World Youth Day (WYD) Lisbon 2023 introduced a carbon footprint calculator so that pilgrims attending can measure their carbon footprint through the official app on their phones.
Novo Verde, packaging waste management company, and ERP Portugal, waste management company for electrical and electronic equipment, presented the pilgrims’ carbon footprint calculator.
To measure the footprint, pilgrims must answer questionnaires with four indicators: travel, stay, mobility and resources. Each instance evaluates the pilgrim’s behavior during the week of the event itself and the attitudes they will adopt to mitigate the impact of their actions.
The tool covers the activities carried out by pilgrims from their point of origin to the last day of the largest gathering of young people from all over the world with Pope Francis. Through the WYD Lisbon 2023 app, young people will be able to know their estimated footprint.
The application will also have a support manual available for the pilgrim carbon footprint calculator, explaining how the calculation is done, which questionnaires need to be answered, how pilgrims can reduce their carbon footprint and how each pilgrim’s individual result will be displayed.
One of the main goals of WYD 2023 is the commitment to sustainability, leaving a lasting positive legacy in the territory. The carbon calculator comes as a response to this concern, and are based on the pillars of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’.