In a world where environmental sustainability is becoming increasingly crucial, supporting green initiatives can make a real difference. Open-source and free software can be at the service of our planet, too. Developers can contribute their own grain of sand to solve big problems like global warming, pollution, and deforestation —mostly here because of the human race.

Since the projects we’re talking about are also free and available for everyone, they rely on the generosity of donors to thrive and expand their impact. By donating to open-source green projects, you can contribute to the development of tools and technologies that address pressing environmental challenges. And you can do this in a few minutes with Kivach.

Kivach is an Obyte-based platform that enables users to make crypto donations that can be automatically redistributed to multiple open-source projects on GitHub. It uses a decentralized approach where donations flow through a network of projects, with each recipient able to forward a portion or the total of the donation to other projects, amplifying the impact of each contribution.

In this episode, we’ll explore some environmentally-friendly software projects that you can use for free and, optionally, support with some coins via Kivach. Let’s go!

CodeCarbon

Released in 2020 by a team of developers from Mila, BCG Gamma, Haverford College, and Comet, this tool is designed to help developers track and reduce the carbon emissions of their computing. Recognizing the significant environmental impact of computational processes, CodeCarbon aims to provide a simple yet effective way for individuals and organizations to monitor their energy consumption and take steps toward sustainability.

This tool provides a way to calculate how much CO2 is produced based on the electricity consumption of the hardware, including the GPU, CPU, and RAM while taking into account the carbon intensity of the region where the computing takes place. The latter is applied to the location of data centers, so it offers a clear picture of the emissions associated with a specific software. Besides, it’s easy to integrate into Python projects by embedding just a few lines of code.

Funding and professional time for CodeCarbon comes from grants and donations from organizations and individuals committed to sustainability in tech. The project also benefits from the support and contributions of the open-source community. If you want to contribute with some coins, you can find CodeCarbon on Kivach at mlco2/codecarbon.

Mycodo

This is an environmental regulation system designed to monitor and control various environmental factors using Raspberry Pi. Initially created in 2013 by Kyle Gabriel to assist with mushroom cultivation, Mycodo has since expanded to support a wide range of applications, from hydroponic systems to beekeeping, offering users a powerful tool to manage and optimize their environments effectively.

Mycodo can connect various sensors and devices to measure and control factors such as temperature, humidity, and light. Users can create custom functions and automate organic processes using a web interface, making it easy to manage even complex systems remotely. This way, it helps to reduce waste and energy consumption, making it a valuable tool for sustainable practices in agriculture, food production, and environmental management. Additionally, it can be used to track energy usage, which aids in reducing carbon footprints.

Mycodo is funded through donations and community support. The software is free to use, and contributions from users help maintain its development and ensure that it continues to evolve and improve over the years. For crypto donations, you can find it on Kivach and donate with your Obyte wallet.

Tracarbon

Tracarbon is supported by the open-source community, with funding primarily coming from user contributions. These donations and the collaborative efforts of volunteers help keep the project alive and growing. For crypto donations, it’s available on Kivach as fvaleye/tracarbon.

Open Green Map

This platform was launched in 2009 by the non-profit organization Green Map System. It provides a collaborative space for creating and sharing maps that highlight eco-friendly and sustainable locations within communities. Its main goal is to support greener living by helping people find and engage with environmental resources, green spaces, and sustainability initiatives.

The software allows users to create interactive maps that feature various eco-friendly locations, such as community gardens, recycling centers, and renewable energy sites. It supports contributions from individuals and organizations, enabling users to add new sites, provide updates, and share their local sustainability efforts. By visualizing these green resources, Open Green Map helps raise awareness and encourages more people to adopt sustainable practices.

Green Map System encourages community participation by exploring and rating the maps, spreading the word, directly promoting the app, or becoming a volunteer. It also accepts donations (tax-deductible in the US) to keep running this project, and maintaining it available for everyone. To donate to them, you can use Kivach.

Waste Management System

The Waste Management System is a project launched in 2022 by Lakshay Tyagi for the EcoHacks hackathon. It’s designed to help communities manage waste more effectively by providing a streamlined platform for reporting waste-related issues directly to municipal authorities. The system aims to enhance environmental sustainability and public health by promoting better waste management practices.

The platform allows users to easily report waste problems in their area and track the status of these reports to see if they’ve been addressed. It also offers information on recycling ideas, helping users become more aware of how to manage waste and recycle more efficiently. By simplifying the process of waste reporting and tracking, the Waste Management System supports cleaner and healthier communities.

The project is open for developers to participate in by reporting issues or suggesting new features. On the other hand, users can contribute by testing it, or you can donate to them via Kivach.

Fund your Obyte wallet!

To use Kivach, you’ll need an Obyte wallet first. This is a lightweight app available for desktop and mobile, with a user-friendly interface. To fund it and make your donations (or anything inside the Obyte ecosystem), you can tap on the “Receive” menu and press “Get me Coins”. You can buy some GBYTE (the Obyte native coin) there with ETH, USDC, or WBTC. We also have a full guide available to get GBYTEs from traditional money.

GBYTEs are needed to pay transaction fees inside Obyte (often less than $0.0001), but you can use any coins to donate, as long as they’re Obyte-compatible. It’s possible to bring a lot of popular cryptocurrencies into Obyte using the Counterstake Bridge.

Finally, don’t forget to check our previous episodes in this Kivach series!

• 5 Open-source Projects You Can Support With Kivach — and Cryptocurrencies
• 5 Open-source Projects You Can Support with Kivach and Cryptos, Episode III
• 5 Open-Source Projects You Can Donate to via Kivach, Episode IV: Privacy Tools
• 5 Open-source Blogging and Writing Tools to Donate to via Kivach (Ep V)
• 5 Open-Source Tools You Can Donate to via Kivach, Episode VI: Decentralized Services
• 5 Open-Source Projects to Donate via Kivach, Episode VII: Games to Play for Free!
• 5 Cybersecurity Tools to Use for Free and Donate to Via Kivach
• 5 Free Data Recovery and Backup Projects to Donate to Via Kivach
• 5 Open-Source Learning Software Projects to Donate Via Kivach
• 5 Open-Source Research Tools to Support via Kivach
• Explore 5 Free Music Software Tools Open for Donations on Kivach

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