*This is a submission for the MLH x DEV Writing Challenge*
What I Built
During the hackathon, my team and I built EcoSync (name your project here if different), a real-time web application designed to help communities track, report, and gamify local environmental cleanups and recycling efforts.
The idea came from seeing how difficult it is for grassroots environmental groups to coordinate volunteer turnouts and visualize their measurable impact. EcoSync allows users to drop pins on local areas that need attention, join nearby cleanup events, log waste collected, and earn activity badges.
Building it in under 36 hours pushed our limits. We learned how to rapidly design and deploy a full-stack product under pressure, handle state management efficiently in real-time, and balance feature ambition with shipping a functional MVP before the deadline.
Demo
- Live Application: https://ecosync-demo.vercel.app
- GitHub Repository: https://github.com/your-username/ecosync
Here is a quick walkthrough of the core workflow:
- User Dashboard: Displays nearby cleanup initiatives and active community boards.
- Interactive Map: Shows geo-tagged cleanup spots with urgency indicators.
- Impact Tracker: Lets organizers log the weight/volume of waste collected, automatically updating the event leaderboard.
Partner Technologies
To power the app reliably and quickly, we integrated two MLH partner technologies:
1. MongoDB Atlas
We needed a flexible, scalable document database to handle dynamic event locations, volunteer profiles, and status updates. We deployed a managed MongoDB Atlas cluster to store:
- User authentication and badge records
- Dynamic geospatial coordinates for cleanup pins
Using MongoDB’s geospatial queries ($near and $geoWithin), we were able to quickly fetch cleanup tasks within a 5-mile radius of a user’s current coordinates. Atlas made the setup effortless, letting us connect directly through Mongoose without dealing with manual database server maintenance.
2. Twilio (Messaging API)
To keep volunteers updated without requiring them to keep the web app open, we integrated the Twilio SMS API. When an organizer changes an event status or issues an urgent weather alert, registered volunteers receive an instant SMS notification. Setting up the Twilio Node.js SDK took less than an hour, and the documentation made testing edge-case alerts seamless.
Hackathon Experience
I participated in Hack the North (or insert your hackathon's name here), and the energy was electric from start to finish. Collaborating across time zones with teammates who brought distinct skills in UI/UX, backend logic, and system design made the long hours genuinely fun.
The highlight of the event was the late-night debugging session around 3:00 AM—when our API routes were throwing silent CORS errors right before our first planned sleep break. Solving that together over a shared Discord call, finally seeing the live data render on screen, and making the submission minutes before the portal closed is something I won’t forget.
A massive thank you to Major League Hacking (MLH), DEV, and the event mentors for organizing such an inspiring space to build, break, and learn.
Top comments (0)