ABSTRACT Everyday consumers often do not have the information they need in order to allow environmental concerns to factor into their purchasing decisions. GreenScanner is a system designed to help address this issue by allowing consumers to engage in environmentally preferable purchasing. This system has two parts: an online database of community-generated environmental impact reviews of consumer products, and a mobile phone application that allows consumers to access these reviews at a point of purchase by scanning the products’ UPC codes. The project is currently under way, and involves the development of both of these parts, as well as a campaign to encourage the usage of the system by a broad constituency of consumers. By enabling consumers to have environmental impact information at their fingertips while shopping, the GreenScanner system seeks to encourage environmentally preferable purchasing and reduce consumer waste.

The Informatics Seminar is held on Fridays at 3:00pm in ICS2 136 followed by a social hour at 4:00pm. Please join us!