Green mode

Describe the problem you are trying to solve

In 2022, there are 4.9 billion active internet users worldwide(62% of the world’s population). It is a known fact that the internet consumes a lot of energy. Most of the energy it needs to run comes from fossil fuels powering our electrical grids. Fossil fuel is the primary source of most of the CO2 in the atmosphere, still most of the applications that use the internet are not carbon aware.

A report by PEW Research Center states the over 80% of people are willing to make lifestyle changes in order to reduce the global effects of climate change. 

How do we empower them to make those changes?

Describe what your project does exactly in layperson's terms

Green mode is a carbon aware-by-default super application that empowers users to embrace a greener digital experience. 

It is a one-stop app containing mini applications that allow the user to perform various activities like audio and video calling, podcast streaming and downloading, reading the news and deciding when to perform energy intensive tasks. 

It uses carbon aware knowledge to inform its behavior and shape the user experience so it does more when the energy is clean and less when the energy is dirty.

Describe how it uses the API/SDK

• The scheduler application empowers the user to plan their day-to-day tasks based on carbon intensity forecasts from the carbon aware API and the energy usage of the task they intend to perform.
• The call application uses the current emission of the area gotten from the carbon aware API to determine the resolution for video calls.
• The news and podcast applications use carbon intensity information to decide whether to load images automatically.
• The podcast application schedules downloads for when the energy is clean based on carbon intensity forecast from the carbon aware API. 

Describe how impactful it might be in terms of CO2 reductions and user reach 

Green mode contains applications users already interact with in their day-to-day lives, so adoption is straightforward. 

More than eight in ten Americans already get their news from their digital devices, that is millions of requests being made everyday. 

Changing how that data is fetched and loaded will reduce how much energy is used to perform that task.

79% of people in the United States listen to podcasts on their smartphone. Moving each podcast download to a cleaner energy time will significantly reduce the work being done when the energy is dirty.

Most important is building greener internet habits, if a quarter of the 4.9 billion active internet users are accustomed to postponing their downloads, consciously requesting data when they need to, not having everything automatically loaded and letting their experience be dictated by the live carbon intensity that is a significant dent in the 1.4% to 5.9% contribution the internet makes to greenhouse gas emission.

Describe how feasible it is for you to get to a production ready state with a bit of time or prize money; how feasible it would be for others to implement, and how likely it is that they would choose to use your tool if made available

It is very feasible to get the application to production ready state because we are not inventing these applications. They are widely adopted applications that are just being made carbon aware. We know it is possible to develop because we already interact with them day-to-day. People are concerned about the effects of climate change and want to know what they can do to contribute to the fight against it. PEW Research Center found that 80% of people are willing to make necessary lifestyle changes, those are people that will choose Green Mode and add to the impact.

Describe what is your vision for how the solution you have started to build in this hackathon could make a difference to the world.

My vision is that Green mode is a drop of water approach that multiplies and creates an ocean. 

It creates a conscious green habit in the user, where they start to consider if it is a good time to do activities that can be postponed to greener times.

And by the multitude of tiny efforts, a greater impact is created.

The URL to the prototype app and/or code

Github: https://github.com/ifeadikanwa/green_mode

Link to the video.

Video link: https://www.screencast.com/t/Jyu9fkRHWs