EcoTrace-Journey-for-Good

AI-powered travel companion that helps reduce your carbon footprint with intelligent insights, eco-friendly routes—making every journey a step toward a sustainable future.

Comment

Inspiration

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of our time. With transportation being a major contributor to global CO₂ emissions, we were inspired to create a tool that empowers individuals to make informed, eco-conscious travel decisions. We wanted to turn everyday journeys into meaningful opportunities for positive impact—powered by AI, made simple for everyone.

What it does

EcoTrace is an AI-powered web app that helps users log their daily travel, calculate carbon emissions in real-time, and receive personalized, low-emission route suggestions. It includes gamified challenges, team collaboration, interactive footprint mapping, and AI-generated summaries to keep users engaged and environmentally aware.

How we built it

We built EcoTrace using:

  • Next.js (App Router) and React for the frontend framework
  • Tailwind CSS and ShadCN UI for modern styling and component design
  • MongoDB with Mongoose for efficient data storage
  • NextAuth.js for secure authentication (email, Google)
  • Google Genkit to generate AI-powered journey summaries and insights
  • Google Maps API for route visualization and geo-location features

Challenges we ran into

  • Accurate Emission Calculation: Designing a flexible yet accurate CO₂ calculator for various transport types and travel patterns.
  • AI Personalization: Integrating Genkit to generate meaningful, context-aware eco-summaries was both exciting and complex.
  • Data Visualization: Creating an interactive and intuitive footprint heatmap required careful tuning of performance and UX.
  • Team Collaboration Features: Managing real-time team scores, achievements, and syncing state across users introduced backend and UI challenges.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Seamlessly integrating AI to personalize user journeys and boost environmental awareness.
  • Developing a carbon tracking engine that is both easy to use and scientifically grounded.
  • Building a community-driven platform that motivates users through challenges and shared progress.
  • Delivering a clean, responsive, and fully functional MVP within our timeline.

What we learned

  • How to effectively use Google Genkit to enhance user engagement with AI-powered features.
  • The power of combining gamification and environmental data to drive user behavior.
  • Practical challenges in working with mapping APIs, carbon databases, and building real-time experiences in Next.js.
  • User feedback matters—small UX tweaks made a big difference in engagement.

What's next for EcoTrace-Journey-for-Good

  • Mobile App Launch: Build a PWA or native mobile app for on-the-go journey tracking.
  • Public Transit API Integration: Offer smarter suggestions that prioritize public transport and biking options.
  • Carbon Offset Marketplace: Let users contribute directly to reforestation and carbon offset projects.
  • Corporate Dashboards: Help companies engage employees in eco-friendly commuting and visualize company-wide impact.
  • AI Eco-Advisor: Introduce a more proactive AI assistant to guide users on sustainable lifestyle changes.

Built With

  • ask
  • bcryptjs
  • clsx
  • date-fns
  • embla-carousel
  • eslint
  • firebase
  • genkit-ai
  • google-genkit
  • google-maps
  • jest
  • jsdom.
  • lucide-icons
  • marked
  • mongodb
  • mongoose
  • next.js-15
  • nextauth.js-v5
  • patch-package
  • radix-ui
  • react-19
  • react-hook-form
  • recharts
  • shadcn-ui
  • tailwind-css
  • tailwind-merge
  • tailwindcss-animate
  • testing-library
  • typescript
  • zod
Share this project:

Updates