Inspiration
Working in corporate event planning, I saw firsthand how events contribute to carbon emissions—food waste, travel, single-use plastics. Frustrated by the lack of centralized tools to make events sustainable, I set out to build GreenMeeting Planner: a platform that makes eco-friendly event planning accessible, not just a "nice-to-have."
What it does
GreenMeeting Planner is a cloud-based SaaS platform for event planners to source sustainable venues/vendors, calculate real-time carbon footprints across catering/travel/waste, purchase verified carbon offset packages, and generate professional ESG-aligned sustainability reports.
How we built it
We started with core user flows (event creation, carbon calculation) and built the frontend in React for a seamless UI. The backend uses Node.js on AWS, with PostgreSQL to store event/vendor/venue data. We integrated AI for vendor matching, Google OAuth for authentication, and Stripe for secure offset purchases.
Challenges we ran into
The biggest hurdle was refining the carbon calculation logic—ensuring accuracy across varying event types (summits, dinners) and regional emission factors. We also struggled with vetting sustainable vendors to ensure their credentials were legitimate, requiring manual validation and API integrations with sustainability certification databases.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We created a real-time carbon calculator that updates as users input event details, plus a vendor matching system that prioritizes local, eco-certified businesses. Most importantly, the ESG report feature has been adopted by mid-sized enterprises to meet their sustainability compliance goals.
What we learned
I deepened my understanding of carbon accounting methodologies and ESG reporting standards. I also learned the value of user-centric design—iterating the platform based on feedback from event planners to simplify complex sustainability workflows.
What's next for this project
We plan to add regional emission factor customization (tailored to EU/US regulations), integrate with corporate travel tools to auto-calculate attendee travel emissions, and expand the vendor database to include more niche sustainable services (eco-friendly AV equipment, zero-waste cleaning).
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