Refresh - Grocery App

https://bit.ly/3qGemZt

What is the problem your solution addresses?

Many people don’t think about their choices when grocery shopping as it doesn't directly impact the environment. Food production uses 25% of all freshwater, requires 80 million acres of farmland, and accounts for 13% of total carbon emissions. There is a significant amount of greenhouse emissions regarding agriculture, shipping, and food processing and storage. Consumers are uninformed of the life-cycle analysis of food, therefore, not shopping locally and purchasing when produce is not in season. A lack of planning when buying food leads to unnecessary spending, overproduction of goods, and food waste. These small actions contribute to the overall carbon footprint consequently accelerating climate change. There is a loss in biodiversity as habitats are used for excessive waste in landfills. Eliminating food waste and shopping sustainably is key to making an impact in the aspects of water, air, climate, and wildlife.

Why did you pick this solution, and how does it address the problem?

After brainstorming multiple solutions to the problems we identified in our discovery, we recognized that we could reach the greatest amount of people by accompanying them as they plan and shop for the food they will eat. We picked this solution to educate the community on seasonal fruits and vegetables, encouraging shoppers to buy foods locally grown to result in a decrease in fossil fuels. With easy access to local farmers markets near the user, shoppers will have fresher food that wasn’t harvested while vastly underripe and higher nutrition. By providing our users with a one-stop grocery management app, we are empowering them to tackle sustainability with their choices throughout their shopping journey. Refresh users will be able to shop local to reduce transportation emissions, eat seasonally to honor the limits of our natural land, and to plan their shopping trips to curb food waste.