webCa: Built to estimate actual cost of using internet

Inspiration

The internet’s a beast—3.7% of global emissions, and we’re all feeding it without a clue. I got tired of pretending my screen time was free. webCa came from that: a no-BS way to see what my browsing costs the planet and do something about it. It’s not a sermon—it’s a tool.

What It Does

webCa clocks your time online and spits out a CO₂ number. That’s it. No hand-holding, just data—how much carbon your tabs are burning and a nudge to cut it down. It’s practical, not preachy.

How We Built It

We hacked it together with:

A browser extension in JavaScript—grabs time spent, no fuss.
A rough CO₂ calc—0.2 to 0.8 grams per minute, tweaked by site type from whatever stats we could scrape.
A working prototype—tested, basic, but functional.
It’s barebones and gets the job done. No frills, just results.

Challenges We Ran Into

CO₂ estimates were a pain—every site’s different, and we were stuck with ballpark figures. The extension bugged out on weird domains, too. Biggest hurdle? Making it work realtime but did it anyway.

Accomplishments That We’re Proud Of

We got a real thing running—tracks time, cranks out carbon numbers, doesn’t crash. “See Your Web, Save the Planet” isn’t just a tagline; it’s what we built. It’s not fancy, but it works, and that’s what counts.

What We Learned

The web’s dirtier than you’d think—servers don’t run on air. We picked up extension coding and some energy math on the fly. Real takeaway? You don’t need polish to make a point—just something that sticks.

What’s Next for webCa: See Your Web, Save the Planet

It’s not done. Next up:

Plug in an API for legit CO₂ data—no more estimates.
Add visuals that don’t feel boring—charts, maybe a “worst offender” flag.
Throw in tips to cut usage, plus a mobile version.
It’s a start, and we’re not stopping.