PISQian Students Create an Application to Combat Climate Change

Written by Julianne Caday, News Editor

Campus News

Originally written on  November 26, 2019

On December 2, 2019, a team of PISQian students were hailed as champions for the senior division of  the Young Innovators Competition, organized by HBKU’s QEERI and Tarsheed, for battling climate change with the aid of technology and creating an application: Earthstagram.

The said team were composed of Jose Emmanuel L. Ventura (12 STEM A), Earl Louis B. Quilling (12 STEM C), Adrian Miguel M. Lopres (12 STEM C), Janeal Anne M. Agustin (11 STEM B), Harvey Bryant D. Cayateno Jr. (11 STEM C), and Julianne Carmel I. Caday (11 STEM D).

Recently, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)  reported that Carbon Dioxide levels are at their highest in 650,000 years. Qatar has made great efforts to reduce Carbon Dioxide emissions and battle the effects of climate change. 

With 99% of the Qatar population having internet access and nearly 2 million users are able to use social media, the PISQian students took advantage of this information to come up with a solution to combat climate change and save Earth.

Earthstagram is a social media app with features such as posts, event management and registration, fun facts, and engaging point system and donations, all of which help to spread awareness and encourage tangible action against climate change. 

Through this application, organizers are given an opportunity to share  events like environmental clean-ups, environmental workshops, and tree-planting seminars, and more, that can bring a great change to this world. 

Furthermore, Earthstagram can also encourage individuals to be part of an action as it can be used to redeem awards from eco-friendly companies and organizations. By joining seminars and activities conducted by various organizers, users of the Earthstagram application can acquire points. Users also have the choice to donate to charities that build a better environment for the future.

“We tend to use social media a lot so why not use that advantage to further improve our environment,” said Agustin in an interview, “it is a privilege to be creating an [application] that will inspire the youth to move and take action for the environment.” 

With the efforts of the PISQian students and their application, individuals in Qatar, no matter the nationality, can be part of the action. “Earthstagram: Save the Earth together.”