EcoCounts
Read more about this organisation
Idea for research
Idea for research
EcoCounts is a North London charity aiming to revolutionise the way we account for CO2 emissions. Our methodology involves participants meticulously recording their personal carbon footprint, derived from their daily purchases and activities. Our objective is to implement carbon budgets for participants, eventually progressing towards the implementation of personal carbon trading. This unique system allows individuals within our group to trade carbon emissions, empowering everyone to manage their emissions effectively while collectively reducing the overall carbon footprint of the community. To achieve this we need a high level of accuracy in our information not obtainable from the use of online carbon calculators or broad estimates.
We need to base our operations on good data within a robust methodology if we are to convince participants of the system's credibility and reliability - a major requirement because participants will be expected to invest significant time and energy. Despite the development of the billion dollar global voluntary and compliance carbon markets, carbon literacy levels remain low, CO2 emissions data has become a valuable asset protected by private consultancy firms, and governments offer only skeletal information on the climate harm caused by what we do or buy. As we build up our database of CO2 conversion factors for use in our carbon accounts, we have to make estimates and best guesses at every step. We're looking for help across all sectors to build up our data and establish our methodology, not just for citizens but for companies and government too.
Impact of idea
Students collaborating with EcoCounts can expect their work to have a direct impact on progress towards our goals and the impact of our message in the fight for the climate. Introducing the groundbreaking socio-economic concept of a carbon currency, built upon carbon allowances, EcoCounts aims to showcase the viability of this model. Our mission is to illustrate its functionality, its capacity to yield substantial CO2 emissions savings, and its potential popularity as an effective tool in the global fight against climate change. Through tangible demonstrations and real-world applications, EcoCounts aspires to contribute significantly to the broader discourse on sustainable practices and climate action.
Comments
Practically every purchase and activity we are responsible for has an associated kg CO2 emission. For example, all of the 1,000 or more UK electricity tariffs available to households from energy providers have different emissions. We would expect a thesis to include not only the researched data, but also the methods including all assumptions and estimates made to apply it on an individual unit basis. We anticipate a dialog with the student to establish this framework. Our focus is on the "low hanging fruit" - items or activities with a footprint above 50kg CO2 emissions level, but technical and logistical progress may allow us to reduce this. Other aspects of the methodology requires us to estimate the level of emissions from all purchases and activities not included under our umbrella. We would also welcome anyone wishing to compare and contrast this approach with the WRI/WBSCD GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard.

If you have any existing data or information you would like included in a project, please tell us what kind of data these are

What new data or information would you like to be collected in this project?

Data generated through this idea

Application process
Application criteria
None
DBS needed
No
Is this project fully accessible to students with the disabilities?
Yes