GreenSteps

GreenSteps - Every Step Counts!

Inspiration

GreenSteps was inspired by the urgent need to reduce urban carbon emissions while promoting healthier mobility habits. As students of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Engineering and Management at Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), we identified a key challenge: despite existing sustainability initiatives, many individuals and companies are not fully aware of how their daily transportation choices impact the environment. Cities like Lisbon struggle with traffic congestion, pollution, and increasingly sedentary lifestyles. Our goal was to create an innovative solution that not only promotes sustainable mobility but also educates and engages users through rewards and intuitive impact visualization.

What it does

GreenSteps is a gamified platform that transforms sustainable mobility choices—such as walking, cycling, and using public transport—into an interactive and engaging experience. The app automatically tracks transportation modes and provides users with real-time insights into their environmental impact, translating CO₂ reduction into tangible metrics like tree equivalents. Through gamification elements such as challenges, leaderboards, and personalized sustainability insights, GreenSteps encourages individuals to adopt eco-friendly mobility habits while providing companies and municipalities with valuable data to support their ESG strategies and decarbonization goals.

How we built it

We began with extensive market research to identify gaps in existing mobility and sustainability solutions. Using Figma, we developed a prototype that simulates key features, including smart mobility tracking through GPS and sensor data, gamification elements such as challenges and leaderboards, real-time visualization of carbon footprint reduction, and dashboards for companies and municipalities to track engagement and impact. For the Minimum Viable Product (MVP), the app will integrate transport APIs, machine learning for transport mode detection, and a user-friendly interface designed to maximize engagement and motivation.

Challenges we ran into

One major challenge was ensuring accurate mobility tracking . Another was making environmental impact data easy to understand and engaging, turning abstract CO₂ figures into relatable insights. We also had to consider a sustainable business model that benefits both users and partners while keeping the platform financially viable.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We successfully developed an intuitive prototype that simulates the user experience, designed a gamification system that makes sustainable mobility engaging, created clear visual representations of environmental impact to raise awareness, and structured a business model that integrates municipal and corporate partnerships.

What we learned

We gained valuable insights into the intersection of sustainability, behavioral science, and technology. We learned how gamification can drive real behavior change, how corporate and municipal partnerships can play a key role in promoting sustainable practices, and how user-centered design is essential to making sustainability engaging and rewarding.

What's next for GreenSteps

Moving forward, we plan to pilot the app with real users in Lisbon, collaborating with municipalities and companies to support their sustainability goals. By providing actionable insights on mobility patterns and engaging employees and citizens in eco-friendly challenges, GreenSteps will help organizations promote sustainable transportation, reduce carbon emissions, and foster a culture of environmental responsibility.

GreenSteps aims to transform the way people move within cities, making sustainable mobility both rewarding and impactful. 'Every step counts towards a greener future!'