terraberry - Defend the Earth

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What would you do if you knew how your everyday purchases affected the health of our planet?

We've created terraberry so that with a simple bar code scan consumers can determine whether materials harmful to the environment are present in a product, enabling people to defend the health of the Earth one conscientious decision at a time.

Problem:

Human-powered destruction of the Earth will continue to ravage our planet -- unless we play an active role in halting it. Substances such as silicates and palm oil are damaging to ecological systems, affecting habitats of endangered species as well as contributing in the decline of air and water quality across the globe. We want to enable people to make better choices conveniently and conscientiously in their daily lives to promote a healthier Earth.

Solution:

Our project enables citizens to use their smartphones when making a purchase to determine whether harmful materials are present in a product. Users can then make informed choices about the products they are buying--with EVERY purchase, EVERY day--while educating themselves about the devastating effects of materials like palm oil, silicates, and triclosan on the well-being of the Earth.

While in a store, a user can whip out their phone, scan an item they are interested in purchasing, and terraberry informs the user whether palm oil, silicates, triclosan or other environmentally harmful ingredients are present in the item. We also incorporate an informative component to educate users on the world-wide effects of these damaging materials. Our product will foster awareness and grant consumers the opportunity to make a conscientious choice about how their purchases affect the environment.

What if everyone could make mindful, sustainable purchasing decisions? Imagine the power we would have to change the world together, for the better.

The following websites and databases were used in this project:
http://developer.android.com/tools/studio/index.html
https://github.com/zxing/zxing
http://www.ewg.org/
https://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov
http://www.upcitemdb.com
https://worldview.earthdata.nasa.gov
http://www.worldwildlife.org
http://www.fda.gov

To see more, head over to our new website or GitHub page!
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