Sustainability

Unconsciously using location to scrub your eco slate clean

By Mike on 07 August 2008

INTERNATIONAL – I’m really fired up about Nokia’s latest app for a couple of reasons. Dubbed we:offset this is the first slice of software available to calculate your CO2 emissions when you fly, equipping you with the option to physically offset via online payments through your handset, funding initiatives combating the production of equivalent emissions being released elsewhere on our planet.

If you’re a regular reader you’ll know I’m hooked on the concept of location-based services and how they will discreetly yet rapidly change our mobile behavior. Well, we:offset introduces a new twist that I think is genius – it has a Trip Detection function, which you can switch on to automatically detect if your location changes, enabling you to unconsciously track your CO2 emissions.

What an fantastic way to use location, eliminating the manual process of clocking in your A to B routes. That said, if you’d rather do precisely that you can. See, the app enables you to punch in where you’re headed, where you’re leaving from, whether you’re doing a round-trip or not, and how many people are traveling. Once it’s got that data, it hits you with a calculation of how many tons of CO2 emissions your journey is responsible for. Then you get the option to make a payment to offset your trip. It’s an extremely simple process.

I’m going to follow up shortly with some reactions to release of we:offset – it’s great to see so many sites taking it under their wing. Then I’ll follow-up with a short video showing the app in action, in case you fancy seeing how it works before you download it.

Click here to visit the we:offset page and download the app >>

Photo from Kossy@FINEDAYS

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