Every year, the average Australian contributes over 23 tons in carbon emissions. While we don’t necessarily see these impacts, it is our everyday habits that contribute to this figure — from our household energy costs and travel attitudes, right down to the food we eat at home.
While there are a number of ways we can offset these impacts — via Greenfleet’s CarbonCover 365 plan, for example — now there’s a new way to accurately calculate our own individual footprints on a more granular level.
Aerial is a brand new app out of the US helping people everywhere to calculate their individual carbon footprints before providing the easy option to offset their emissions by investing directly into verified restoration projects through the platform.
Created by three tech entrepreneurs with CVs that include Microsoft, Facebook, Google, and Apple, Aerial works by scanning your email inbox for receipts and records into your rideshare trips, flight itineraries, purchases, and more. Using this data, the intuitive algorithm is able to accurately calculate your carbon footprint.
“We track your emissions, give you a simple way to offset your emissions, and offer exclusive insights on how to live more sustainably from credible science writers. It’s fun, social, and makes a difference for our planet,” Aerial says on its site.
The app not only allows you to take responsibility for your climate footprint, but provides insights into its positive impacts and lets you link up with friends, so you can keep each other accountable.
“Aerial was built by climate-conscious technologists who wanted to take responsibility for their carbon emissions. We’re working on innovative ways to put climate action into everyone’s hands.”
Aerial first launched in October. The app’s users have since sequestered around 246,921kgs of carbon from the atmosphere. While currently, the app’s partnered offsetting programs appear to be based predominantly in the US, there are a number of additional offsetting platforms you can engage in for a more local approach.
Companies like Greenfleet and Atmosfair have their own carbon calculators and will invest your money in offset programs, which may involve the planting of new trees, forest conservancy, or investing in sustainable energy sources like solar and hydro energy.