of school efficiency helps. Fewer energy costs might mean more programming, better STEM facilities, or even bursaries. That raises a broader point: when families save for their children’s future, they often look into RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans). And many wonder—is a RESP deduction available on my taxes? While contributions themselves aren’t deductible, the gains grow tax-free, and students often pay little to no tax when they withdraw the funds during school. A Movement Worth Replicating These audits aren’t just an exercise in environmentalism. They’re leadership labs. Students learn how to spot inefficiencies, speak up in board meetings, and make a business case for change. They don’t just flip switches—they shift mindsets. And they carry these habits into adulthood. The result? A generation growing up not only with climate anxiety, but also with tools to tackle it.