At a time when climate change has become the topic of discussion at the Parliament and even coffee dates, we felt the need of a website that will enable Indians to check, reduce and offset their carbon footprints on a daily basis.
In the climate change discussions in India, the key word of the last decade was AWARENESS –to ensure the masses recognize this threat. We believe that this has been achieved to a great extent, and it’s time to take the next step. In international climate change discussions, India has maintained that it will not let its per capita emissions exceed that of the developed countries. The per capita emission is certainly low compared to other developed countries, but we must realize that certain segments of population has a lifestyle and a corresponding emission level comparable to that of the developed countries. If we may borrow the concept of “Americum” from Thomas Friedman, India has at least 350 million people (the population of America) –the rising middle class –whose per capita emission is equivalent to that of the average American. They are equally responsible for the climate change threats that our nation faces.
Our basic motive of the site is to enable user to calculate his carbon footprints on a daily basis and also provide a graphical representation of this record over a period of time. We believe maintaining an account of one’s carbon emission makes him accountable to reduce it. Hence, from AWARENESS stage we want to move on to the next level and instil a sense of RESPONSIBILITY in this new decade.
My Chlorophyll is also an interactive site where the user can also compare his carbon footprint with that of his friends. Another interesting feature of the site – “Offset” helps the user to reduce his emission by engaging himself in doing what is needed like planting trees or participating in various environmental programs or working with an environmental NGO. The social networking feature of the site helps user to know about the various events that is taking place in his city and also enables them to upload their events and share it with others. This is how we encourage the act of RESPONSIBILITY.
My Chlorophyll with its user friendly features, visually appealing pictures and interactive options doesn’t take away the seriousness of the issue. It is a platform which encourage young people to start realizing their Global problem and contributing their bit to make a difference.
We have tried to make this website as user-friendly as possible. We can guarantee that it will not take more than 15 minutes every week. We don’t want the users to spend time calculating their footprint but to spend time in taking steps to mitigate it.
The methodology and emission factors used to calculate the Carbon Footprint is India-specific and in accordance with the Guidelines of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes (IPCC) for National Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Inventories. As our Knowledge Partner, Global Change Programme, Jadavpur University (GCP-JU) has provided us the methods and tools used to calculate the Footprint.
We would like to express our gratitude to Prof. Joyashree Roy, Lead Author (Industry) of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and co-ordinator of GCP-JU for the constant support and encouragement. We would also like to sincerely thank British Council, India for their kind and generous support for this website. Last but not the least, this venture would never have been possible without the technical support of Bitscrape.
