For example, the Carbonizer might identify that you spent $30 at The Gap. From there, it multiplies the average carbon intensity per dollar of clothing and apparel - from the start of life to the end of life of a garment - by the dollar value of the transaction. The result is an estimate of the carbon footprint of your clothing purchase.
For certain purchases, the Carbonizer combines this carbon intensity data with additional information about your lifestyle. For instance, if you fill up at a gas station, our estimates account for the price of gasoline in your area; for a vegetarian, your grocery purchases have a lower carbon intensity per dollar than for a meat-eater.
As more users join and Joro's algorithms improve, the Carbonizer will get better at distinguishing purchases based on your lifestyle and where you buy from.
LEARN MOREOur Expert Advisory Board provides rigorous, external review.
We set up the Joro Expert Advisory Board (EAB) because Joro takes our role as information providers seriously. Achieving meaningful emissions reduction on the critical timeline outlined by the UN IPCC will require accurate, consistent data models. Personal carbon management is an emerging area of study, and we seek to learn from cutting-edge research being conducted in the lab and in the field.
The EAB has three core objectives:
1. Provide objective, rigorous review. We seek to work with advisors who will push our thinking, ground our work against a high standard of academic research, provide constructive criticism, and collaborate on problem-solving. As we build new data models and approaches, we aim to provide true advances that we can share back with the sector as a whole.
2. Set a high standard of data accountability and privacy in the field. The field of personal carbon footprinting is still emerging, and in some cases, we are setting new precedents for how data is used, processed, and shared. We seek to set a high standard of data privacy and accountability for the sector.
3. Promote diversity of thought. Through exchange of data, approaches, and ideas, we seek to build and diversify the field of carbon accounting and management. To accelerate a just transition to a sustainable future, we will bring together voices from different communities and fields of study.
Build your carbon intuition.
It's impossible to estimate the exact carbon footprint of each and every product in the world with 100% accuracy. To be honest, that’s not our goal. Instead, we intend to be accurate in a relative sense, to help you understand the most important drivers of your footprint.
For instance, instead of comparing the footprint of one brand of beef to another, we seek to reveal that the choice of chicken over beef is the one you should be relatively more concerned about. Focus on the choices that matter most - and forgive yourself for not carbon-optimizing every single decision.
Together, our choices matter.
The climate crisis is a collective action problem. The landmark 2018 UN IPCC Special Report made clear that we have only until 2030 to cut global emissions in half. We need sweeping policy change, and we need bold corporate action. Yet the key to accelerating solutions lies with us.
Consumer choices influence over 65% of global carbon emissions (Ivanova et al., 2016). If we were all to reduce our emissions a little bit, we could help avert the worst consequences of the climate crisis. We can think of collective behavior change as buying ourselves time to shift to a fully-decarbonized society - flattening the curve of global emissions.
Research shows that an average person can reduce their emissions by 25%, especially if they receive real-time information on their carbon footprint (Moran et al, 2018). Behavior change is not only effective - it's one of the cheapest solutions we have. That's because consuming more responsibly is better for our wallets. Research shows that you can save hundreds of dollars per year for each ton of CO2e you shave off your carbon footprint (Jones and Kammen, 2011).
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