In Brazil, Environmental And Social Network Uses Gamification To Engage Users

With over 10,000 users, platform AMA - Environmental Agents rewards those adopting sustainable practices.

Gamification is one of the pillars of AMA - Environmental Agents platform (Agentes do Meio Ambiente in Portuguese). In operation in some Brazilian cities, the mobile application promotes the continuous involvement of its users in all proposed actions through an ongoing competition involving sustainable practices. Daily, the agents receive challenges in their app and earn points and financial incentives to apply the acquired knowledge in the real world. At the end of each month, the platform rewards the ranking leaders.

Prepared by a multidisciplinary team, the activities and research are aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and work as a powerful environmental education tool.

In Florianópolis, southern Brazil, environmental agent João Felipe has noticed new habits in his neighborhood. “The main changes I see happening are related to the issue of waste disposal and people's awareness. The platform is a great service for anyone who wants to make a difference for real, not just in the virtual world."

Environmental leadership and governance

In nine months in Florianópolis, the AMA Platform has engaged city residents to act in the cleaning and preservation of their neighborhoods. Once their registration is approved, residents become environmental leaders and multipliers of sound environmental practices. Each Local Leader receives tasks through a cellphone app and registers the performed activities. Currently, 600 environmental leaders work throughout the city and carry out over 35,000 services monthly.

The technology allows the public authorities to measure the effectiveness of the results, generate relevant data, and remotely monitor the performance of each Local Leader. It can also measure the population's perception of public services and city governance.

Participants are financially compensated for their activities when performing the tasks provided by the platform. The Local Leaders perform routine services such as sweeping sidewalks and public roads, promoting environmental education, and monitoring irregular waste disposal and clogged drains, among other actions.

International Recognition

In 2022, UN-Habitat and the Swedish Innovation Agency awarded the solution in the Climate Smart Cities Challenge. AMA was chosen among 45 sustainable initiatives to apply its environmental and social network and caretaking technologies in Curitiba.

Moreover, in 2023, the AMA Platform leads the group of companies that will put into practice the awarded model to help reduce greenhouse gases, focusing on energy sustainability and waste management in two distinct neighborhoods in Curitiba. In addition to the AMA Platform, the Curitiba Smart Neighborhoods team includes Coletivo Ambiente Livre and the Swedish companies Smart Green Station and Nudgd.

For the platform’s creator, Marcelo Crivano, the international award confirms the solution’s efficiency. "We are constantly developing and improving the application. What makes our technology relevant is people's actual engagement in caring for the environment. We understand the solution presented as part of the whole effort to be made. We expect the model to generate many social benefits for the community involved. It is essential to understand the project’s complexity and work together, integrating solutions to create more resilient cities.

Learn more at https://cidadeama.com.br/