How To Be Carbon-Free, With A New App And A Neutrality Certificate
Whether you own a smartphone or a company, two systems can help you take climate action, says Emanuela Barbiroglio. The newly launched climate app Klima has a mission to turn climate neutrality into a mass movement, similar to what the Climate Neutral’s Certification does for brands.
The Klima carbon calculator allows users to measure their personal carbon footprint and then neutralize these emissions. Through an average $20 monthly subscription, they can choose the climate projects they want to fund among a list that includes: tree planting, solar energy and clean cook stove initiatives.
These align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and count among the top 10 most effective climate solutions worldwide, according to Project Drawdown.
“Klima is a climate app for consumers that empowers everyone to become carbon neutral with the tap of a button,” says the CEO and cofounder Markus Gilles. “It makes effective climate action radically easy.”
In addition to seeing one’s own real-time impact data, the interface makes it easy for users to share their climate neutrality journey with others and so inspire more people to join.
[…]
“We quickly realized that there is a huge disconnect between individuals' willingness to act and the possibility to do so: 77 million Americans would spend 20$ per month to help fight climate change. That's about what you need to offset an average US carbon footprint. A gigantic potential!”
[…]
[…]. “The truth is, no one can solve climate change alone. We need to turn carbon-neutral living into a mass movement and unlock the potential of individual action at scale.”
That’s why businesses need to do their part and possibly win a label that shows commitment. The co-founders of the non-profit Climate Neutral, [recently developed] a certification that does exactly this.
Through a certification process, companies can calculate their carbon footprint and offset their emissions to net-zero. The ‘Climate Neutral Certified label’ means that a brand has taken action to protect the planet and, at the same time, holds buying power.
“We built a simple process around a set of steps we think all companies should take. Every company contributes to climate change, but every company can do something about it,” says Austin Whitman, CEO of Climate Neutral.
“Most companies are surprised when we're able to break down this complex challenge into a series of manageable steps. Our brands usually find that becoming certified is far less costly and difficult than they would expect, and they're pleased when it comes to life for consumers.”
[…]
“The certification is available to all businesses, globally and domestically,” Whitman explains. “Our primary target market is with US-based consumers and brands. A majority of US consumers are worried about climate change, but there has been little done to effectively mobilize this consumer base. Through the Climate Neutral Certified label, we hope to engage consumers at the point of purchase so they can choose to support brands that have achieved zero net carbon emissions.”
[…]
This is an excerpt from an article originally written by Emanuela Barbiroglio and published by Forbes.
