SustainaChoice

Inspiration

The inspiration came from realizing how much of our individual environmental impact is tied to what we eat, yet most people have no idea how their daily food choices affect the planet. We wanted to create something that makes that impact visible, helping users understand the carbon footprint of their meals and empowering them to make more sustainable food decisions.

What it does

SustainaChoice is a web-based application that calculates the total carbon footprint of a meal by analyzing the CO2-equivalent emissions associated with each food category used in a recipe.

What sets this app apart is its ability to suggest more sustainable alternatives. By analyzing the nutritional profile of each ingredient, it offers eco-friendly substitutions that closely match the original in terms of nutrition but significantly reduce the meal’s overall environmental impact. This helps users reimagine their favorite dishes in a more climate-conscious way without compromising on health or taste.

How we built it

SustainaChoice sources all its data from trusted and credible organizations, including Statistics Canada. A full list of data sources is provided at the end of the write-up for transparency and reference. The application was developed using Python, which was utilized for data cleaning, preprocessing, and overall backend logic. For the front-end interface, the team used the Streamlit API to design an intuitive and user-friendly experience.

Challenges we ran into

Finding the right datasets from reliable sources proved to be one of the main challenges. We explored numerous websites in search of accurate and trustworthy data, with the nutritional information for a wide variety of food items being particularly difficult to obtain.

For the carbon footprint data, we had to combine information from two different sources: a comprehensive study by Poore & Nemecek (2018) and the Cool Food Calculator. Merging and aligning these datasets required careful handling to ensure consistency and accuracy.

As for building the application, it was our first experience using Streamlit to develop a web-based platform. We encountered a learning curve and went through several rounds of trial and error before becoming comfortable with the features and capabilities of the Streamlit API.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re proud to have developed a practical and impactful solution to help address the climate crisis. What makes our solution effective is its accessibility—anyone can use it, and it only requires a small shift in behavior to make a meaningful difference.

We believe SustainaChoice has the potential to especially empower the younger generation. By making informed, sustainable food choices, users can take tangible steps toward reducing their environmental impact. For many, this could be a powerful and approachable first step in the larger fight against climate change.

What we learned

Before diving into our research on the environmental impacts of food production, we were unaware of just how significantly it contributes to global CO2 emissions. Throughout our project, we gained valuable insights into the climate crisis and discovered strategies to help address it from different angles.

On the technical side, we learned how to design and develop a web-based application using Streamlit. One feature we’re particularly proud of is the integration that automatically retrieves the first relevant Google image based on a given query. It was exciting to implement this functionality, and it added a dynamic visual element to enhance the user experience.

Built With

• python
• streamlit