The climate crisis affects every single person on Earth, but it affects each person differently. Your response to a given challenge depends on your local environment, government, and available resources. While many of us strive to make environmentally-sound choices, we may be unaware of the greener options available to us.
Let’s take commuting as an example. As a resident of Cambridge, MA I generally have more green options for my daily commute (walking, biking, public transportation, or driving) compared to Phoenix, AZ where sprawling city plans often necessitate driving, carpooling, or public transportation in the form of buses for many residents. However, due to the recent construction of new bus routes and the metro rail, greener commuting options may be feasible depending on your specific route.
Despite our best efforts, many of us often encounter a common roadblock in our pursuit of a more sustainable lifestyle. What choices are available to me in my specific area? This challenge is further enhanced by evolving regulations and resources and the fact that these vary by state and even by city. The problem is not due to data availability, but rather a lack of organization of that data into useful information for the average person.
Our team in the MIT EarthHack 2019 hackathon chose to address this challenge. We developed a prototype survey to help individuals calculate their carbon footprint, in a way that contextualizes their lifestyle choices to available options; along the way, actionable options are presented to lead a user to more sustainable choices. The goal of this project was to make the carbon footprint, a popularized metric, more personally meaningful, while also bringing awareness of the local and national policies impacting choices in one’s local area.
Having access to data, knowing our options, and being informed allows us all to be better decision makers our daily lives. For policy makers, such a survey and engagement platform would be useful to not only gather information but also share resources with the public. Climate change and sustainability are transdisciplinary problems that share a common core. Any solution will require sound science and data, customizable and scalable solutions, cooperation, and a populace that is informed and empowered to make the greener choice.
We were happy to be acknowledged for our idea with the third place prize this year!
Read more about the event, our project, and the other great projects in these MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science articles: Hacking the Climate Conundrum and MIT EarthHack 2019.
EarthHack 2019 participants hard at work ideating.