[Ubicomp] [Soc] Smart Homes and Smart Marketing

For the majority of voters...the phrase [energy conservation] conjures "sacrifice, deprivation, Jimmy Carter in a cardigan telling you to turn down the thermostat." ... But they do like to be told they're smart... [P]roducts, programs, and politicians that have substituted "energy efficiency" or "smart shopping" do dramatically better than those urging abstinence. "So the environment is not a primary motivator," she concludes, "but if people can help themselves first and help the environment too, they feel they're being smart shoppers and good citizens."


  — Who's got the power?, Christian Science Monitor Aug 28 2003

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