Design Ignites Change - Projects

University of Illinois School of Art + Design

Most people in Western society do not know the story behind the products they buy, mostly because this information is not easily accessible. But, if people knew how much energy was used and how much waste was created in making their products, as well as the distance their products have traveled, they could make more informed shopping decisions in order to reduce their eco-footprint. Likewise, if enough consumers made this their priority, many businesses could be encouraged to make products with a less harmful impact on the environment and on society.

Jessica Metro
metro1@illinois.edu

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November 13, 2010

Good Roots iPhone app icon

When you're shopping and you want to find out more information about a product, the Good Roots iPhone app allows you to easily scan the item's barcode to search for that information.

Once the item is found, you can view its parts in a list or on a map. You can also touch any point for more information about the distance it's traveled, it's energy and waste costs, et cetera.

If there is missing information or if there is no information available at all about the product, you can send a prewritten Email to the PR of the company (from Apple's Mail client) or write your own!

The goal is to educate people about the impact of the products they buy on the environment in order to encourage smart consumerism. Since product information is not often released, consumers may feel encouraged to shop only from companies that release this information and are proud of their sustainable practices.

By creating the Good Roots iPhone app, consumers can easily research a product’s eco- footprint. The app will use a database that continuously updates information about different products’ country of production, company headquarters, resources used, waste and CO2 created, and monetary costs.

Good Roots

University of Illinois School of Art + Design

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