Track your CO2 emissions with Capture App
A new app can trace the levels of carbon dioxide each user emits and offers a planet-friendly way for users to lower their footprint and reduce their CO2 emissions.
As life gets back to normal for many following the lockdown, pollution levels are likely to rise. Following a significant decrease during the most intense period of lockdown, it is important to keep our CO2 emissions down.
Capture App offers individuals and businesses a way to track their carbon emissions. The app allows you to see where your biggest pollutants come from and plan for a more sustainable lifestyle.
CleanTech spoke to Josie Stoker, CEO of Carbon footprint & CO2 tracker App “Capture”, to talk about how the app is moving users towards a lower-carbon lifestyle.
There are 2.7bn smartphone users in the world, who could use this app? What is your vision for the world, if they do?
We wanted to help people who care about the environment to feel empowered and satisfied (not words you traditionally link to climate change!) when it came to taking action against climate change. The vision is to enable our users to understand and reduce emissions on a daily basis – helping people achieve at least a 7.6% reduction in emissions year on year.
What has the feedback been from users so far?
Users have enjoyed the automatic tracking of emissions from journeys – CO2 emissions are filled-in based on an algorithm that helps you keep track of mobility choices as you travel.
Some environmentalists have been accused of eco-hysteria, from planning dramatic stunts to causing disruptive protests. Do you think Capture App could contribute to this delirium?
I think this is a really interesting question. There has been some incredible work done by Katie Patrick; showing how alarm and panic has not moved people to make the kind of changes at a collective level that we need. Doom and fear has not worked. At Capture, we actively inform users and work with them to lower our carbon emissions, creating a satisfying and achievable target with the aim of inspiring action and hope, rather than fear and guilt.
What benefit does the Capture App have for the user?
We try to help people understand their own personal emissions. There are four main emissions categories from us as individuals: transport, diet, home energy use and goods and services. Capture covers transport and food (so far). On our website and within the app, we have a learning section which can feature topics such as climate education, planet-friendly living tips and a little more about our services to companies.
Does Capture App pass on any user details to third parties?
We don’t pass on any details to third parties and tight data privacy is absolutely vital for us as a company. We do work both with individuals and with companies – where we help organisations build and maintain a planet-friendly workforce… For those who sign up as an employee within a Capture team area, we will ask permission to share non-personal, high-level emissions data with employers, such as % changes in your carbon footprint.
How has using Capture App impacted your personal choices – in terms of transportation and diet?
How bad flying is compared to other forms of transport has really stuck out for me – and dairy! But I could never completely give up cheese! Using Capture helped me realise that being ‘planet-friendly’ isn’t an all-or-nothing game. You don’t have to be perfect to make a difference.
The app is a great way to sustainably alter your life choices and track your progress. With New Years resolutions having a failure rate of 80%, why not start a sustainable resolution with Capture App this summer?