There's nothing quite like a cold shower on a winter morning to encourage tenants to get vocal about their landlords' accountability. Hoping to put their views to good use is Neighbo: an online platform that brings tenants, property managers and landlords together to improve relationships and efficiency, similar to New York's LifeAt, which we covered a while back.

Neighbo offers a suite of three core products: Neighbo Lite, a free service for communities to create neighbourhood networks; standard Neighbo, a private community tool with collaborative widgets, calendars and forums; and Neighbo Manager, a B2B version full of bells and whistles that help property managers keep tabs on their buildings. Prices vary depending on how many apartments or units are in each community.

Founder and managing director Paul Fox was inspired to create the site for UK residents after living in a faceless, poorly managed apartment block for many years. After joining with several property management experts, he launched Neighbo last month. As our social worlds become increasingly virtual, Neighbo taps into the counter trend of seeking connections in our local spheres. Want more nuggets of inspiration along these lines? Check out the "warm bodies" section in trendwatching.com's off=on briefing.

Website: www.neighbo.com
Contact: hello@neighbo.com

Spotted by: Katrina Lincoln

Reducing energy consumption is clearly a global imperative, but before one can reduce it helps to know how much one is already consuming. Targeting the 40 million "smart meters" now in use worldwide—and the 100 million more soon to be added—Google is testing a new gadget that will take the information such devices collect and make it more easily accessible to the consumer.

Many smart meters don't display consumption information to the user, but Google's PowerMeter prototype—now in closed beta—is designed to receive such information and provide access to it via the user's iGoogle homepage. Aiming to help users make better energy decisions, the technology taps Google's scalable, secure IT architecture and the iGoogle gadget platform to show consumers their energy use in near real-time, including an analysis of how much energy is used by different household appliances and activities. Google vows to keep all data under the user's control, and it says it hopes to work with as many utility companies as possible to deliver the technology for free to anyone with a smart meter.

Finding alternative energy sources may be the gold rush of our era, but helping the world wean itself from nonrenewable energy is just as important—and potentially just as rewarding. Google is currently seeking utilities and device manufacturers to partner with; one to get in on early? (Related: Visualising energy use.)

Website: www.google.org/powermeter
Contact: www.google.org/powermeter/contactus.html

Spotted by: Tommi Pelkonen

Swedish furniture giant IKEA has already spawned at least two feeder businesses, as we've noted before: Bemz, which sells slipcovers for IKEA sofas and chairs, and Parts of Sweden, purveyor of various add-ons. Now consumers have yet another ready-made way to make IKEA furniture their own thanks to a new line of decorative surface coverings.

Sydney-based Grippiks sells adhesive sheets in a variety of bright colours and patterns for use on the surfaces of many models of IKEA furniture. Grippiks Surface Accents are pre-cut to just the right sizes for some of IKEA’s most popular items–including its Billy, Benno, Expedit and Effektiv storage solutions, Lack tables and Malm drawers. Made from a plastic-based film that grips surfaces using micro suction rather than sticky adhesive, the sheets are easy to position, reposition and remove without bubbles or sticky residue. They work on almost any smooth surface—including timber veneers, melamine, fiberboard, plastic, acrylic and corrugated board (unvarnished timber or plywood and brushed surfaces are the main exceptions), and feature a satin finish that's both durable and easy to clean. A Grippiks sheet for—for example—a 90cm Lack coffee table is AUD 14.95, and Grippiks ships anywhere in the world.

Whether it's shipping services for eBay users or applications for the Facebook world, there's no shortage of opportunities to feed—or feed off of—some of the world's biggest businesses. Help them or their customers, and help yourself! ;-)

Website: www.grippiks.com
Contact: www.grippiks.com/form/contact_us.html

Spotted by: Martina Meng

It's probably safe to say that most consumers would like to make their lives more "green," but that the devil lies in the details. Much like the UK's Green Homes Concierge, which we wrote about last year, New York-based Green Irene aims to help consumers reduce their homes' carbon footprint.

Green Irene's flagship service is its Green Home Makeover, which it offers for USD 99. As part of that service, one of Green Irene's local eco-consultants will spend 60 to 90 minutes walking through a consumer's home and developing a customized set of recommendations for saving money, energy and water, and for just living a healthier life. Topics in the inspection include energy and water conservation improvements, alternative energy sources in the area and financial incentives such as tax credits, and consumers also get a 6-month subscription to the company's Ask Green Irene online service. When it comes time for implementation, Green Irene's eco-consultants sell many green solutions themselves and can also make referrals to green-minded contractors in the company's Sustainable Contractor Network. In addition to home makeovers, the company also offers Go Green Workshop parties, "EZ Bulb Swap Outs" and makeovers for offices.

Green Irene provides training and business set-up help for its territory-based network of eco-consultants, each of whom works independently, and is currently recruiting through a separate site. Contractors, meanwhile, are invited to apply for membership in its partner network. One to get in on early...?

Website: www.greenirene.com
Contact: support@greenirene.com

Spotted by: Judy McRae

Commodity prices may be dropping at the moment, but with recent spikes in food prices around the globe, it's no wonder consumers are showing new interest in growing their own. For those not fortunate enough to have a garden, a new UK initiative seeks to match would-be gardeners with landowners willing to share their arable land.

Seeking to provide an alternative to the UK's already oversubscribed land-allotment lists, the Landshare campaign—which is being promoted by TV host Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on his Channel 4 series River Cottage—aims instead to convert underused land back into productive use for growing fresh fruit and vegetables. The project's site currently asks potential participants to register their interest in anticipation of a launch early this year. Visitors can register as a Grower, Landowner, Land-spotter—someone who knows of some unused land—or Facilitator, who wants to help elderly gardeners and others in need of assistance. A mapping function is coming soon to help pinpoint gardeners and plots of land.

We've already written about several initiatives that use permaculture and expertise to make the most of suburban farms. Next, how about sponsoring an effort that combines such ideas with one like Landshare, to ensure every last scrap of arable land gets used to its fullest? Now *that* could be a recession-proof plan.... (Related: Boosting suburban farms — Homegrown vegetables, no green thumb needed — More homegrown veggies without the sweat.)

Website: www.landshare.net
Contact: help.channel4.com

Spotted by: Marko Balabanovic