GREEN TITAN EDUCATOR

ENHANCING CLIMATE CHANGE THROUGH EDUCATION AND AWARENESS

To be the leading one stop learning centre on climate change

DESCRIPTION

GreenCode Titans' educators is a climate change-focused website that offers a one-stop solution for climate education and awareness. Its main features are:

• Climate Projects Showcase: Highlighting practical solutions to combat climate change.
• Reliable Climate News: A machine learning model filters and presents trustworthy climate-related news.
• Carbon Footprint Calculator: Empowering users to measure and reduce their carbon footprint by tracking meals, waste, electricity, and commute.

This project provides actionable information and tools to inspire positive climate action and combat misinformation.

It seeks to foster climate literacy to individuals,communities,Government,Corporations to make informed decisions. It aligns with the mission of the Hack4 Climate hackathon to use technology to address climate change challenges.

Team Members

1. Louis Wambua - Team Lead
2. Emmanuel Njihia
3. Collins Nyaigoti
4. Timothy Wachira
5. Diannah Wangura
6. Alice Wainaina

ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM STATEMENT

Our solution as GreenCode Titans effectively addresses the problem statement of the Hack4 Climate hackathon, which is centered around combating climate change and its implications worldwide. Our solution seeks to address the problem statement via :

1. Education and Awareness: Our website showcases practical projects that can be undertaken to combat climate change. This directly addresses the need for innovative solutions to mitigate and adapt to climate change by providing actionable ideas for individuals and communities. By educating and raising awareness, our project contributes to making climate change less uncertain and more manageable.
2. Reliable Information: Misinformation can be a significant hurdle in addressing climate change effectively. Our machine learning model for climate news ensures that users receive accurate and credible information, countering the problem of unreliable information sources. This helps users make informed decisions and take appropriate climate-conscious actions.
3. Carbon Footprint Reduction: The carbon footprint calculator empowers users to assess and reduce their environmental impact. This directly supports the goal of creating climate-resilient agriculture and transportation by encouraging individuals to adopt more sustainable practices, such as reducing waste and optimizing their daily commute.

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By focusing on education, awareness, and practical tools for carbon footprint reduction, our project aligns with the hackathon objectives of using technology to mitigate and adapt to climate change, especially in areas like agriculture and transportation.

TARGET MARKET

GreenCode Titans' solution has a broad target market as it addresses climate change which is a global issue. Potential target audiences for our solution include:

• General Public: Individuals interested in learning about climate change and taking steps to reduce their environmental impact. our website will be a valuable resource for anyone looking to make more eco-conscious choices. The get involved section in the platform will also enable members of the public to make contributions on how more action can be taken to curb climate change.
• Educational Institutions: Schools and universities can use the platform as an educational resource to teach students about climate change and sustainability as well as collect views from learners and professionals as well.
• Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs): Environmental organizations and NGOs working on climate-related issues can utilize our platform to spread awareness and promote eco-friendly initiatives.
• Government Agencies: Government bodies responsible for climate-related policy and initiatives can find value in our solution for disseminating information and engaging the public in productive surveys and queries.
• Transportation and Mobility Providers: Companies and individuals involved in transportation and mobility can use the carbon footprint calculator and educational content to promote eco-friendly transportation options.
• Climate Change Activists: Individuals and groups actively engaged in climate activism and advocacy can leverage our platform to educate and mobilize their supporters based on the data presented in our website.
• Businesses and Corporations: Companies interested in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainable business practices can encourage their employees to use our platform to reduce their carbon footprint

RELEVANCE OF THE SOLUTION

1. Climate Education and Awareness: Many individuals and communities lack access to reliable information about climate change and its impact on their lives. The platform provides accessible and accurate climate education, making people more aware of the issues at hand. This increased awareness is a crucial step in driving action and behavioral change.
2. Mitigating Misinformation: In the age of digital media, misinformation about climate change is rampant. Our machine learning model that filters and presents trustworthy climate news helps combat this problem. By countering misinformation, our solution contributes to shaping a more informed and engaged public.
3. Practical Solutions: Our project showcase offers actionable projects that people can undertake to combat climate change. This is essential because individuals and communities often struggle with knowing how to contribute effectively. The platform empowers them with practical steps they can take, such as sustainable energy solutions, climate-resilient agriculture practices, and more.
4. Carbon Footprint Reduction: The carbon footprint calculator is a valuable tool for users to understand and measure their environmental impact. By promoting conscious choices in terms of daily meals, waste reduction, electricity consumption, and commute distance, our solution encourages users to reduce carbon footprint, which collectively contributes to a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions.
5. Climate-Resilient Communities: Our emphasis on climate-resilient agriculture and transportation promotes practices that are less vulnerable to the unpredictable impacts of climate change. This can have a long-term effect in building more sustainable and resilient communities in Kenya and beyond.

