ClimatePro

ClimatePro is an iOS app that helps users reduce their carbon footprint through bite-sized lessons, AI insights, and smart waste sorting tools that turn sustainability into daily action.

Comment

Inspiration

We began by brainstorming major global issues on a whiteboard in a classroom at the Laurier Science Building. As our ideas developed, many of them began to overlap around a central theme: climate change.

This led us to a key question:

How can we take multiple meaningful ideas and combine them into one practical solution?

From that point, ClimatePro was created.

The name ClimatePro reflects the idea of building an all-in-one solution. The term “Pro” represents completeness and capability, similar to other applications that aim to cover an entire category under one platform.

Our inspiration came from recognizing real-world gaps:

  • Carbon emissions continue to rise
  • Many people still struggle with proper waste sorting
  • Sustainable habits are often difficult to maintain without guidance

We wanted to create a tool that helps users move from awareness to action.

What it does

ClimatePro is an iOS application designed to help users reduce their environmental impact through a combination of education, tools, and intelligent feedback.

The application includes:

  • Short-form educational video content
  • Waste sorting assistance
  • AI-powered sustainability insights
  • A structured, user-friendly interface for learning and engagement

The goal is to make sustainability more accessible and easier to integrate into everyday life.

How we built it

The project was developed using the following technologies:

  • Swift (UIKit) for iOS development
  • Xcode 26 targeting iOS 26.4
  • AVKit and AVFoundation for video playback
  • OpenAI API for AI-generated responses

The architecture follows a controller-based UIKit structure, separating concerns across views, controllers, models, and services.

The user interface, branding, and visual design — including the logo and colour scheme — were developed collaboratively, with strong design direction from Olivia Brozy.

I was also able to build this project using the Swift and Xcode foundation I gained through the Develop the Future program hosted by the Career Education Council in 2023.

Challenges we ran into

One of the biggest challenges was dealing with real-world development constraints during the hackathon.

Large file limitations

GitHub enforces a 100 MB file size limit. Several of our video files exceeded that limit, which prevented them from being included in the repository.

As a result:

  • Video assets are not included in the GitHub repository
  • The app requires local video files to fully run as intended

API key restrictions

GitHub push protection flagged the OpenAI API key as a secret and blocked commits.

To resolve this:

  • The API key was removed from the repository
  • Anyone running the project must insert their own API key into the appropriate service file

Time constraints

Balancing multiple features within a limited hackathon timeframe required prioritization. We focused on delivering a working prototype that demonstrates the core concept rather than a fully scaled production build.

What we learned

This project helped us build technical and problem-solving skills in several areas:

  • Structuring a multi-feature iOS app
  • Working with APIs inside a mobile application
  • Managing GitHub limitations and repository cleanup
  • Debugging UIKit layout and navigation issues
  • Thinking about how to package a real project for judges and deployment

We also learned how important it is to balance ambition with time, especially in a hackathon setting.

Important repository notes

Because of GitHub restrictions, this repository does not include:

  • The original .mp4 lesson files
  • The real OpenAI API key

These were intentionally removed so the repository could be pushed successfully and remain compliant with GitHub’s file size and secret protection rules.

Future improvements

If development continued, the next steps would include:

  • Moving lesson videos to cloud-based hosting or streaming
  • Replacing local API key handling with a more secure setup
  • Expanding the educational and AI-guided features
  • Adding more user progress tracking and long-term engagement systems
  • Countless bug fixes

Conclusion

ClimatePro is our attempt to address a major global issue by making sustainability more practical, understandable, and actionable at the individual level.

Rather than overwhelming users, the app focuses on helping people take smaller, more realistic steps toward better environmental habits.

Built With

Share this project:

Updates