The climate crisis is one of the most pressing concerns effecting life on earth today. It has and will affect the livelihood, health, and happiness of every person on the planet, as well as the lives of all living beings. Great minds have been working together to solve the issue, bringing a message that fixing the problem requires immediate shifts in attitudes and aviours of individuals, communities, industries, and governments. Efforts are being made to integrate clean energy use, improve recycling, along with other positive changes. Many cities have implemented solutions such as greater bike lanes, repurposing areas for green spaces, and recharging kiosks for electrical vehicles. Individuals have been encouraged to reduce their own carbon footprint by changing how they travel, consume energy, shop, and eat. Despite this the message is often not clear enough, measurable, or timely. This combined with the scale of the problem can erode self-efficacy and commitment. In the area of encouraging positive behavioural there exist many carbon footprint apps. These track variables such as fuel usage, travel, power usage, waste, etc. Some app use GPS to determine activity, then derive a carbon footprint. Others offer suggestions on how to improve behaviour and provide an online community. All include a carbon calculator to give users a score or colour code. Some apps track user purchases, with information on how much damage a purchase is doing to the environment. Some apps focus on specific areas such as the number of trees a person would need to plant to offset their carbon footprint. All the apps researched try to keep users engaged over time. Research on apps showed that user engagement declines with daily use of the app. It’s likely that the novelty of using the app wears off, and there is no user connection to what a person’s carbon footprint means. Data gathering such as bank account and general purchases might prove difficult due to trust, but data such as GPS can be easy to gather via phone or a smart watch. Gathering accurate information is essential, not only in determining that carbon footprint activity but to prevent cheating. How do we make sure people are being honest? Do they self-report or use tracking methods. The answer is likely a mixture of both. How do we make people aware of the app? More research is required. It is our observation that there is room for a carbon footprint app which focuses on easy to understand and change behaviours such as food choice, water use, lifestyle, modes of transportation, and general use of energy. The app would have a personalised based on what is important to a specific individual, gathering in information about lifestyle, interests, age, etc. Users can engage with app on a daily to bi-monthly basis and still acquire positive behaviour changes. The app would be personalized via an avatar which would be upgradeable by changing its look, acquiring reward items, etc. Avatar type can become more carbon friendly or less carbon friendly based on the behaviours of user. The avatar type could be used to make purchases and attend entertainment events. The app could include integrate a game option for avatars to engage with one another in a simulation world. App would track activities via GPS, credit card purchases, and utility bills. App would be scalable, and can be used by friends, families, communities, and nations. Family, and community avatars would look different. Competition can be encouraged between individuals, families, and communities. Target age range for app is 15 years of age to university student age. Team D22-001 SMART Statements 1. I would try to refill my water bottle instead of buying a new one to reduce plastic waste. 2. Reduce the amount of water used in daily routine for example for washing dishes or clothes. 3. Instead of using any transport, I will incorporate more or running/walking to university or workplace. This would improve my health and reduce my carbon footprint. Anique Ajamal 1. I will use my bicycle two to three times per week to do light shopping errands that are reasonably close by. I will attach carry bags to my bicycle to make this easier. 2. Ill make it a point to give away my old clothing and books to charity shops instead of throwing them away. 3. I will reduce my use of paper at school by writing a bit smaller, and or using my computer to take notes. Lawrence Hosannah

#personalpower #carbonfootprint #environment #sustainability The scale of the environmental effect of global warming is complex and vast. It can seem ominous to the average person, and produce a sense of helplessness. Solving the issues require long-term commitment to changes in how each of us think and behave. Much of the problem is caused by national and corporate activities such as the operation of industrial waste, energy use, food processing, technology development, and travel. While its true that these large entities produce much of the negative effect on the environment, the collective behaviour of individuals has a large impact as well How we each live on a day-to-day basis has a minimum impact, but when each of our actions are added up the damage to the environment is vast. As we go about are lives on a day-to-day basis the stressors of the day can push environmental concerns to the back of our heads. An ongoing reminder that provides options, incentives and resources would be useful in helping individuals to make environmentally friendly choices. With this understanding our team proposes a Carbon footprint app that would be supportive to individuals, and communities. This app will empower, educate and entertain.