RecyClique
Mission Statement
The problems of plastic and carbon pollution, global warming and tons of waste, impact all our lives on Earth. As young people, we fear for our future, daily. At Recycliqe we believe it’s time for us to unite and to execute our efforts of becoming more self-sustainable, lessening the demand for the ever-increasing over-production of goods. Recyclique tackles the lack of awareness around recycling and other environmental issues. We aim to empower users all over New York City to participate in recycling events, and we hope to foster a sense of dedication to a more eco-conscious lifestyle.
Who We Serve
We aim to serve youth, as well as all individuals between young adults and the working class, who are environmentally conscious, eco-friendly, or aspire to be more so who live in any of the five boroughs of NYC. Our target audience includes academics, activists, and anyone who wants to make a positive impact on the environment, while connecting with their community in a fun way.
Product Overview
Our application RecyClique is a platform dedicated to fostering environmental activism through recycling-focused events. It empowers users to create or join events centered around recycling like clothing and item exchange or clean-ups, where participants come together to make a positive impact on the environment. By organizing or participating in these events, users earn special badges that showcase their commitment to sustainability on their profile page. We plan on keeping our users engaged through the events that bring them together with their community by giving a virtual incentive to revisit us such as badges or updates to their user experience. Some of the recycling themed events our users can join are organized clean ups, clothing swaps, furniture give-aways, and more. Through resource sharing, information dissemination and community building, our app empowers users to make a difference and contribute to a cleaner and greener world. They are also able to browse the newest articles on global warming and the environment, as well as stay on top of the news in regards to what they can do to further their environmental activism.
Summary
The problem of plastic and carbon pollution, coupled with global warming, dirty oceans, tons of waste in landfills, and other crises, all impact life on Earth. This directly affects humans by compromising air quality, degrading ecosystems, and disrupting the delicate balance of our planet, leading to adverse health effects, loss of biodiversity, and increased vulnerability to extreme weather events. The Emissions Gap Report (EGR) 2020 finds that, despite a brief dip in carbon dioxide emissions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the world is still heading for a temperature rise in excess of 3°C this century – far beyond the Paris Agreement goals of limiting global warming to well below 2°C and pursuing 1.5°C.
The Problem
The problem we aim to address is the widespread ignorance and lack of awareness regarding climate change, pollution, and the detrimental impact of industries such as the oil and gas, fish, meat, and dairy industries. This problem is prevalent in our communities and is often perpetuated by those who benefit from the public's lack of knowledge. New York is a city with millions of people, not enough space, and too much garbage. This is a problem that can only be solved by communities coming together to do their part in keeping our city clean. We want people to reduce, reuse and recycle by making work fun. Young people often enjoy doing things with their friends and they can do this with the help of our platform by having a place where they can exchange items, get rid of trash, or join a group clean-up.
Solution
Recycliqe is a platform that tackles the challenges of limited community engagement and lack of awareness around recycling and environmental issues. It provides a user-friendly interface where individuals can connect, organize, and participate in recycling events while earning badges as a testament to their dedication. With educational resources, a curated news feed, Recycliqe empowers users to make a positive impact, fostering a sense of community and promoting sustainable practices for a brighter future.
User Story
- As a new user, they should be able to access the landing page of the app.
- As a new user, they should have the option to log in or sign up for an account.
- Once logged in, they can maintain their dashboard that displays the events they have joined and created, including current and past events.
- The app should provide a navbar with dedicated buttons for events, the news feed, and their dashboard.
- Clicking on the events button should redirect them to the events page, where they can browse upcoming events, and have an option of creating one.
- They should have the ability to create a new event by providing relevant details such as the event organizer, borough, type, date, time and location, image, as well as a ‘Learn More’ button and would describe the event in greater detail. The event is removed from the browsing page once the date expires.
- Users can choose the option of creating several different event types, as well as creating their own. Three types would include Cleanups and Exchanges, or other.
- After creating or joining an event, the app should save this information in their personal dashboard for future reference.
- They should be able to update or cancel their participation in an event, and it will be removed from their Dashboard.
- When visiting the News Feed, they should have the option of viewing different media outlets and browsing various articles on the topic of environmentalism.
Key Technical Challenges
- Data Integration: Integrating and aggregating data from various sources, such as recycling centers, environmental news platforms, and policy databases, to provide accurate and up-to-date information to users.
EPA Envirofacts API and OpenAQ API: These APIs can provide environmental data that could be relevant for your users. For example, they could be used to inform users about the air quality in the area where an event is taking place.
Earth911 Search API: This API provides information about recycling centers. This could potentially be used to help users find nearby recycling centers or to provide information about recycling options for different types of materials.
GNews API and ContextualWeb News API: These APIs can be used to provide news articles related to environmental topics. This aligns with your goal of informing users about environmental issues and what they can do to help.
OpenWeatherMap API: Weather data could be relevant for planning or participating in outdoor events, which seems to be a significant part of your app's functionality. EPA Envirofacts Data Service API: Envirofacts provides a single point of access to U.S. EPA environmental data contained in U.S. EPA databases.
- A possible challenge can be developing a robust ranking system that accurately credits users, measures their performance, and rewards them based on fair rules. The critical aspect lies in ensuring the algorithm's reliability, impartiality, and consistent application to all users to maintain a sense of fairness. This requires meticulous development and testing to establish a ranking system that accurately assesses user contributions, avoids biases, and guarantees equitable rewards for everyone involved.
Extension Opportunities
Gamification: Introducing gamification elements, such as challenges, badges, and rewards, to incentivize users to engage more actively in environmental initiatives/events and recycling efforts.
Partnerships with Businesses: Collaborating with local businesses and organizations to promote sustainable practices, offer exclusive discounts on eco-friendly products, and facilitate product exchange programs within communities.
Sources
United Nations Environment Programme. (2020). Emissions Gap Report 2020 https://www.unep.org/emissions-gap-report-2020 Environmental Protection Agency. (2020). Climate Change Indicators in the United States https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators World Wildlife Fund. (2021). Plastic Pollution https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/plastic-pollution
Technologies
RecyClique ERD
