Logan Olazabal
From his earliest recollection, Logan Olazabal ’23, has been worried about climate change. Growing up in Southern California, he recalls the ever-present threat of wildfires to the family home. He cites that experience as a major factor in why he and his sister, Lina, founded CAR-bonator.com. Launched in 2021, the website allows consumers to compare emissions of one of the largest contributors to global warming — the cars we drive.
Logan has spent his summer break scaling up the tool that allows prospective car buyers to compare different makes and models of new cars by how green they are. The site boasts hundreds of cars for comparison and links resources for consumers interested in learning more about climate change. The upper is in the process of getting his driver’s license and has been using his own site to make what he calls “the responsible choice” for his first car. We caught up with Logan to chat about CAR-bonator.com and how his time at Exeter has influenced his work.
Tell me about CARbonator, what made you want to build this site?
The development of CARbonator was driven by the desire to help consumers make informed decisions in regards to carbon emissions when purchasing new cars. It is a web app that allows users to compare annual carbon emissions across one, three, and five year periods based on their own estimated miles driven. My sister and I thought a good way to help make an impact was to target transportation, which is responsible for close to 30% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
Who is the target audience for your website?
The site is primarily for prospective car buyers who are looking to buy the cleanest car possible. Users of the web app can put up to three cars in the calculator and compare the carbon emissions for each car. The more information they have, the more informed decision they can make. Anyone with an interest in climate change, however, can go on the website and click on the recourses/links page, which offers a number of websites that address the problem of greenhouse gas emissions and suggest specific action to help make meaningful change.
What kind of work have you done with the site this summer?
We released the site earlier this year and have made considerable changes over the summer. This includes adding more vehicles into the calculator, improving the user interface, and adding the recourses/links page. We want CARbonator to be a place where users can also learn more about the role cars and other forms of transportation play in our fight against climate change.
What is your ultimate goal for CARbonator?
My ultimate goal for CARbonator is that it grows into a tool that makes a meaningful difference in this space. Accordingly, our focus this year is to grow our user base and spread the word about this important issue.
How has your time at Exeter contributed to the creation or growth of the site?
I have really been inspired by the number of climate change discussions at Exeter. People at Exeter are really focused on this issue and always looking for ways to contribute to the effort. It has reinforced my view that this is an area I really want to focus on, as well as my desire to take the app to the next level.
— Adam Loyd
Exeter People
