Team Members
Christina Reynolds, Michael Lipowicz, Anna Harrison, Brad Smith
Advisor
Christian Lastoskie
Project Summary
The Carbon Connection Program is a carbon education program designated to enhance public understanding of how daily activities influence carbon emissions. The average person has little exposure to sustainable living practices in their daily lives. To address this issue, this team developed a targeted carbon dioxide (CO2) education program in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Two interactive educational boards were prototyped at the Ann Arbor Hands On-Museum.
The program focused on teaching people about their personal role in climate change and carbon emissions by collocating emissions data directly beside the services and infrastructures (e.g., buildings, transportation, food) with which people live and work. The visualization of carbon emissions from food production, electricity/gas usage, and transportation allowed individuals to better understand how changes in habits can reduce their carbon footprint. Specific targets for project were reducing building, transportation, and food emissions while increasing climate change understanding. Participants were encouraged to reach a goal of reducing personal carbon emissions by 2%. The project team anticipates that this project and the Carbon Connection Program will have a direct impact on the culture of sustainability by through innovative teaching methods.