The latest articles on DEV Community by Andy Aguirre (@andyagp). https://dev.to/andyagp https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3886754%2Fefd85ddc-9186-4894-b391-3db532c92c79.jpg https://dev.to/andyagp en Andy Aguirre Mon, 20 Apr 2026 02:40:15 +0000 https://dev.to/andyagp/i-built-an-ai-powered-eco-impact-calculator-for-my-university-82p https://dev.to/andyagp/i-built-an-ai-powered-eco-impact-calculator-for-my-university-82p <p><em>This is a submission for the <a href="https://dev.to/challenges/weekend-2026-04-16">Weekend Challenge: Earth Day Edition</a></em></p> <h2> What I Built </h2> <p>EcoScore AI is a web application that evaluates your environmental impact in seconds and provides recommendations to improve your sustainability habits.</p> <p>The goal is not just to calculate a score, but to <strong>understand real environmental behavior</strong>.</p> <h2> Demo </h2> <p>🔗 Live Demo: <a href="https://eco-score-frontend.vercel.app/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://eco-score-frontend.vercel.app/</a></p> <h2> Code </h2> <p>🔗 GitHub Repository: <a href="https://github.com/Andyx1923/eco-score-ai" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://github.com/Andyx1923/eco-score-ai</a></p> <h2> How I Built It </h2> <h3> 🛠️ Stack </h3> <ul> <li>Frontend: Angular</li> <li>Backend: Node.js + Express</li> <li>Database: MongoDB Atlas</li> <li>AI: Google Gemini API (planned full integration)</li> <li>Deployment: Vercel (frontend) + Render (backend)</li> </ul> <h3> ⚙️ Architecture </h3> <div class="highlight js-code-highlight"> <pre class="highlight plaintext"><code>Angular → Express API → MongoDB → AI (Gemini) </code></pre> </div> <h3> 🔄 Flow </h3> <ol> <li>User selects:</li> </ol> <ul> <li>Transport type</li> <li>Plastic usage</li> <li>Energy consumption</li> </ul> <ol> <li><p>Data is sent to backend</p></li> <li><p>Backend:</p></li> </ol> <ul> <li>Calculates EcoScore</li> <li>Stores aggregated data</li> <li>(Planned) Sends data to Gemini for personalized insights</li> </ul> <h3> 🚧 Challenges </h3> <ul> <li>MongoDB authentication errors</li> <li>Deployment issues (Vercel 404 routing)</li> <li>CORS problems between frontend and backend</li> <li>Environment configuration (dev vs production)</li> <li>API integration debugging</li> </ul> <p>These issues helped me understand real-world full-stack development.</p> <h2> 🌍 Real-World Impact Vision </h2> <p>This project is designed to go beyond a demo.</p> <p>My goal is to implement EcoScore AI at the<br> <strong>Technical University of Machala (UTMACH)</strong>.</p> <p>By collecting anonymous responses, we can:</p> <ul> <li>Measure environmental habits of students</li> <li>Analyze sustainability trends</li> <li>Generate real data insights</li> </ul> <h2> 📊 Why This Matters </h2> <p>With enough data, we can answer:</p> <ul> <li>How sustainable is our university community?</li> <li>What habits need improvement?</li> <li>Where should we take action?</li> </ul> <p>This could help drive initiatives like:</p> <ul> <li>Tree planting 🌳</li> <li>Sustainable transport campaigns 🚲</li> <li>Plastic reduction programs ♻️</li> </ul> <h2> 🤖 AI Vision </h2> <p>Currently, recommendations are basic.</p> <p>The next step is to fully integrate <strong>Google Gemini</strong> to:</p> <ul> <li>Generate personalized sustainability advice</li> <li>Replace static messages with dynamic insights</li> <li>Adapt recommendations based on behavior</li> </ul> <h2> 🔮 Future Improvements </h2> <ul> <li>User authentication</li> <li>Historical tracking</li> <li>Analytics dashboard</li> <li>Full AI integration</li> <li>University-level deployment</li> </ul> <h2> 🏷️ Prize Categories </h2> <p>This project aims to qualify for:</p> <p>👉 Best Use of Google Gemini</p> <h2> 🧠 Final Thoughts </h2> <p>This started as a simple Earth Day project.</p> <p>But it evolved into something bigger:</p> <p>A tool that could help a real community understand and improve its environmental impact.</p> <p>And that’s the kind of software I want to build.</p> devchallenge weekendchallenge ai webdev