A classroom project at the Asian University for Women (AUW) has grown into a multinational research initiative with the launch of the Green Bangle EcoMeter mobile application on the Google Play Store.

Developed under AUW’s Green Bangle Movement, the app assesses the environmental impact of daily lifestyle choices while generating research data on sustainable behaviours across Asian communities. The project originated in an Introduction to Environmental Science elective, led by Dr Mosae Selvakumar Paulraj, Director of Environmental Science and founder of the Green Bangle Movement, who challenged students to design an accessible tool to track carbon footprints.

Three computer science students – Purnata Biswas, Subaita Shirin, and Tahiyat Islam – created the initial prototype, which evaluates users’ habits in areas such as waste management, water use, energy consumption, transportation, and shopping behaviour, producing an individual eco-score alongside tree-planting recommendations to encourage practical environmental action.

The app gained international attention after Purnata Biswas presented it at the International Conference on Environment and Climate Action 2025 (ICECA 2025), receiving the Best Presentation Award. The project has since expanded into structured research led by Dr Paulraj and Dr Taufique Sayeed, with student researchers Purnata Biswas and Ayesha Shafika Bhuiyan analysing data from AUW’s multinational student body and early users in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.

The EcoMeter application was also showcased at AUW’s 12th Convocation, where attendees contributed to the growing dataset. Unlike traditional carbon calculators, EcoMeter emphasises behavioural reflection, guiding users towards actionable sustainability measures.

The research team aims to collect over 10,000 data entries to identify sustainable behaviour patterns across Asia, with plans to incorporate AI-supported analysis and expand community-based initiatives.

The Green Bangle EcoMeter is now publicly available on the Google Play Store, inviting users to contribute to this pioneering environmental research.