Inspiration
*Note: We applied for a .TECH domain (cestlafood.tech), but never received a coupon or an update. *
Canada, with the US and Mexico, is among the countries with the worst food waste problem in the world. About 400 kg per capita of perfectly edible food is wasted every year in Canada, across the whole supply chain. Through their whole life cycle, all these wasted products produce nearly 193 million tonnes of greenhouse gas; about the equivalent of 41 million cars being driven for a year continuously.
What it does
We wanted to create a simple and streamlined way to connect suppliers and grocery stores with products that would be thrown away, such as aesthetically imperfect fruits, to those in need by simply entering their products in a common database and map. Our impression was that while most food suppliers would want to address this problem, they feel it would be cost them too much ressources or time. By enabling them to enter their details in a short form and let people come to them, we think C'estLaFood will significantly reduce this cost.
How we built it
The page was built with html5, css3 and javascript. We tied in the form with Google sheet in order to keep track of entries, and wanted to link the map to the sheets through latitude and longitude data from Google GeoCoder API. While we were able to write the geocode data into the sheets, we were unable to recover this data into map through markers.
Challenges we ran into
None of us had significant experience in front-end development, and we collectively decided to experiment with it. At first we used LocationIQ and openMap data to do the geocoding, however these ressources proved to be often inaccurate.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Stepping out of our comfort zone, all three of us.
What we learned
A lot! Front-end dev and Google Maps API mainly.
What's next for C'estLaFood
Ultimately, C'estLaFood would be more convenient as an app, where pictures may be uploaded, past donations may be evaluated by other users and a large database provide anybody in need with some food.
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