The GetCarbonSmart App

This is an easy to use app that contains the carbon footprint of a wide range of product and services to accurately reflect the lifestyle of people living in the UK. Everything from electricity use to buying a coffee is included. Users can individualise the app by creating their own items to reflect their everyday routine and set them to repeat to save them time. The app allows user to:

  • Learn about their carbon footprint

  • Actively track their your carbon footprint and see how it is impacted by their daily lifestyle decisions.

  • See UK specific carbon footprint data

  • Add items to ‘Favourites’ for easy access

  • Set items to add to their carbon footprint at regular intervals (daily, weekly , monthly)

  • Edit and create their own items to reflect your lifestyle (eg. A morning commute)

The GetCarbonSmart Challenge

Participants are set the challenge of tracking the carbon footprint from their daily consumption over a two week period using the GetCarbonSmart App. This should be a fun experience with individuals learning from their peers  and their own experiences. Rather than being simply being told information in a topdown approach, participants are able to interact with the data in their own time and at their own pace. Before and after the challenge period, the participants will be offered the chance to complete a voluntary quiz to gage the level of their existing knowledge in this area.

Who is GetCarbonSmart CIC?

We are a non-for profit organisation set up with the express interest of furthering understanding amongst the general public of the contribution that lifestyle decisions have towards climate change.

Why GetCarbonSmart?

In the UK the carbon emissions associated with lifestyle activities will need to reduce from 8.5 to 2.5 tCO2e per annum by 2030 and to 0.7 tCO2e per annum by 2050 in order to meet the 1.5 degree carbon budget as outlined by the Paris Agreement (Akenji, et al. 2021). Achieving these reductions will take substantial change in a short space of time (Green, K,. Et al. 2022). In order to achieve this and to ensure that the change is sustained in the long term it is crucial that there is autonomous motivation (Hagger, M., et al. 2020). Therefore a widespread and shared understanding of the contribution that lifestyle choices have towards climate change is a necessity.

Autonomous change (Empowerment through knowledge)

We understand that information alone is not enough to create widespread change, however we believe that information is vital in creating long term change as this can only be achieved with full autonomy. Without widespread understanding of the damage caused by certain lifestyle choices, policy efforts to help people move away from these choices will be seen as draconian, and may be self defeating. Deliberate, sustained, behaviour change can only happen when there is a shared understanding of why that change is necessary.

What We Stand For

Common knowledge for all

We believe that estimating the carbon footprint should be just as easy as estimating price. And we believe that everyone one from every background should have the opportunity to do this.

The most vulnerable are not only the most adversely affected by climate change but are also likely to be the most adversely affected by attempts to reduce to emissions (World Bank. 2023). In order to achieve a just transition it is therefore vital that the most vulnerable in society are empowered by having access to the data and an understanding of how lifestyle choices contribute to climate change, to enable them to be part of the change and not simply have change forced on them.

Tackling myths and directing effort for maximum impact

There are a number of proliferating mythes surrounding carbon footprinting. Eating local food and buying products with less packaging both have obvious benefits beyond limiting climate change, however neither have a significant impact to carbon emissions and both require a significant amount of effort on behalf of the individual. If this effort could be redirected to eating less animal products, reducing car journeys or using a renewable electricity provider the impact on reducing carbon emissions would be far greater.

Behaviour change not offsetting

A trend has emerged of using carbon foot-printing to promote carbon offsetting schemes. We believe that reducing carbon emissions is the only viable way to limit the impacts of climate change, and in order to do this in time, it must be done within our existing technological paradigm. There is also simply not enough space to plant enough trees for everyone to pay to have their emissions offset.

GetCarbonSmart CIC

Company Reg: 12899232

James@getcarbonsmart.com