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Jennifer Marsh, winner of the Save Like Steve contest.
January 31, 2012
North Van student saves energy, wins MacBook Air
It's not every day that a university student gets a new computer. Consider North Vancouver's Jennifer Marsh a lucky one.
The 20-year-old entered BC Hydro's Save Like Steve contest and won a snazzy MacBook Air laptop.
The Capilano University student says that she's been letting her parents and sister use the new computer until she has time to transfer her files over from her current machine.
Washing uniforms in cold water
The contest was a way to promote the Pocket Waste Buster app, which helps people conserve electricity.
Jennifer has been saving energy by being smart about how she washes laundry and dries it.
For two years she lived in Prince George with three other athletes. They were playing basketball while attending the University of Northern British Columbia. "We were washing clothes all the time," says Jennifer.
But even though they were doing laundry on the cold cycle, the defective machine in their house was using steaming hot water. Jennifer's roommates weren't concerned about it, but she knew their electricity bill would be higher as a result. And it was.
Now back in North Vancouver, Jennifer appreciates the front-loading machine in her family's home. Especially because she knows it will use cold water when washing.
And she brought with her the drying rack she had been using in Prince George. "Now we hang dry a lot of our clothes," she says.
Steve Nash would be proud.
Saving like Steve
In addition to captaining the Phoenix Suns NBA team, Steve is on BC Hydro's Team Power Smart.
Jennifer is a big fan and enjoys watching Suns games when she can. "It's cool that he's doing Power Smart stuff," she says. "I know he gives back in a lot of ways."
That includes starring as the retro-styled Energy Waste Detective in two hilarious skits.
"I loved those videos," says Jennifer.
With '70s-era hair and moustache, Steve the detective hunts down people who are guilty of wasting energy.
You can now view the entire episodes at YouTube, including the shocking conclusion to the adventures of the Energy Waste Detective. Until now, the conclusion was only available through the Pocket Waste Buster app for iOS devices like iPads, iPhones and iPod Touches.
View Corner Store Take-Down[YouTube]
View Oscillations of Evil [YouTube]
There's an app for that
BC Hydro's Pocket Waste Buster app is a slick feedback tool. It tells how long you can use your iOS device given the charge in its battery.
When fully charged, for example, an iPhone 4S provides 10 hours of WiFi Internet use, 8 hours of talk time, 10 hours of video playback and 40 hours of audio.
There's also a battery charge alert. The Pocket Waste Buster will tell you when your iPhone is fully charged so you can unplug it. It also reminds you to unplug your charger from the wall socket, too, to cut down on standby power use.
That's not all, either. The app also has a checklist of tips to help you save energy in your home and your life.
Conserving energy is easy to do, says Jennifer. "It saves money, it helps the environment, it benefits everyone. You can't go wrong."
