New Zealand’s first gamified carbon footprint tool is now available in Hawke’s Bay.

FutureFit is an easy-to-use online tool that helps you to discover your carbon footprint, then take personalised actions to reduce it.

Supported by Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, Napier City, Hastings District and Wairoa District Councils, FutureFit enables individuals in Hawke’s Bay to take climate action and collectively contribute to our region’s carbon reductions.

Regional Council Climate Action Ambassador Pippa McKelvie-Sebileau says FutureFit is a great way for people to engage with friends, whānau and communities on the topic of climate change.

“New Zealanders are steadily shifting to live low-carbon lifestyles - recognising these lifestyle choices help save money, create a healthier life, and care for Papatūānuku.

FutureFit is a practical tool that helps people to learn about which actions have the biggest footprint and to think creatively about changes they can make that fit within their lifestyles.”

Promoting low-carbon lifestyles, this programme contributes towards meeting New Zealand’s zero carbon objectives, 4 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development goals and our regional goal for Hawke’s Bay to be net carbon zero by 2050.”

In collaboration, the Councils are running a campaign to raise awareness of the tool and to celebrate community involvement. Prizes will be up for grabs within each of Napier City, Hastings and Wairoa District Councils for participants who have achieved things such as the biggest reductions in their own personal footprints, have the smallest footprint or have taken the most actions within each two-month period of the six-month campaign.

This gamification aspect makes it fun, people can challenge friends or workmates or make a team to compete against other teams within Hawke’s Bay.

Future Fit is free to use – and the quiz is easy to navigate, register at https://www.futurefit.nz/ to learn how to reduce individual impact on the climate and save money.

Join in the movement to become FutureFit and take collective climate action!

FAQ

WHAT IS A CARBON FOOTPRINT?

A carbon footprint is used as an estimate of the impact of a person’s lifestyle on climate change. It’s made up of the emissions associated with your lifestyle and daily activities, like how you get around, where you travel to, how you power your home, what you choose to eat, and what you buy, over a year.

DOES SIZE MATTER?

New Zealand’s current target is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. Getting there will be easier if everyone makes choices that have a lower carbon impact. While for some this might mean fewer flights or holidaying at closer destinations, for others it might mean using public transport, taking shorter showers, or introducing more local produce into their diet.

The world (OECD) average carbon footprint is 10.8 tCO2-e and the NZ average is 7.7 tCO2-e. We’ve

set a FutureFit target of 5.3 tCO2-e by 2025. By getting below this you’ll be doing your part - if we can all reduce our footprint by a little or a lot, the savings will soon add up. You can make an even bigger impact by encouraging your friends, whanau and colleagues to use FutureFit too.

HOW IS YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT MEASURED?

FutureFit calculates the tonnes of carbon associated with your lifestyle and is represented as your personal carbon footprint. It does that by using a mix of New Zealand-based emission data, some initial assumptions about national household spend on different products and services, and personal information you provide when answering the FutureFit questions.

Your carbon footprint is calculated by estimating the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for each lifestyle activity, as well as five other greenhouse gasses which contribute to warming the planet. Those include methane, nitrous oxide and hydroflourocarbons. All these emissions are added together and expressed as a single number in terms of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e).

CO2-e is measured in either kilograms or tonnes and is calculated by multiplying the emissions of each of the six greenhouse gases by its 100-year global warming potential.

See Our Carbon Calculations to find out about the consumption-based approach we use in FutureFit to calculate emissions embodied in products and services.

3 February 2023

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