NovelSync

NovelSync empowers anyone to track their global carbon footprint and get instant, AI-powered eco tips. Simple logging, precise Swiss design, and tailored advice help users live sustainably worldwide.

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About the Project

What Inspired Me

The inspiration for NovelSync came from seeing how complex and inaccessible most carbon footprint tools are for everyday people. I wanted to create something truly universal, an app that anyone, anywhere, could use right away to measure and understand their impact on the planet. The vision was to blend real environmental science with clear, distraction-free design and the most modern AI tools, so that powerful sustainability insights could be at everyone’s fingertips. The idea really took shape when I realized how much personal motivation comes from clear feedback and simple, actionable advice, not dense numbers. This is the experience NovelSync strives to deliver.

What I Learned

  • Swiss-Style Minimalism Matters: I discovered how impactful a clean layout and focused color palette can be—for both usability and credibility. Keeping things simple avoids cognitive overload, making the information more persuasive and inviting.
  • Region-Adaptive Algorithms: Building formulas that change dynamically based on the user’s country or city taught me a lot about working with global datasets and balancing precision with fallback defaults.
  • AI in Sustainability: Integrating Perplexity AI for personalized green suggestions taught me practical prompt engineering and real-world AI service integration, and how even small AI-powered nudges can change user behavior.
  • User Feedback Loops: I learned the value of instant, clear feedback, whether it’s chart visualizations or AI tips, and how it encourages users to take action.

How I Built NovelSync

  • Design: Started with paper sketches, then converted those to a clean HTML/CSS/Bootstrap front-end focused on green and white tones, with no gradients or emojis anywhere.
  • Backend: Used Python with Flask to handle all logic and calculations, integrating region-based emission factors and safe error handling.
  • AI EcoBot: Connected to Perplexity AI’s API and created prompts for instant, location-aware guidance.
  • APIs: Added OpenWeatherMap for local weather-based nudges and GeoIP for region detection, ensuring carbon calculations and suggestions are always relevant.
  • Visualization: Used Chart.js to create live pie and bar charts that show users exactly which activities create the most emissions.
  • Testing: Prioritized reliability, tested edge cases, failed APIs, and browser differences to make sure the app always responds gracefully.
  • Version Control: Every major feature was committed to GitHub immediately, with strictly descriptive, emoji-free commit messages.
  • Content: Added a sustainability blog and learning hub, making the app a resource for eco-curious users as well as carbon trackers.

Challenges I Faced

  • Balancing Simplicity and Science: Making the carbon models accurate without overwhelming users with detail required a lot of iteration, especially for region-based calculations and unit conversions.
  • API Downtime and Fallbacks: Handling failures in GeoIP or weather APIs pushed me to build smart default logic, so users always see results and never an error message.
  • Design Consistency: Enforcing a strict design language (green/white only, no gradients, no emojis) meant customizing and overriding a lot of CSS defaults.
  • Deployment: Ensuring quick load times and mobile-friendliness took extra work, especially for the chart rendering and reactive layout.
  • AI Prompt Engineering: Getting the EcoBot to consistently provide accurate, site-specific, and actionable tips without being generic took several rounds of prompt testing and refinement.

Built With

  • Languages & Frameworks: Python, Flask, HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript
  • Frontend Libraries: Bootstrap 5, Chart.js
  • APIs: Perplexity AI (for EcoBot, tips & chat), OpenWeatherMap, GeoIP (user location), Carbon Intensity API (by region)
  • Dev Tools: GitHub (strict commit hygiene), Docker (for easy deployment)
  • Content System: Static blogs and tip modules (for easy expansion)
  • Security & Reliability: HTTPS, input validation, modular error handling, regional fallback logic
  • Platform Ready: Renders fast and reliably on desktop and mobile; supports deployment on Heroku, Railway, Render, and similar PaaS.

NovelSync is my vision for accessible, powerful climate action, giving everyone tangible insights and practical next steps, wherever they live.

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