As the Honourable Lord Mayor of London, Nicholas Lyons, recently stated, “The time for pledges is over. Only actions matter now.”
These words resonate profoundly with the ethos of AWorld, the climate tech startup with the mission of engaging and educating citizens at global scale supported by the United Nations’ ActNow campaign.
Recognising the necessity to move beyond pledges to tangible actions, AWorld and the London Climate Action Week Secretariat (LCAW) launched a pioneering initiative to stimulate individual actions in pursuit of long-lasting sustainable changes. Together we announced a daring six-week challenge to leverage the power of community to record 150.000 positive actions on the AWorld app.
The goal was to encourage Londoners to contribute towards the city’s ambitious net-zero targets, by recording their positive climate actions (such as turning the lights off when leaving the room, eating a vegetarian mean, running the dishwasher at full load and more) while showing the quantifiable metric that these actions were able to achieve. The response was exceptional, as Londoners doubled the target to achieve a staggering 288,000 positive actions. The result?
Fun facts:
3.000.000 Kg of CO2 are equivalent to the CO2 released by the entire London Diesel Buses fleet for a year and a half.
33.000.000 litres of water are equivalent to water that more than 36.000 Londoners will drink in a year.
136.000 kilowatt-hour of electricity are equivalent to the electricity needed to power the London Eye for 15 years and a half.
While these figures are impressive, the ripple effect of individual actions extends far beyond numbers. Numerous are the studies that highlight how individual lifestyle changes can reduce personal greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to systemic changes necessary to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
The story of environmental stewardship doesn’t end there. As a symbol of successful achievement of the challenge, AWorld planted 100 trees across the UK in partnership with the National Trust. Further, we joined hands with Energy Gardens, supporting local communities across London with solar projects that improve urban biodiversity in gardens surrounding overground and railway stations.
Throughout the bustling LCAW week, London transformed into a melting pot of transformative events, each pivoting on a central theme: harnessing the inherent power of every Londoner for global climate action. AWorld had the privilege of delivering closing remarks at the flagship LCAW Live event at Guildhall, emphasising the crucial role of individual action in progressing net-zero strategies.
Moreover, AWorld graced the Climate Innovation Forum 2023 at Guildhall, standing among industry giants and key influencers. Here, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and his Majesty the King unveiled the Climate Clock, a poignant visual reminder of the urgent climate crisis, displayed across 150 locations in the UK, including the iconic Piccadilly Circus.
In conclusion, our collaboration with LCAW demonstrated the power of individual action in achieving a net-zero future. The path towards this future isn’t just about energy transition – it requires a synergistic public-private alliance that empowers every individual to act. With AWorld’s gamified platform, the daunting task of aligning stakeholders with sustainability and ESG goals becomes an engaging journey towards a shared goal.
While the scale of the climate change challenge might seem daunting, the power of individual actions should not be underestimated. Every step taken today is a stride towards a more sustainable future. Share your sustainability story with #EveryActionCounts, and inspire others to join this wave of change. After all, as Dr. Jane Goodall once said, “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
We can transform our world one action at a time.
