The Smart Life

Summary

In this episode, Jess Hadleigh discusses how technology can be used to achieve water sustainability with Gert Jan Maasdam and Adam Williams. They explore the pressing challenges of water scarcity and the impact of climate change on water resources. The conversation highlights promising water-saving technologies and innovations, such as digital monitoring of water networks, precise irrigation in agriculture, and wastewater reuse in industries. The speakers also discuss the barriers to implementing these technologies, including a focus on energy efficiency, conservatism, and a lack of digital adoption. They emphasize the need for regulations and long-term thinking to address water sustainability. In this episode, the conversation explores the barriers to adoption and awareness of water conservation initiatives, strategies for raising awareness and securing buy-in from the public and businesses, the role of government policy interventions, and the hope for addressing water scarcity in the future.

Takeaways

• Water scarcity is a pressing global challenge, with two-thirds of the world's population projected to face water shortages by the middle of the decade.

• The current infrastructure is under-invested and inadequate to handle the increasing risks of drought and flooding caused by climate change.

• Promising water-saving technologies include digital monitoring of water networks, precise irrigation in agriculture, and wastewater reuse in industries.

• Barriers to implementing these technologies include a focus on energy efficiency, conservatism, and a lack of digital adoption. Regulations and long-term thinking are needed to address water sustainability. Businesses can play a crucial role in driving change by implementing water-saving technologies and adopting sustainable practices.

• Raising awareness and providing information to the public is essential for behavior change and water conservation.

• Government policy interventions, such as regulations and incentives, are necessary to facilitate the adoption of water-saving technologies.

• Collaboration between consumers, businesses, NGOs, and governments is key to managing water resources sustainably and equitably.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

00:30 Background in Water Preservation

09:20 Promising Water-Saving Technologies and Innovations

27:18 Barriers to Adoption and Awareness

28:16 Raising Awareness and Securing Buy-In

30:11 Role of Business in Driving Change

31:49 Education and Behavior Change

34:12 Government Policy Interventions

39:14 Lobbying for Change

44:59 Hope for Addressing Water Scarcity

Having been our first ever guest on The Smart Life back in 2019, Delta Dore’s Senior Area Manager John Bradford is back to chat with us in the final episode of Season III. He reflects on how much the industry has changed since he last appeared on our podcast, when we were still pre-pandemic, pre-energy crisis, pre-cost of living crisis…

Against this backdrop, John discusses how much our attitudes towards technology are shaped by the stages of life we find ourselves in, which means as a result, the industry is growing up seemingly at the same time as the consumer.

Maybe it’s because they’re both sleep-deprived parents of young children, or maybe they’re onto something. But in our latest episode, it’s safe to say John and Sophie really took this metaphor of watching the smart home age in real time, and ran with it. They discuss the challenges for an industry still relatively in its infancy, and if it's ageing in real time, how do we coach it now to ensure a smooth transition into adolescence and adulthood beyond?

This and much more was the topic of conversation in our latest episode of The Smart Life, a smart home and internet of things podcast from Beacon Agency.

Throughout Adam Williams’ career has been an abiding passion for enabling technology that positively impacts on the way we live. 

Adam has over 25 years experience in delivering growth for new technology businesses across the UK and Europe. 

From a background with global companies including Samsung and Sony, he has broad expertise in the connected home space, including SmartThings, Enjoy Technology, Lightwave RF, and Mila.

Adam also has a long standing involvement with the Smart Homes and Buildings Association and is a board trustee of the Electrical Safety Board. In his current role as CEO of Hero Labs, Adam is helping to shape smart water management for a more sustainable future. 

He sits down with Sophie to discuss why he thinks the smart home is not a category in its own right, but rather an education exercise. Because, he says, technology is only as good as the value that humanity can extract from it.

Check out Episode 5 of The Smart Life now, a podcast that explores the latest in smart home and internet of things technology, from Beacon Agency.

John Steven has over two decades of experience in the home automation industry, and currently works as the EU Installer Channel Sales Director at tadoº, a leading smart thermostat and climate control company based in Munich.

He has come a long way since his first job out of school, selling bikes in Halfords. But he says the spark that started there and has followed him throughout his career in consumer electronics has been the joy of selling to people. 

He loves to inspire consumers on the benefits of products and to excite them about the potential good they can do for people’s lives. 

Which is why he is so passionate about smart technology, because of its ability to put the needs of the individual at the heart of everything.

This, and many more reasons, make him the perfect guest to sit down with Sophie in the latest episode of The Smart Life.

With over 30 years working in the computer and electronics industry, Lino Notaro has seen first hand the inordinate amount of technological progress over the last four decades. We’ve come a long way, he says, from the early days of his career working in the then-up-and-coming computer games industry of the 90s where he had to convince consumers that computers were not just a flash in the pan. 

Today Lino is the Retail and eCommerce Sales Director for TP-Link, a global provider of everyday networking devices and accessories. Their product portfolio has evolved with the changing landscape of technology, and now boasts many smart connectivity solutions among its offering. 

In the latest episode of The Smart Life, Lino sits down with Sophie to reflect on his career and the changing attitudes to smart technology. We may laugh as he recalls his early-career excitement at the launch of a wireless mouse, but actually, isn’t that what every new piece of technology aspires to do, become so commonplace we can’t imagine it not existing? And perhaps nowhere is this more true than with the internet, which, Lino says, became so integral during the pandemic that connectivity became almost a key worker in its own right.

Check out our latest episode to hear more.

