Name: This app makes it fun to pick up litter
Uploaded: 2017-02-28T16:04:41Z
Duration: 6 min 1 s
Description: The earth is a big place to keep clean. With Litterati -- an app for users to identify, collect and geotag the world's litter -- TED Resident Jeff Kirschner has created a community that's crowdsource-cleaning the planet. After tracking trash in more than 100 countries, Kirschner hopes to use the data he's collected to work with brands and organizations to stop litter before it reaches the ground.

Jeff Kirschner: This app makes it fun to pick up litter

This app makes it fun to pick up litter

The earth is a big place to keep clean. With Litterati -- an app for users to identify, collect and geotag the world's litter -- TED Resident Jeff Kirschner has created a community that's crowdsource-cleaning the planet. After tracking trash in more than 100 countries, Kirschner hopes to use the data he's collected to work with brands and organizations to stop litter before it reaches the ground.

A casual family hike inspired a movement to clean the planet, one piece of trash at a time. By snapping, geotagging, and collecting litter, a worldwide community grew, using data to reveal patterns and drive real change. In just four days, 5,000 pieces of photographed litter helped San Francisco double its cigarette tax, raising four million dollars a year. Even young students learned they could spark impact by identifying the sources of waste and changing their own habits.