I had to moment to chat with Sara Backlund, Studio Director for the Interactive Institute in Sweden. We spoke about her group’s work with technologies that help people visualize how much energy they are consuming. The Interactive Institute is a think tank that tackles many issues – their unique approach begins with an idea, followed by several weeks of surveys and interviews of “regular people�. They use that survey data to guide the research of the Institute and its students.

Among the technologies on display at NEXTFEST was a lamp that opens or closes (think flower petals) based on your home’s energy consumption. Using too much power? You’ll have to cut back before you can light up your living room.

Sara also illustrated the wasted energy in a light bulb. “Only 5% of the energy is used for light…the other 95% is given off as heat,� she explained. To demonstrate the energy “loss� as well as provide a functional appliance, the Institute developed a matrix of light bulbs that act as a light as well as a heater. In the somewhat chilly convention air, several people stopped to warm their hands as if the “Element� was a campfire of sorts.

My chat with Interactive Institute has got me thinking about how design and ecomagination can go together. Certainly, the aesthetics of a GEnx aircraft engine are far less important than safety and efficiency. However, can a wind turbine be both a power generation engine as well as a beautiful part of the landscape? Can it remind us to conserve what power we do have? And will it be NEXT?