Imagine walking through the city or riding a bike in nature while at the same time contributing to the city by getting one more tree, feeding an animal or simply winning a theatre ticket.
In November 2023, the City&Me application was launched – an innovative platform designed to spread awareness about the importance of a sustainable future while motivating people to change their habits and the environment within the local community. The platform is the result of cooperation between Aleksandar Stamenković and Branko Krsmanović, who worked with a team of experts from the non-governmental, business and public sectors.
Our interlocutor, Aleksandar, explained to us the spectrum of possibilities offered by their invention and how it can be helpful in the formation of smart and sustainable cities. Since its launch, City&Me has managed to gather more than 15,000 people and provide support through local and national companies, cities, international organizations, numerous experts, and partners.
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Although it was created in Niš, the success led the founders to think about other cities, with the next one possibly being Kragujevac, where there is exceptional cooperation through the City&Me chatbot. The City&Me chatbot is designed to facilitate access to local news, such as information on public transport and details on cultural events or polls. The chatbot is integrated into the Viber application and can be used independently of the application services. Thanks to its integration into Viber, the City&Me chatbot reached a large number of users, namely over 100,000 people in Niš and Kragujevac. There are also plans to expand the application in the region.
“We can confirm with certainty that at least one of the regional cities will start using City&Me services by the end of July 2024”, said Aleksandar, without revealing which city he was talking about.
In terms of tokenization, City&Me uses a reward system to measure users’ green activities. Suppose you take 100,000 steps or cycle 100 kilometers in one month. In that case, the application automatically awards you a golden token that you can exchange for a seedling in the city park, which is marked in the digital green oasis and bears the user’s name. Furthermore, in cooperation with one of the companies, users win tokens by recycling electrical or electronic waste.
“Using tokens as an in-app currency creates a wide range of possibilities for users. Tokens can be exchanged for various rewards, services or discounts through the store available within the application. The prizes vary from theatre tickets, free meals and transportation discounts to seedlings planted in local parks or forests,” explains Aleksandar.
Prepared my: Milica Vučković
Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine NATURE CONSERVATION.
