A former psychology professor at the University of Ottawa has developed a free new app that promotes personal sustainability and rewards users for their efforts with points that can be redeemed to plant trees in and around Ottawa.
Aïda Warah is the founder of GentleWays for OurPlanet, a community organization that launched in fall 2019. It supports three goals: reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent over the next decade, end factory farming and plant one million trees.
The app she created, i4ThePlanet, compiles resources for users and provides checklists to track their progress in leading more sustainable lives.
Warah, who also formerly worked as a public servant at Environment and Climate Change Canada, said the app’s inspiration came from an American Psychological Association article from early 2020. The article found 56 per cent of American adults believe climate change is the most important issue facing society today, but 51 per cent say they don’t know where to start addressing the problem.
“So I thought, ‘What would be a tool that would meet all these criteria? Inexpensive, easy, available and cool,’” Warah said. “I thought [of] an app. Everyone has a smartphone these days.”
i4ThePlanet breaks down climate action into six categories: fashion and electronics, food, leadership, materials, travel and energy, and wellness. Users can tick off actions they complete like switching from liquid soap to bar soap or eating a plant-based meal.
Warah said she incorporated behavioural change principles when designing the app. The main principle is nudging, which encourages people to make certain choices without restricting their options.
“In this case, the app has lists of actions. They all have the potential of reducing your greenhouse gas emissions … If you want to, for example, reduce your beef intake today, you’ll tick it off and you’ll obtain a star,” Warah said.
After earning 12 stars, users can redeem them to purchase a tree at a discounted price thanks to a partnership with environmental advocacy organizations Ecology Ottawa and One Tree Planted.
Cassandra Vitiello, a customer service manager of One Tree Planted, said many people reach out to One Tree Planted asking how to be more sustainable, but committing to personal sustainability can be overwhelming given the number of ways someone can change their lifestyle.
“Providing those ideas, I think it really does help people. It does help with the anxiety, just having it all written out for them,” Vitiello said, adding that she also found new ways to be more sustainable through i4ThePlanet.
Natasha Jovanovic, a program manager for Ecology Ottawa, said the app is reassuring as it demonstrates the variety of ways people can be sustainable.
“There’s more attention on climate change now. More people know ‘Oh, I should be thinking about being environmentally friendly,’” Jovanovic said. “There’s more accessible resources like this GentleWays app they can refer to get that information.”
Vitiello also said the partnership between One Tree Planted and GentleWays is unique as many companies they work with include tree planting as an add-on to purchasing a product. GentleWays, Vitiello said, is principally focused on sustainability.
“It’s the core of what [Warah’s] app’s about and so essentially, she already has that focus and is choosing to be even more eco-friendly with the app,” Vitiello said.
Warah said she wants the reward of using the app to be intrinsic, which fosters growth and a stronger commitment to sustainability.
“What I’m hoping to achieve with this app is to enable people to start. I want them to start, feel good about it and hopefully develop the habit of leading more sustainable lifestyles,” Warah said.
This article was last updated on Nov. 15.
Featured image provided by Aïda Warah.
