Essex County Council launches Carbon Cutting app

Essex County Council has launched a new free app that will help residents to find out how to reduce their carbon footprint. 

Carbon Cutting Essex provides practical and cost-effective ideas aimed at reducing the county’s carbon footprint while helping residents to save money. 

It provides hundreds of ideas on how to minimise the user’s impact on the planet, with activities, quizzes and videos. Users will have access to relevant information on a range of topics, including water, energy, sustainable transport, the built environment, health and wellbeing, and waste and recycling.

The app offers residents an incentive to be more environmentally-conscious, by awarding points to those that are taking steps to mitigate their impact. Those points can be used either for donations or to enter prize draws. 

The app has been developed with digital engagement platform Greenredeem, and is part of the council’s £200 million Climate Action Plan to tackle climate change and its commitment to transform Essex to net zero emissions by 2050.

Essex’s climate czar, Peter Schwier, said: “We are delighted to launch the Carbon Cutting Essex app which we hope will play a significant role in helping us all to tackle climate change.     

“We can all play our part in cutting greenhouse gas emissions so that we can protect the future of our planet for generations to come. I would encourage everyone across the county to download the app today.” 

The app launch highlights the role technology can play in helping people make informed choices about their impact on the planet, especially amid pressure on local authorities to act quickly to counter the effects of climate change.