A chemical engineer and project manager by background, Caroline Laurenson runs TL Tech with her husband. They are united in their mission to find new ways for smart tech to empower people to maintain independence in their own homes, and are passionate about breaking down barriers to help people access digital solutions.

When the pandemic hit, they needed to adapt their approach, and discovered a new passion for using the power of voice in promoting independence and wellbeing through smart technology. This led to the development of Kindspace, a wellbeing app that uses voice assistants and smart homes to track and improve wellbeing, transforming people’s lives for the better by creating homes that care.

In the latest episode of The Smart Life, Caroline sits down with Sophie to share why wellbeing and accessibility have always been the driving factors in the innovation of Kindspace.

Twenty years ago life-long techie Nick Sutton picked up a book in his university library called ‘The Smart Home for Dummies’. Feeling inspired, he applied for jobs in this then-burgeoning industry and he has never looked back.

Today Nick is the Smart / EV Charger Product Manager for the Luceco Group, a British-owned manufacturer and distributor of lighting, electrical, portable power, and AV products.

In the first episode of our third season, Nick sits down with Sophie to reflect on a career spent at the forefront of technological innovation and what it is about the smart home that has always kept him coming back.

Welcome to The Smart Life, a podcast from Beacon Agency that explores the latest in Smart Home and Internet of Things technology. 

Would you believe, we’re now in our third season? And Thomas and Jess have handed the hosting reins over to me, Sophie. A story forager and seeker of connection, I’m the Content Director here at Beacon. 

Ok, confession time: when it comes to technology, I’m not exactly what you’d call an early adopter. 

Like many consumers in the mass market, I need to be convinced of the benefits of new technology before I change the habit of my ways.

So what am I doing hosting a podcast discussing technology, you ask?

Well, because I’m the ideal candidate to hold up a mirror and ask the most crucial of all questions for the continued momentum of smart tech. 

What can the smart home industry do to become more human and therefore ensure its future success? 

I’m here to unpick this idea with my guests each week and ask the big questions:

What does it mean to drive innovation for the greater good?

How can the smart home be seen as a service, instead of a gimmick?

And as technology becomes more advanced every day, how does it assist humanity’s most timeless of notions: to forge connection with one another?

Join me with some of the industry’s biggest thought leaders as we endeavour to find the heart amongst the wires.

Check out season three of The Smart Life. Coming soon, from Beacon Agency.

In the second part of our festive special, Thomas and Ruthie continue their review of the past 12 months and their predictions for 2021. Featuring more contributions from our returning guests, an in-depth look at privacy and data, and a discussion of smart energy; what a way to wrap up the year. 

Once again, Merry Christmas from the team at Beacon Agency!

This week, Thomas is joined by Beacon's latest addition Ruthie Pinion to take a festive look back at the past year, and a look forward to 2021. With contributions from returning guests, part one of our two-part festive edition covers everything from electric vehicles, smart energy, security, wearables, and a healthy dose of Christmas puns. 

Merry Christmas from the team at Beacon Agency! 

This episode, Thomas is joined by Roamler UK's Pete Gilbert to discuss how the gig economy is shaking up the customer experience for smart home, as well as the impact of privacy concerns, and what the millennial generation might expect from their home and devices in the future.

This episode, Thomas and Jess are taking a deeper look into the opportunities and dangers of smart home, IoT, and other technological developments impacting future generations. With guests Adam Williams (Lightwave) and Nikesha Davis Shanks (City Farm Systems), the episode covers everything from the changing nature of technology in education, our right to privacy, and the social gap and elitism driven by who can afford to interact with technology.

Jess & Thomas are joined this week by Natalie Wathan from Schneider Electric to discuss the opportunities the smart home presents to help an ageing population live independently in their homes for longer, ensuring they're safe, connected, and healthy.

Jess is joined this episode by Daniel Bastone from Airthings to explore the impact that smart home and wearable technology can have on our health and wellbeing, as well as the importance of data, privacy, and what the future holds for our home lives.

Hosts Jess and Thomas are joined by Caroline Laurenson, Managing Director of TL Tech, and Kris Gamble, Director of Customised Ltd to discuss how society can harness smart home technology to deliver and improve care within the community. We also take a look about how far the industry has come, but also the challenges that retailers, manufacturers, designers, and policy makers need to face to improve the lives of everyone, no matter the type of care they require.

Welcome to Season 2 of the Smart Life podcast!

We kick off this season with one of the biggest questions we're facing: how do we get to carbon zero?

Thomas is joined by Remi Volpe from Schneider Electric, Stephen Pattenden from the UK Smart Homes and Buildings Association, and the podcast also welcomes back John Bradford from Delta Dore.

Episode 4: In this episode, Thomas chairs a panel at the June 2019 Smart Homes & Buildings Association event held at BOSCH's brand new Innovation Hub. He's joined by a panel of experts from across the smart home industry discussing the importance of security and privacy in the smart home.

Episode 3: Jess and Thomas are joined by Abi Coften and Oliver Tadd from MiHome at Energenie to discuss their smart home solutions, as well as talking about energy efficiency, diversity in tech, and how different demographics are responding, and buying in, to the smart home.

Episode 2: Live from the first Smart Home Expo at the NEC in Birmingham, Jess and Thomas are joined by Charlie Higgs from Bosch Smart Home to discuss the effect smart devices can have on energy and security in the home.

Episode 1: Our favourite tech of #CES2019, the role marketing has to play in the smart home, and what we're most excited for in 2019!

Thomas and Jess are joined by Jenny Parkinson from Lightwave, and John Bradford from Delta Dore.