As the leading United Nations Agency for Information and Communication Technology (ICT), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) plays a leading role in developing an integrated approach to the relation between ICTs and climate change.

Climate change and environmental sustainability are multi-faceted challenges that call for a wide range of responses. As a unique intergovernmental organization with participation from the private sector, ITU is a major facilitator of initiatives to speed-up reductions in ICT-related GHG emission and promotion of energy efficiency.

ITU hosted a Green ICT Application Challenge to find the best and most innovative Concept Paper for an ICT application that would help combat climate change. Topics of interest for this Challenge included: mitigation of climate change through energy efficiency in sectors such as smart buildings, intelligent transportation systems, smart homes, etc; community engagement; eco-design; monitoring climate change; measurement of GHG emissions; adaptation to climate change (e.g. use of applications for emergency telecommunications and alerting systems for disaster relief).

Rules for this Challenge

The application “Smart Recycling” was awarded the winner of the first ITU Green ICT Application Challenge. The global competition was organized by ITU and supported by Telefónica and Research In Motion to identify innovative applications that can help improve energy efficiency and combat climate change. Designed by Lis Lugo Colls, from Spain, the application aims to help mobile users locate recycling and garbage bins within their area, and provide advice generally on recycling. The application will benefit citizens, government recycling programs and private recycling companies by creating a more sustainable and resource-efficient future through community engagement and eco-design.

The winner of the competition - Lis Lugo Colls - presented her application during the ITU Green Standards Week, held in Rome (Italy) from 5 to 9 September 2011. As winner Lis Lugo Colls received a cash prize of USD 10,000 to further develop the application.

Smart Recycling

Press Release & Newslog

Interview in ITU News

The sponsor(s) may contact participants for further development of their idea into a fully functioning application which could be showcased during a side event to be held at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP17-CMP7) in South Africa in November 2011.

Sponsors

Organizer

ITU would like to thank all developers for their interest and participation in this first ITU Green ICT Application Challenge. Overall 54 applications were received covering topics such as monitoring climate change, measurement of GHG emissions, adaptation and mitigation to climate change, and community engagement. Four special mentions were made by the jury.

Make Me Green – Delivering Context-Specific Suggestions for a Green Lifestyle
Stephen Reiter and Simone Ferlin (Germany)

The goal of the application is to raise awareness on the impact that different lifestyles have on the environment and on climate change. Through the implementation of a tracking system, the application provides questions and suggestions about the lifestyle of the user, generating a greenness rating that can be used to establish a comparison with other users.

Click here to read our interview with the developer.

Effi-e Play Green
Maria Dolores Rodriguez De Azero (Spain)

This application aims to reduce GHG emissions in the tourist industry by monitoring energy and water consumption in hotels. Through the app, ‘Effi-e Play Green’ promotes sustainable behavior throughout hotels, offering rewards to sustainable customers through eco-points.

Click here to read our interview with the developer

Mobile App to Use a Vehicle to its Fullest Capacity
Praneel Raja (India)

The goal of this mobile application is to improve efficiency in the transportation sector by making sure that vehicles are used to their full capacity. The app provides a forum where users can request a ride in a vehicle with vacancy, travelling the same route as the driver. The overall result of the application would be a reduction of GHG emission by decreasing the number of vehicles on the road.

Click here to read our interview with the developer

A Community-Based System for Biodiversity Degradation
Euphraith Muthoni Masinde (Kenya)

This application aims to reduce global climate change through community engagement and knowledge sharing. This app proposes a system that harnesses traditional and indigenous knowledge on biodiversity and conservation through community-based focus groups. Information is then disseminated through the database to users, storing the data directly onto the phone. Users would then apply the traditional and indigenous knowledge to build on their own conservation practices.

Click here to read our interview with the developer.

Keep up to date with ITU-T events and activities on Facebook, Twitter and You Tube.