Project Carbinsight

Launched in late 2021 by BAID student Wang Jiachuan '24, Carbinsight is leading an environmental movement across high school campuses. Through campus waste recycling and carbon emissions monitoring, the project has encouraged greener practices at BAID while partnering with several high schools across Beijing to build an interschool environmental network. Its environmental education website, carbinsight.com, presents carbon emissions data in an accessible format and helps bring environmental issues closer to everyday life. Looking ahead, Carbinsight will continue expanding its impact, encouraging more people to take part in environmental action and contribute to protecting the planet.

Background and Motivation

Carbinsight was created in support of the broader vision of building a Beautiful China. The team recognized both the urgency of environmental protection and the responsibility individuals share in addressing it. While one person's contribution may be limited, collective action can create substantial impact.

Beginning on campus, Carbinsight promotes practical environmental initiatives that engage students, families, and surrounding communities. Through these efforts, the project seeks to strengthen public awareness of a central idea: environmental protection is a responsibility shared by governments, businesses, and individuals, and everyone can contribute to protecting the planet.

Project Goals

Carbinsight's central goal is to strengthen environmental awareness across society, with particular emphasis on the role individuals can play.

The project follows several stages of development. It first uses education and outreach to improve public understanding of environmental issues. It then encourages people to take concrete actions such as waste sorting and resource recycling. Through continued participation, Carbinsight aims to promote sustainable practices across schools and communities and gradually establish a broader network for environmental action.

Through these efforts, the project hopes to contribute to a greener and more sustainable society and make the planet a more livable place.

Campus Waste Recycling Program

As one of its core initiatives, Carbinsight established multiple wastepaper and plastic bottle collection stations across the Beijing Academy campus.

Each month, the team collects recyclable materials from different classes, cleans and weighs them, and recognizes the class that contributes the greatest amount with Beijing Academy cultural and creative products. This system has encouraged strong participation among students and faculty and gradually made recycling part of campus culture.

Although the school had fewer than 100 students at the time, the program collected more than 100 kilograms of recyclable waste each semester. The initiative gave discarded materials a second life while also strengthening environmental awareness throughout the school community.

Carbinsight also developed a carbon emissions monitoring platform to help the school cafeteria examine food sourcing and waste disposal. By encouraging more sustainable purchasing practices and reducing food waste, the platform helps lower the campus carbon footprint.

Expansion and Social Impact

Carbinsight has expanded beyond Beijing Academy to seven other prominent high schools across Beijing, including Beijing National Day School, The High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China, and The High School Affiliated to Capital Normal University.

By working with environmental Student Clubs at these schools, Carbinsight established an interschool recycling ranking network that encourages students to participate in low-carbon practices. The resulting friendly competition has strengthened participation and helped form a broader environmental action network.

The project has also worked with parents and social organizations to bring environmental awareness from campuses into families and communities. These partnerships have helped residents better understand environmental issues while strengthening connections between schools and their surrounding communities. Collaboration with additional secondary schools has further supported coordinated environmental action across the region.

The Carbinsight Website

Carbinsight also combines technology with environmental education through its website, carbinsight.com.

The website presents carbon emissions data in an accessible format, including total emissions, per-capita emissions, emissions per unit of GDP, and emissions growth rates across different provinces and cities. By simplifying complex datasets, the platform helps readers understand current emissions levels and broader trends more intuitively.

The website also connects large-scale emissions data with individual experience. Features such as My City and My Region allow users to view per-capita emissions data for the places where they live and better understand local environmental conditions.

In addition, the website curates environmental education articles and academic papers, giving readers access to a broader range of information about environmental issues.

Impact and Future Outlook

Since its launch, Carbinsight has engaged more than 500 participants and accumulated 384 hours of service. During the previous semester alone, the team collected 182.9 kilograms of wastepaper and plastic bottles, reflecting strong participation and commitment from the school community.

By combining technological development with direct environmental action, Carbinsight has made meaningful progress in raising public awareness and promoting sustainable practices.

Looking ahead, Carbinsight will continue expanding its reach and encouraging more schools, communities, and individuals to participate in environmental initiatives. Through sustained action, the project hopes to contribute to a greener and more sustainable future and make environmental responsibility a part of everyday life.