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American students host Denmark’s first Internet of Green Things festival

Five American students are trying to raise awareness on the green applications of the Internet of Things by hosting the first ever Internet of Green Things Festival at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU).

American students host Denmark’s first Internet of Green Things festival
Photo: Iris/Scanpix

The festival, the first of its kind in the country, will showcase startups, their products, and professionals within the Internet of Things (IoT) community through interactive and informative demonstrations, presentations, and networking opportunities, say its organisers.

The Internet of Things is an umbrella term that refers to devices – other than typical hardware like computers and smartphones – that can connect through the Internet, enabling real-time data collection, analysis, and assessment to occur automatically.

The Internet of Green Things is a natural progression from this concept, says organiser Jeremy Honig.

“IoT is inherently green because it makes processes and products more efficient efficient, reducing energy consumption and aiding water and waste management,” Honig told The Local.

Using smart technology for everyday purposes is not just efficient but can change the behaviour of users through providing them with data, Honig added.

“Just having data telling you how much leaving the heating on wastes makes you more likely to want to save that money and energy,” he said.

The festival will showcase a number of products that demonstrate how IoT technology improves efficiency both directly and organically.

The non-profit event is open to tech and tree lovers alike.

“One company is, for example, showcasing a product that measures the capacity of waste bins, optimises the route for collections and thereby reduces CO2 emissions,” Honig said.

The organisers of the festival – Maria Sierra, Andrea Karduss, Jeremy Honig, Liam Shanahan and Jordan Burklund of Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, USA – arrived in Denmark on March 9th with no budget. They are working with Danish startup Green Tech Challenge to raise awareness on the potential the Internet of Things has for alleviating environmental issues.

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“It’s been quite the experience planning a festival in a country we’ve never lived before. Although we have faced some obstacles, we have high hopes that this festival will become a huge success on DTU’s campus and we are grateful for those who have helped us along the way. Our goal is to help increase awareness on what the Internet of Things is and for people to understand how useful this technology can be with aiding the environment,” the organisers said in a press release.

Green Tech Challenge said that both the green and technological aspects of the festival made for an ideal collaboration.

 “We believe that broad implementation of IoT technologies is crucial from an impact perspective. The resources we can save as a society are enormous and the positive effects from a rising degree of automation will have a serious effect on the energy consumption of privates and corporates alike – therefore an IoT festival is important,” said Frederik van Deurs, co-founder and managing partner of Green Tech Challenge.

The Internet of Green Things Festival takes place on April 10th from 2-6pm at DTU’s Skylab.