Cool Effect™ today unveiled the beta version of its platform, a destination designed to unite people with the common goal to fight global warming. The innovative platform allows individuals to have a direct and personal impact by connecting them with the highest-quality carbon reducing projects around the globe, and will be officially introduced among an audience of cultural innovators at South by Southwest® (SXSW®).
According to Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies research, there are over 130 million Americans alarmed or concerned about climate change. The average American emits approximately 17 tonnes of carbon pollution per year simply by living. Now they have an easy and affordable way to impact the global fight on climate change.
“We created Cool Effect to allow individuals to join with others to become part of the solution to climate change,” said Richard Lawrence, Jr., Co-founder, Cool Effect. “Day-to-day life can sometimes get in the way, but with Cool Effect, we’re providing a simple, affordable option for people to take significant action.”
Working with a team of world-class scientists, each project featured on Cool Effect’s platform is extensively reviewed to ensure credibility and verified carbon reduction. The projects are meticulously chosen from over 10,000 options based in locations around the world. A variety of proven carbon emission reduction technologies will be featured including biogas, reduction in burning of biomass, forestation, methane capture among others.
Cool Effect’s journey began in Paris at the Sustainable Innovation Forum during COP21 where the brand’s mission was introduced among the world’s most influential leaders in climate change as over 200 countries made significant progress with an agreement to address these issues. As the journey continues with today’s launch of beta, Cool Effect is excited to be an official partner of SXSW and will be at the SXSW Social Good Hub while taking on the streets of Austin, TX from March 11-15 to celebrate the launch by offering individuals the opportunity to take action.
“SXSW is a launching pad for new and innovative products, and there’s no better place to have a presence than among an audience who is highly inspired by creativity and social action,” said Marisa de Belloy, Chief Operating Officer, Cool Effect. “We are excited to give attendees a first look and invite them to join us in taking action to reduce carbon being emitted into Earth’s atmosphere.”
Cool Effect currently features multiple projects on the platform including Southern Ute Indian Tribe: Methane Capture in Colorado, Biogas Program for Animal Husbandry in Vietnam, Qori Q’oncha Improved Cookstove Program in Peru and Alto Mayo Protected Forest in Peru. Individuals are able to fund projects on a tonne-by-tonne basis, as either a one-time transaction or ongoing subscription model. The price per tonne varies by project and ranges from $4.12 – $13.18, with 90.13% of the funds dedicated directly to the projects and the remaining 9.87% covering transaction charges and Cool Effect’s operational fees – the minimum needed to operate as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. To learn more about what a tonne of carbon is please visit cooleffect.org.
ABOUT COOL EFFECT™
Cool Effect is a San Francisco Bay Area 501(c)(3) nonprofit that allows individuals to create a tangible impact on climate change through a digital platform, providing consistent funding to the highest-quality carbon reducing projects around the world.
Cool Effect was founded on the passionate belief that individual support of projects will create a cumulative effect that will reduce and prevent carbon pollution. Like the Butterfly Effect, The Ripple Effect, and others, a single action can have global impact. The organization’s mission is to ignite planet sized change. To learn more, please visit cooleffect.org or follow Cool Effect on Facebook and Twitter.