I Honestly Just Want Some Fresh Air (.org)

Improving air quality and air quality monitoring for those who need it most

Inspiration

Our initial plan was a lot simpler than what we ended up making - a Snapchat filter that hooked into existing air quality data in order to tell you what the air quality in your area was, list the negative health effects caused by poor air quality, explain where this air pollution comes from, and give you an easy way to contact your local representative. However, as we gathered the data needed to provide air quality information in our Snapchat filter, we realized that the air quality monitoring system currently put in place by the EPA is woefully inadequate for our country's public health needs. Thus, we decided to pivot our scope and lay the groundwork for a charitable business venture. Our two main goals: Providing a free source of indoor air quality improvement, and setting up a crowdsourced air quality monitoring network.

What it does

Our product is a 2 in 1 business plan and public awareness campaign. We will first raise awareness of poor air quality through social media marketing, with emphasis placed on a snapchat filter due to how effectively that reaches our target audience. This will be designed to raise awareness of the social media marketing campaign that will direct people towards our website, IHonestlyJustWantSomeFreshAir.org. Here, we deliver free seeds to a demographic most afflicted by indoor air pollution - young, stay at home mothers in the low-income areas (and their small children!). We also provide personal indoor air quality monitoring devices for an affordable price, and outdoor air quality monitors for a larger price. This is designed so people in all socio-economic brackets can benefit from our products. The outdoor air quality monitors sold will be added to a network of air quality monitoring devices in order to provide a more detailed air quality report, and proceeds from all products sold will go towards the construction of air quality monitoring stations in areas that need it the most (low-income areas, areas with high prevalence of respiratory disorders).

How they built it

The business plan was outlined in a powerpoint, our website was designed on Wix, and our snapchat filter was built using canvas.

Challenges they ran into

None of us were experienced in the traditional hackathon disciplines, so we needed to come up with a relatively low tech solution to a high tech problem, using tools such as social engineering to change public attitudes and raise awareness. We also had to pivot the scope of our project about halfway through the timeframe of the event, but that ended up taking us in a direction that we were much happier with overall. We also planned to have the snapchat filter live for the event, however, due to the time frame of the event, the hackathon would be over by the time snapchat approved the filter.

Accomplishments they are proud of

Everything!

What they learned

Jay: Not every problem requires a tech-based solution! This primarily involves greater data collection through already-established sources with only minimal tech.

What’s next?

We would need to approach sponsors such as the clean air fund in order to secure startup funds for our initial shipment of seed packets. We would then hopefully partner with local organizations such as the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden to improve seed distribution and public outreach. Before we do either of those things though, we would need to purchase the premium version of Wix so we can link our website to our domain name (IHonestlyJustWantSomeFreshAir.org) :o)

Built with:

• Adobe Illustrator

• Powerpoint

• Snapchat

• Wix

Try it out:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1qR5m2ESzyDBWzaq2-OY5hXx0zz7FdPK_ncg1JCoLOI8/edit

https://savvylee53.wixsite.com/seeds-in-need

Devpost Link:

https://devpost.com/software/seeds-in-need