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03/18/2021 | Campus-Meldung

Saving the climate in Kassel - "LESS is more" improves personal carbon footprint

The recently launched project "LESS is more" aims to support sustainable thinking and action by Kassel residents and to integrate regional climate protection projects in the process. The approach is also intended to be transferable to other municipalities. The three-year project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and is being carried out under the direction of the House of Energy. The project partners are the University of Kassel, Fraunhofer IEE, the competence network deENet and the Berlin-based startup twigbit. The city of Kassel and companies based in the region are supporting the project.

Image: Paavo Blafield.

At the heart of the project is the development of an app in which users can record their individual CO2 emissions. The app will continuously report back on the effects of their own actions. This will show everyone directly how much CO2 emissions they are currently causing. This will provide all users with a basis for planning their individual CO2 reduction. According to the Federal Environment Agency (UBA), the average CO2 budget per citizen in Germany in 2018 was around 10.4 tons per year1). In line with the climate goals of the city of Kassel, this budget will have to decrease from year to year. Those who overspend will receive suggestions for offsetting options from the app. By supporting regional climate protection projects, for example, a portion of one's own CO2 emissions can be offset.

Prof. Dr. Peter Birkner, Managing Director of the House of Energy, is certain: "With the help of such apps, digitization can become a real opportunity for environmental and climate protection. Together with regional companies, we are developing creative ideas on how to make everyday life more climate-friendly through positive experiences."

While Fraunhofer IEE calculates and balances the CO2 data for the app, the University of Kassel analyzes user behavior. Prof. Dr. Heike Wetzel from the Department of Microeconomics and Empirical Energy Economics at the University of Kassel emphasizes, "Ecological, economic and sociocultural aspects are holistically linked here. The difference to other climate apps is that with LESS is more, the energy transition is driven locally by end consumers and personal behavior is the focus of consideration."

The app will be developed over the next few months and will be open to everyone after that. Christian Geselle, Lord Mayor of the City of Kassel is pleased about the project: "This app is an innovative and low-threshold offer for every citizen that can help to increase awareness of the topic of climate protection and to rethink and change personal behavior. The more users participate, the greater the effect. In this way, small and large adjusting screws can interlock to stop climate change."

Playfully "saving the climate"

Through joint actions and competitions, users are also to spur each other on to reduce the CO2 emissions of their district or the entire city. Through playful elements, the app promotes learning and understanding and motivates users to try out their own ways to save CO2.


1) The stated value is taken from the source www.umweltbundesamt.de/daten/klima/treibhausgas-emissionen-in-der-europaeischen-union. It results from the allocation of the total emissions of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2018 to all German citizens.