Dongdaemun District Verifies Carbon Neutrality Practice Effectiveness Through Resident-Participatory "Action Living Lab"

‘Carbon Talks Dongdaemun’ Education Sector Project
Five-Week Household Energy Saving Experiment

Dongdaemun District in Seoul (headed by Mayor Lee Pilhyeong) has officially launched the second round of its participatory project, the "Carbon Neutral Action Living Lab," in which local residents and university students work together to directly verify the effectiveness of carbon neutrality practices.

Provided by Dongdaemun District Office.

This Living Lab, a core initiative of the "Carbon Talks Dongdaemun" education sector, is being implemented for the second consecutive year. Its key feature is that residents take the lead in every stage, from designing experiments and education, to implementation, data analysis, and policy development.

The program is managed by the Convergent Environmental Planning Laboratory at the University of Seoul, with collaboration from the Yonsei RCE Research Center at the Institute for East and West Studies, Yonsei University, and the Dongdaemun Carbon Neutrality Support Center, jointly overseeing program operations and policy integration.

Thirty participants, made up of local residents and students from the University of Seoul, are randomly assigned for five weeks to either a "Living Lab group (experimental group)" or a "lecture-based education group (control group)" to compare and analyze the effectiveness of each educational method in promoting household energy-saving practices.

Participants enter their energy usage once a week through an online electricity recording system. In addition, some members of the experimental group are provided with socket-type smart electricity meters to collect real-time usage data from cooling appliances.

Through pre- and post-experiment surveys and interviews, the project investigates participants' awareness, motivation for action, and policy needs. Participants also directly take part in designing the educational curriculum and discussions. Educational topics include responding to climate change, practicing carbon neutrality, and saving energy at home.

In addition, a "Climate Vulnerable Groups Living Lab" is being operated for about 30 people from climate-vulnerable groups, such as seniors, single-person households, and low-income residents. This project structures their experiences of climate-related damage, analyzes the chains of impact, and develops region-specific climate adaptation strategies.

Lee Pilhyeong, Mayor of Dongdaemun District, stated, "Carbon neutrality must go beyond education to actual practice, and true change is possible when results are verified and translated into policy. We will expand carbon neutrality policies led by residents and establish a structure that connects policy experiments to real-world implementation."

Based on the results of this Living Lab, the district plans to analyze the effectiveness of the educational approaches and the factors that encourage practical action, incorporating these findings into district administration. Guidelines and policy ideas developed by participants will also be applied and expanded across various areas, including the creation of daily-life carbon neutrality promotional content, the design of energy-saving support projects, and the reorganization of resident-tailored educational programs.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.