Plot your carbon footprint with Dopplr
Posted on May 28, 2008 at 18:09 UK time in Climate Change, Social Media, Travel, Web
One handy web service I’ve been using for the past seven months or so is Dopplr.
Dopplr lets you share your travel plans with others you know. The service then lets you know if any of your friends will be where you’ll be when you travel, and vice versa.
I’ve found Dopplr a pleasure to use because it’s simple to use and it gives me depth of information that suits me without requiring an awful lot of interaction.
It’s an evolving service with quite a few additions to functionality since it came out of beta last December, the latest once being connecting with your contacts on LinkedIn.
Today I noticed something interesting when I logged in to update some trip information - a new tab saying “Your carbon.” This was announced last month, but I’ve only just noticed it 
As you can see from the screenshot above, it shows a carbon calculation for my trips since last October, when I first started using Dopplr. It also includes an estimate of my carbon footprint for future trips.
And I can share my carbon data with my fellow travellers.
The carbon profile is calculated via AMEE (the “Avoiding Mass Extinctions Engine”), a neutral, open platform for measuring the carbon footprint of anything.
I have to admit, though, that I have no idea how to interpret this data. What does “Total carbon for all your trips to date: 3,193 kg CO2″ actually mean?
And probably more important, is it good or bad; and if bad, what do I do about it?
It would be great if this data was connected with AMEE so you could visit that site for a detailed analysis of your specific data. That would make this really useful.
Still, whether I understand it as it’s currently presented or not, I think it’s a useful addition to the overall Dopplr service in that at least it makes you think about the environmental impact of your travels and, especially, how you travel.
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2 Comment(s)
By
Rob Safuto on May 28, 2008 | Reply
Unfortunately the green washing phenomenon has reached its tentacles into social apps. I’ve been involved with the energy industry for a decade now and I can tell you that the carbon footprint numbers cooked up by various websites mean nothing. Absolutely nothing. No one has any accurate way of calculating how much CO2 a person is responsible for. Are they calculating the number of times you exhale a day into your footprint? Ridiculous.
By
neville on May 28, 2008 | Reply
Hmm, that’s my thought too, Rob, from almost every website I’ve seen that offers data on carbon profiling for individuals.
I believe Dopplr’s idea is very well intentioned. Just that it doesn’t seem to mean much, which is a pity.