EcoShift

Welcome Screen
Choose a category screen: Users will be able to select the category corresponding to their daily activity.
Home Screen: Shows the estimated savings that the user has made with our app along with the recent categories they have chosen.
Alternative Screen: Shows the harmful effects of the product on the environment along with its green alternatives.

Category: The Environment

SDG: Goal 13 - Climate Action

In the year 2020, humans were presented with a lot of adversaries. From wildfires to Coronavirus, the entire world has suffered. However, more than ever our environment has felt the blow of our footprints on its plants and our punches on its animals. Global warming has, and always will be, one of the world’s most pressing issues. There have never been as many CO₂ particles in our atmosphere as it is now. Statistics show that CO₂ concentrations in the atmosphere are over 414 parts per million; the highest it’s ever been in human existence. However, simple changes in our everyday lives make a difference. We aim to tell the world that your small switches from a single-use straw to a stainless steel one DOES matter. And your commitment to no meat Monday’s DOES reduce carbon emissions. Our app was designed for the everyday person, like you and me, in hopes of encouraging these individuals to make various small, environmentally conscious switches in their lifestyle to build a greener tomorrow.

Our Inspiration

This year proved to be a challenge for every single individual. Our team was inspired by the efforts of generosity displayed by humankind towards the world. We wanted to be challenged and to give back to our community. After a long quarantine indoors, we have noticed easy ways to fix small but detrimental habits. Thus, we are eager to help others improve their own choices of living a greener lifestyle.

How did we build it?

To build this app, we used Java and GUI in an object-oriented programming style. We created multiple classes related to the four different categories in our app, including transportation, food, hydro, and electricity.

Challenges

Some challenges we ran into while coding the app include coordinating codes written in different languages (Python and Java) and communicating effectively with each other due to the physical separation. Coordinating the code written in two different languages was presented as a challenge for us because it was difficult to translate our codes into one language. In addition, communication became more complicated as minor technical issues prevented the team members from smoothly communicating with each other.

What Accomplishments are we proud of?

We are incredibly proud of our ability to collaborate and develop unique ideas in a limited amount of time. Every individual was able to equally contribute to the final project and try their best to complete their tasks. We are also proud of the fact that we were able to transform our ideas into code and app design in the way that we first envisioned our project.

What did we learn?

Throughout our Hackathon journey, we learned that collaboration is an important aspect of a successful group project. Everybody that was a part of this came out as a better leader and team worker than they were before. Additionally, we were able to share and take everyone’s ideas into consideration. We were also able to learn and develop new skills related to the process of designing and coding an app. In addition, the 24-time constraint pushed us to plan our time efficiently and manage our time while accommodating other team members.

So what’s next for EcoShift?

In the future, we hope to largely expand our app, EcoShift, by expanding our reach to customers through social media platforms, as well as online content ads. Eventually, we also hope to expand our category selection to accommodate more customers' needs including alternatives for clothing and hygiene products.