Brunei now has its own tree planting app that also calculates your carbon footprint

Brunei now has its personal tree-planting cell utility, that additionally calculates your particular person carbon footprint, developed by native IT firm Sphiere and funded by Shell LiveWIRE Brunei.

The Atmosphiere app allows customers to pay for timber to be planted at completely different forests and parks in Brunei for $28 to $38 per tree, and in flip obtain month-to-month picture updates of the tree’s standing.

Sphiere secured $5,000 in seed funding after making use of for the undertaking by means of Shell LiveWIRE’s Expression of Curiosity in June 2021. Other than growing the app, Sphiere has additionally engaged enterprise companions to provide the tree saplings, in addition to plant and keep the timber.

The push for tree planting is among the key methods of the Brunei Nationwide Local weather Change Coverage (BNCCP) to extend native forest cowl by planting 500,000 new timber by 2035.

As of 2020, Brunei is now not a internet carbon sink – that means it now emits extra greenhouse gasoline that it absorbs. Planting 500,000 new timber would restore the nation’s standing as one in all solely a handful of nations globally to be carbon adverse.

“Presently we (Brunei) are at 72% forest cowl; to make Brunei a carbon sink we have to improve forest cowl to 80% (by means of afforestation and reforestation),” mentioned Managing Director of Sphiere Hj Ahmad Najib Hj Mohidin on the app’s launch on August 13 on the Berakas Forest Reserve.

“By means of Atmosphiere we hope to get round 2,000 to three,000 (plant orders) a month.”

When utilising the app – downloadable on each Google Play Retailer and the Apple App Retailer – customers will first be requested to fill in a questionnaire that estimates their carbon footprint by means of a calculator by the Brunei Local weather Change Secretariat (BCCS) that follows the worldwide customary by the Intergovernmental Panel on Local weather Change.

The calculation components completely different areas of vitality utilization, together with automobile possession, electrical energy consumption, and cooking gasoline.

The app then will listing what number of timber are wanted for a consumer to offset their very own footprint. Beneath the plant icon, Atmopshiere supplies choices for planting areas from the Forestry Division and the Division of Setting, Parks and Recreation (JASTRe), together with tree species appropriate to be planted for that habitat.

The app integrates on-line fee together with choices for debit or bank card in addition to financial institution transfers.

Upon their launch on August 13, Atmosphiere has secured pledges to plant 1,020 timber, largely by means of company donations made by 22 firms.

Shpiere can be welcoming extra companies who’re eager to provide, plant, and keep the timber.

The Atmosphiere undertaking is a collaboration between LiveWIRE, the Ministry of Main Sources and Tourism, the Ministry of Improvement, and BCCS.

Sphiere was established in 2016, providing IT providers together with design, web site, and cell app growth.