Sustainify

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  The Sustainify Logo

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  The Sustainify Banner

Inspiration

We were inspired by seeing the people around us repeatedly dispose of recyclable or compostable materials in the garbage, not bothering to figure out how the material should be properly disposed of. Today, what better way to spread information than the internet? So we put our heads together and utilized our coding skills to create the web app Sustainify. Then, we realized we could extend this idea towards companies, encouraging them to use more sustainable materials with just a free, quick, and easy search. Our hope is for Sustainify to encourage a brighter future in the usage of sustainable materials.

What it does

Sustainify is a simple web app which allows users to sign up for an account and then use their account to search for specific materials. If the material is available through Edmonton Open Data's Waste Recycling Material List, whether or not the material is considered sustainable (reusable, recyclable or compostable) and methods for proper disposal will be displayed to the user. Sustainability is a project that we all have to tackle together, so the design is made to be simple to lower the barrier to entry and allow even those who aren't well versed in technology to utilize our app.

How we built it

This app was created using HTML for the frontend look and feel of the app, python for the backend searching functionality implementing the Waste Recycling Material List API available from Edmonton Open Data (https://data.edmonton.ca/Environmental-Services/Waste-Recycling-Material-List/gtej-pcij) as well as Flask to link our frontend and backend operations.

Challenges we ran into

This was our team's first time using HTML as well as Flask. There was lots of learning involved to utilize these in the development of our project. One of the larger concerns we had was linking our frontend and backend and allowing the two to interact together. However, we pushed through, with the help of the mentors.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We're so glad to be finished on time! As we struggled to connect the backend and frontend, the fact that it all works cohesively now makes us very proud of our work.

What we learned

We learned a great deal about working with flask and HTML. We also learned about working together in a team, communicating our ideas and dividing the work to create a successful project.

What's next for Sustainify

Sustainify can continue to grow, first of all, by developing a database to store user accounts and allow users to access accounts they've already made. Furthermore, we would improve Sustainify by implementing more features to promote sustainability; a channel for users to communicate with companies about their sustainability practices, promotion of companies and local businesses with a focus on sustainable material use, informing users of local disposal facilities when they search for materials, including more information about materials so that we can show companies similar yet more sustainable materials than those they are currently using.

Built With

• city-of-edmonton-open-data-catalogue
• flask
• html
• python