Personal Carbon Economy 

September, 2016 - May, 2017

What if Carbon dioxide can be marketized and monetized in individual scale? A possible economic model and design interventions into a not so far-fetched near future of personal carbon cap and trade. 

Project website:

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Artifacts Collection

Here is a collection of mundane artifacts from the Personal Carbon Economy future, crossing different cultures, social groups and markets. 

Carbon Wallet

PRADA collaborated with UNDC and released a set of smart carbon wallets for high society. The Carbon Pin (yellow button) tracks every activity and purchase, then tightens the wallet automatically.

The more owners spend, the tighter the wallets will be; if they run out of carbon credits, the wallet will tighten and constrict their breath, reminding them to purchase more credits and make better carbon choices.


Mr. Beard

Cultivating moss beards to offset personal carbon footprints has become a popular lifestyle and fashion trend among gentlemen in London. After moss beards get mature, customers can rinse and blend them into smoothies with fruits. 

Mr. Beard, a famous moss beard brand, released new looks for the 2030 Spring collection. They also added a broader choices of moss for beard customizations.


Global Carbon Trade Platform 

The World Carbon bank is a platform whose mission is to accelerate the carbon sustainability goal by using individual carbon exchanges. Citizens can purchase carbon credits at much lower prices from Individuals and businesses worldwide, who earn extra carbon credits from the UNDC by offsetting carbon emissions using their own methods.


Methane Lady 

Dairy farmers were charging higher rates due to the huge amount of methane emissions from cows. A new system of capture methane from cows has been introduced to dairy farmers in Tulare Country, CA.

It includes collection devices and a gathering hub. The collection devices sit on cows’ backs and collect methane continuously directly from their rumen before it goes into the atmosphere. The collection device is inflatable. The more methane it collects the bigger it becomes. After three hours, it will float in the air as a signal for milking and gathering methane.

The gathering hub is designed to collect methane from the collection devices, which is installed on top of the original milking systems. When they hook up the cow with the milking system, they also hook up the methane collecting system.

After methane is collected, it will be sent to an existing energy production system, such as natural gas. In return, farms will get carbon credits. The efficiency of the collection system not only paid the bills for the methane emissions, but also earned extra carbon credits for farmers to sell through the The World Carbon Bank.


Carbon Pancake Truck

Due to global warming five islands, Fiji, Tuvalu, Marshall Islands and Vanuatu, are under water. Their dwellers had to relocate to Sydney Australia, where employment became a huge challenge. A group of pacific climate refugees ran their carbon pancakes truck to support their lives in Sydney.

They use sodium carbonate to absorb CO2 from the air which turns into baking soda for pancakes. They can sell the pancakes and carbon credits they gained from UNDC by offsetting carbon dioxide through the World Carbon Bank.