The Wall Street Journal and Time Magazine posted articles on how Boulder, CO, a relatively progressive environmental city, is trying to stop their citizens from being armchair activists.

“Since 2006, Boulder has subsidized about 750 home energy audits. Even after the subsidy, the audits cost each homeowner up to $200, so only the most committed signed up. Still, follow-up surveys found half didn't implement even the simplest recommendations, despite incentives such as discounts on energy-efficient bulbs and rebates for attic insulation.” (The Wall Street Journal)

Now taxpayers have supported a bill pushing a new program dubbed “Two Techs In A Truck” to literally go door to door, caulking windows, replacing light bulbs, and even installing low flow showerheads.

Which approach is better in reaching for energy efficiency – traditional tactics / door-to-door ‘do it for them’ or energy innovation? Top thinkers in this space, such as Thomas Friedman and Bill Gates are definitely pushing for innovation. “Why we need innovation, not just insulation” (Bill Gates) and “I’ve long believed there are two basic strategies for dealing with climate change — the “Earth Day” strategy and the “Earth Race” strategy… I leave here feeling more strongly than ever that America needs to focus on its own Earth Race strategy instead. Let me explain.” (Tom Friedman) Innovative thought needs to be applied to help Boulder hit their goals and help set a standard for other cities around the nation.

Personally I believe the real question is more about providing a platform for communities to decide what makes them motivate one another to take progressive action in saving energy. Transparency is the missing piece of the Boulder story. If used cleanly and simply, transparency and its simple psychology enable communities to hold each other accountable, and provide for some great motivation. While over-used by politicians these days, the word transparency has been parallel with the growth of the social computing revolution, and I’m sure will be synonymous with the smart grid.

Imagine walking down the street and knowing exactly how much energy each home or business is consuming? Or knowing that your home is consuming 3X as much as your neighbor (and that your neighbor knows you know). Could pulling back the curtain on this information enable communities to collaborate in new ways, support one another, and provide help when others are stumbling?

Well, the truth is maybe. We’ll never know what the possibilities are until the information is provided to the public. But I do urge you to start thinking what innovative alternatives are available for problems such as the issues that Boulder is facing. For instance, look at what the Prius effect has done for the car industry, and what Twitter and Facebook have done for businesses reaching their customers.

- Elliott