AUW students launch green bangle ecometer application on google play

A classroom assignment at the Asian University for Women (AUW) has evolved into a multinational sustainability research initiative, with the student-developed Green Bangle EcoMeter now available on the Google Play Store.

Developed under AUW's Green Bangle Movement, the mobile application aims to measure how environmentally friendly an individual's daily lifestyle is, while generating research data on sustainable behaviour across Asian communities, according to a press release.

The idea originated in an Introduction to Environmental Science elective taught by Dr Mosae Selvakumar Paulraj, Director of Environmental Science at AUW and founder of the Green Bangle Movement. During a classroom discussion on carbon footprint platforms, he challenged students to design a simpler and more accessible tool to assess everyday environmental habits.

Responding to the challenge, three computer science students — Purnata Biswas, Subaita Shirin, and Tahiyat Islam — created the initial prototype as part of their coursework. The application evaluates users' daily practices, including waste management, water use, energy consumption, transport choices, and shopping behaviour, before generating an individual eco-score.

Based on the score, the app recommends tree-planting targets to encourage users to offset their environmental impact, promoting action alongside awareness.

The project gained wider attention after Purnata Biswas presented EcoMeter at the International Conference on Environment and Climate Action 2025 (ICECA 2025), where it won the Best Presentation Award. The recognition prompted the team to expand the project beyond an academic exercise into a structured research initiative.

The research is now jointly led by Dr Paulraj and Dr Taufique Sayeed, Director of Computer Science at AUW, with student researchers Purnata Biswas and Ayesha Shafika Bhuiyan contributing to data collection and analysis. The team is studying how daily lifestyle choices influence environmental impact, particularly across Asian populations.

Hosting support for the public release was provided by Abhishek Avi, enabling the application's deployment on the Google Play Store.

Even before the public release, EcoMeter began collecting responses through AUW's multinational student community, which represents 19 nationalities. Data has already been gathered from users in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and various regions of Bangladesh, alongside conference participants who interacted with the tool during ICECA 2025.

The application was also showcased at AUW's 12th convocation ceremony project showcase, where Purnata Biswas presented the initiative before Chancellor Cherie Blair, Vice-Chancellor Rubana Huq, founder Kamal Ahmad, and other national and international guests. Many attendees tested the application during the event, contributing to the growing dataset.

Unlike conventional carbon calculators, EcoMeter focuses on behavioural reflection rather than technical carbon accounting. After receiving their eco-score, users are encouraged to adopt practical actions, including tree planting and lifestyle adjustments.

The research team aims to collect more than 10,000 data entries to analyse sustainable behaviour patterns across Asia. Future plans include integrating AI-supported behavioural analysis, developing data-driven sustainability recommendations, and expanding community-based environmental initiatives under the Green Bangle Movement.

Researchers said the initiative shows how small academic projects can evolve into platforms for measurable environmental impact, linking personal habits with collective climate action.

The Green Bangle EcoMeter application is now publicly available on the Google Play Store, allowing users to participate in the research by contributing data on their everyday lifestyle choices.