Carbon Neutrality Using an App | Tomohiro Ichinose, Dean of the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies
2023.11.21
The previous Dean's Diary introduced the SFC EXPO, which will be held on Saturday, November 25, and Sunday, November 26. It will bring together the research achievements of SFC's three undergraduate faculties and two graduate schools. Additionally, sessions and exhibitions for the SFC Sustainable Campus Program, which has been frequently featured, are also planned. This program involves several concurrent projects, and I would like to introduce the behavioral change project for achieving carbon neutrality, which will launch on November 25, the first day of the SFC EXPO.
Carbon neutrality by 2050 is a common global goal. To limit the rise in average temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2100 compared to pre-industrial levels, a more rapid transition to carbon neutrality is required, even before 2050. While the development of various scientific technologies is expected to contribute to its realization, this goal is simply unattainable unless we significantly change our lifestyles. This is where "behavioral change" has been gaining attention in recent years. Calls to action, such as "Turn off the lights in unused rooms," have been made by the government, and under the SFC Sustainable Campus Program this summer, we posted posters encouraging people to "Turn off the air conditioning in empty classrooms" to save energy and observed the effects. This is how we can shift our lives toward carbon neutrality.
The behavioral change project we are launching aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from transportation by encouraging people to increase their physical activity in an enjoyable way using a smartphone app. Transportation is a source of about 20% of greenhouse gas emissions, both globally and in Japan. This 20% figure is second only to the industrial sector. About half of these emissions come from transporting people, and the other half from transporting goods. The project's mechanism is simple: if you walk or cycle instead of using a car or public transportation, you earn points equivalent to the amount of carbon dioxide emissions you avoided. Accumulated points can be exchanged for gifts. However, travel for the purpose of exercise, such as walking or running, is not eligible for points. In other words, the condition is that you must be moving from one location to another.
This project utilizes the SPOBY app, developed by Studio Spoby, Inc. Not only SFC students, pupils, faculty, and staff, but also members of the local community can participate. As for the exciting gifts, they are scheduled to be provided by businesses both on and off the SFC campus, and include items such as a bicycle, a menchi-katsu (minced meat cutlet) burger, and a fun stationery set. More details about how it works can be found at the URL at the end, so please install the app on your smartphone and wait for November 25. This is a two-month limited project, so we hope you will get active and earn some gifts.