BUSINESS MARKET FOR SOLUTION

GreenCode Titans' climate-focused website has the potential to generate various business aspects and opportunities. This include:

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1. Content Monetization: We can monetize our website's content through advertising, sponsorships, or premium subscription models. Eco-friendly brands, climate-conscious companies, and environmental organizations may be interested in advertising or partnering with your platform to reach your audience.
2. Consulting and Services: As our platform gains recognition, we can offer consulting and services related to sustainable practices, carbon footprint reduction, and climate-resilient solutions. This will include advising businesses, individuals, or organizations on implementing eco-friendly strategies.
3. Eco-Friendly Products and Merchandise: Create and sell eco-friendly products and merchandise, such as reusable bags, energy-efficient devices, or clothing with sustainable messages. This can be a direct source of revenue and aligns with our mission.
4. Educational Services: Offer workshops, webinars, and courses related to climate change, sustainability, and carbon reduction. This can appeal to educational institutions, businesses, and individuals looking to enhance their knowledge and skills.
5. Collaborations and Partnerships: Seek collaborations and partnerships with environmental organizations, governmental bodies, research institutions, and businesses that share your mission. These partnerships can lead to grant funding, joint projects, and increased visibility
6. Data Sharing and APIs: Offer APIs or data-sharing services to third-party applications, platforms, or research projects that can benefit from your carbon footprint data and climate information.
7. Crowdfunding and Grants: Explore opportunities for crowdfunding and applying for grants from climate-focused foundations, environmental initiatives, or government programs that support tech solutions addressing climate change.

Advantages:

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1. Education and Awareness: Our solution effectively educates and raises awareness about climate change, empowering individuals with knowledge to make informed decisions and take action.
2. Misinformation Mitigation: By filtering and presenting trustworthy climate news, our solution helps combat the spread of misinformation, ensuring users have access to credible information.
3. Carbon Footprint Reduction: The carbon footprint calculator encourages users to measure and reduce their environmental impact, promoting eco-conscious choices and reducing carbon emissions.
4. Community Engagement: Our platform encourages individuals, organizations, and communities to engage in climate initiatives and adopt sustainable practices, fostering a culture of collective action.
5. Partnerships and Collaborations: Collaborating with ecotourism companies, agri-tech businesses, and environmental organizations can lead to mutually beneficial partnerships and monetization opportunities.

Disadvantages:

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1. Data Privacy and Legal Compliance: Handling user data and ensuring compliance with privacy laws and regulations can be complex and require ongoing efforts to protect user information and maintain legal compliance
2. Maintenance and Content Quality: This includes keeping the content up to date and maintaining the machine learning model for news filtering, which can be resource-intensive and requires ongoing attention.
3. Competition: There are many climate-related websites and platforms, so standing out and gaining a user base may be challenging.

Overall System Architecture

The overall website comprises:

1. A backend system built with Python fastAPI framework to scrape news on climate change from news websites and use data science Application Programming Interface from hugging face to classify whether the news is True or Fake. The True news are returned from our fastAPI API response. The API is hosted on Microsoft Azure at:�https://greencodetitans-api.azurewebsites.net/docs �

FastAPI backend

Postman API testing and code generation feature

Postman was used for two main purposes in our @Hack4Climate hackathon group(Green Code Titans):

• Testing API locally and also the deployed API.
• Generating integration code for JavaScript using the Postman code generation feature as shown in below screenshots.

Postman code generation feature – an example of JavaScript Fetch

2. Personal carbon calculator – Our solution also features a personal calculator developed using Python Streamlit to allow the users to be able to calculate their personal carbon footprints.

The calculator was hosted on Microsoft Azure at the following URL and displayed in the frontend s shown in the following screenshots

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https://greencodetitans-carbon-calculator.azurewebsites.net/

Carbon footprint calculator integration on the GreenTitan Educator website

3. Green Titan Educator – Part of our solution was developing a publicly accessible website which focuses on educating and making public awareness on matters centered towards climate change. In the website as seen in below screenshots, are different segments which are:-

• Homepage – Introduces you to what climate change is all about.
• Projects page – projects that people can engage in so as to solve matters climate change.
• News section – The API developed above is used together with JavaScript to fetch news classified as True by the hugging face news classification API. This will reduce on misinformation to the public users.
• Carbon calculator – Here users can calculate their personal carbon emissions in a yearly basis.
• Get involved section – This page has a form connected to a google spreadsheet file and users can make submission if they want to be involved in providing climate change solutions.�

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The Green Titan Educator website is hosted on github pages at the URL:�https://nyaigoti.github.io/Greentitan.github.io/

Some previews of the website are as follows

Conclusion & Remarks

Ours is to thank the #Hack4Climate #Hack4Series team for giving us a chance to showcase our tech skills in helping the world during the difficult times of climate change. As group 8 – Green Code Titans we are truly grateful for that.

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#Hack4Climate #Hack4Series