Free app will provide practical and cost-effective ideas on how residents can reduce their carbon footprint.

Essex County Council has today (Monday 22 May) officially launched its new Carbon Cutting Essex App to coincide with International Day for Biological Diversity.

The launch comes exactly a year after the council launched its Climate Advice Packs for residents, schools and businesses to encourage the county to act on climate change.

The app is free to download and will enable residents across the county to track their carbon footprint and discover actions, big and small,  which they can take to reduce it through their daily life.  

The council has worked with Greenredeem to develop the app as 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.

From the daily commute, to recycling and home energy saving, the app provides hundreds of practical and cost-effective ideas on how to minimise our impact on the planet. Many of these suggestions will not only help to reduce the county’s carbon footprint but can also help save residents money.

Through a range of fun activities, quizzes and videos, users of the app will be able to learn more about how they can reduce their carbon footprint. It will also motivate and reward positive actions by providing points and rewards when they mitigate their carbon footprint.

Residents will be able to use their points to enter prize draws or donate them to good causes.

Cllr Peter Schwier, Essex County Council’s Climate Czar 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.” 

You can find out more information about the Carbon Cutting Essex App on the Essex County Council website at www.essex.gov.uk/reducing-carbon-emissions and download the app for free on the App Store or Google Play.