The adoption of photovoltaic (PV) panels, electric vehicles (EVs), and dynamic electricity pricing is transforming households into active "prosumers"who generate, consume, and sell electricity. This shift, driven by rising costs and environmental concerns, requires new technologies to help households manage their production and consumption. Electricity's invisibility adds complexity, necessitating interfaces that make energy use and generation comprehensible. This paper presents the Always-On In-Home Display (AOIHD), a technology probe designed for prosumer households to navigate the dynamics of this production and consumption - balancing periods of solar abundance and grid reliance, by making energy data persistently and collectively accessible within the household. Adopting a practice theory lens, we explore how the AOIHD was experienced in daily life over a four-year autobiographical study and through deployments in other Swedish households. Our findings highlight four experiential qualities - Learning, Triggering, Including, and Troubling - that illustrate how the display supports the domestication of energy feedback technologies in prosumer contexts. We argue that fostering integration into household practices is key to sustaining meaningful interaction with smart energy technologies.

This paper presents a novel method for communicating environmental information in an engaging and memorable manner. Instead of traditional visual or written communication, our approach involves physical representation of data, using weight as the key element. Using food as a case study, we demonstrate the carbon footprint of food items through life-sized models that accurately reflect their actual weight. In an educational setting, students collectively discuss and estimate emissions for sample foods, followed by hands-on interaction. Each model's weight mirrors its carbon footprint, from 50 grams for half a kilo of potatoes to 13 kilograms for half a kilo of beef. Early tests show a significant "Wow!" factor, particularly for high-emission foods. This tangible experience leaves a lasting impression, potentially influencing future choices. Our approach can extend to other areas like energy. The paper concludes with design recommendations for future work.

Effectively communicating vital sustainability topics, such as personal CO2e emissions stemming from daily activities, is challenging since there is a general lack of "carbon literacy." Despite efforts, like employing data visualizations, conveying this information in engaging and memorable ways remains difficult, often resulting in rapid forgetfulness. Our demonstration presents a pedagogical approach aimed at addressing this challenge. Through the integration of surprise elements, data physicalization, and embodied learning, we have developed two interactive mediated non-digital learning experiences focusing on CO2e emissions from food and from consumption. At the core of our pedagogical approach are physical artifacts representing CO2e emissions where the weight of the artifacts directly corresponds to the CO2e emissions they represent. By employing a structured interactive pedagogical setup involving peer discussion, hands-on manipulation of the artifacts, and subsequent explanations, we have created an engaging experience that encourages long-term learning.

The climate impact of our food consumption is a key issue to sustainability. Yet understanding the food system and the impact it has can be difficult given its abstract nature. In this paper, we report on a Research through Design project aimed at designing and evaluating a data physicalization for supporting collective sense-making of the climate impact of food. Throughout the design process, we have explored the materiality of CO2 emissions and ways to design with less resource use. The resulting data physicalization, Carbon Scales, was evaluated in a three-week field study with 27 participants. Our findings show that collective sense-making can be enabled through interactive data physicalizations and that this can lead to carbon literacy. We expand on a) sustainability through design by arguing for the value of artifacts that let people stay in the interaction as this can support collective sense-making and b) sustainability in design by showcasing the value of designing with an interaction-first and materials-second mindset.