We’re always delighted to discuss things green and eco-friendly, so when the team behind Yoyu reached out last week, we were all ears. Not only are they promoters of the use of clean energy, but they were kind enough to give us a £100 donation on behalf of their users.
Wow! Thank you so much, Yoyu!
In case you haven’t come across it, Yoyu is a smartphone app that makes it easy to see when the electricity you’re consuming is clean (from wind and solar power) or dirty (generated by fossil fuels). Many of us are worried about climate change and are striving to make ethical choices in the things that we buy, good examples being the food we eat and the clothes we wear. Energy provision though can be largely invisible and, despite a surge in recent years in the power delivered by renewable sources, we are still also reliant on fossil fuels for our supply.
The energy forecast changes all the time, just like the weather so, by shifting the timing of your electricity use, you can use more renewable and less fossil fuel energy. If your appliances have timers, you can check the Yoyu forecast to see when the electricity will be cleanest, day or night. Or you can choose the cleanest times of day to use the washing machine or charge your phone. You can potentially save 20% of your electricity carbon footprint by taking small actions like these. The Yoyu app makes it easy to reduce carbon use right from home and showing our collective demand for more renewable energy will drive the call to leave fossil fuels in the ground.
What a great idea!
We asked Molly Webb, founder of Yoyu, about the inspiration behind it. She said:
“I have been working on digital solutions to climate change since 2007 and set up my own not-for-profit, Energy Unlocked, in 2015 to focus on supporting energy startups to faster reach the market with decarbonisation solutions. It became clear that energy is really invisible to many people, and yet decarbonising our electricity is so critical to a full net zero transition. When I noticed how consumers have been really pressuring governments and taking interest in brands that focus on sustainability and climate change, I thought the time was right to bring consumers as much of our hard-earned energy knowledge as we could. We want them to know they can be more involved in ending fossil fuels and that even their homes and existing appliances have a role to play.”
With Energy Unlocked, Molly engages with government and businesses all the time on climate change and how to transition our energy systems to be low carbon at lowest cost. She believes that collaborating with other organisations is mutually beneficial in getting joint messages out to the wider world. Yoyu is relatively young but is beginning to create ripples on social media and with local groups. Molly says:
“We’d love feedback on the Yoyu app and how we can make this part of your daily sustainable lifestyle. Get in touch, follow Yoyu on social media and tell us what you’d like to know more about – we’re just starting so you have the chance to really shape how we grow this community!”
She learned about The Word Forest Organisation when she virtually met our CEO Tracey West at an online event focused on how UK local authorities can commit to and deliver net zero targets. She told us,
“I looked up what The Word Forest Organisation were doing and loved that I would know where the trees were being planted and who was taking care of them. This gives more confidence that the carbon impact will be enduring as well.”
The word Yoyu is Japanese and, though difficult to translate, can mean ‘arriving in good time’ or ‘defeating enemies with ease’ or even ‘having space in your mind’ depending on the context. In other words, flexible, adaptable, well-prepared and in a calm frame of mind, with time to spare. Molly chose it because, in her words, “Sounds like the state we need to find to face one of the most complex and anxiety-inducing issues of our time!”
We’re right with you on that one and this new partnership will further boost our efforts in supporting the communities that are reforesting our world and mitigating climate change.
Thank you Yoyu!
Izzy Robertson and The Team
