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CafeSustain Logo
Inspiration
As students, we spend a lot of time studying, socializing, and relaxing in local coffee shops. These places are at the heart of our campus communities. However, we noticed that many coffee shops may not be fully aware of the impact they have on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. This inspired us to create CafeSustain, a platform that helps coffee shops adopt more sustainable practices and empowers students to make informed choices.
What it does
CafeSustain provides an ESG rating system for coffee shops near George Mason University. Users can search for local coffee shops, view their profiles, and see how they score in three key areas:
Environmental Impact: Evaluating waste management, energy use, and eco-friendly products. Social Responsibility: Assessing employee diversity, community engagement, and charitable initiatives. Governance: Understanding transparency, sourcing practices, and business ethics. Additionally, we offer a partnership program for coffee shop owners looking to improve their ESG ratings, and a feedback system for students to share their thoughts on sustainability.
How we built it
We used React to create a dynamic, user-friendly interface that features:
A search bar to find specific coffee shops and view their ESG profiles. A dedicated page displaying all coffee shops with their ratings and brief descriptions. Interactive forms for coffee shop owners to join the partnership program and for students to submit feedback. ESG education materials to inform users about the importance of sustainability in the coffee industry.
Challenges we ran into
One of the biggest challenges was implementing the search functionality to display relevant coffee shop profiles dynamically. We also faced some obstacles while designing a meaningful yet simple ESG rating system that is informative for both coffee shop owners and users. Ensuring that the interface remained responsive across different screen sizes also required careful attention to detail.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We are proud of building a platform that bridges the gap between coffee shop owners and students, creating a shared space for sustainability. Our real-time search functionality and interactive feedback system add to the user experience, and we’re excited to see how it can encourage positive changes in local businesses.
What we learned
We learned a lot about the challenges small businesses face when trying to adopt sustainable practices. Building an ESG rating system required us to dive into understanding the core elements of environmental and social responsibility. We also sharpened our skills in React and learned how to integrate various components smoothly into a cohesive web application.
What's next for CafeSustain
We plan to expand CafeSustain by:
Adding more coffee shops to our system, allowing users to explore a wider range of options. Improving our ESG scoring algorithm to provide deeper insights and more personalized recommendations. Building partnerships with local organizations that can help coffee shops implement better sustainability practices. Enhancing the student feedback system to create an even more interactive community.
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