The latest articles on DEV Community by Vanshika Kapoor (@vanshika_kapoor_4d608ca34). https://dev.to/vanshika_kapoor_4d608ca34 https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F4170808%2F7c3e33fc-8698-4844-841c-ef9975efb84f.png https://dev.to/vanshika_kapoor_4d608ca34 en Vanshika Kapoor Sat, 10 Oct 2026 17:07:11 +0000 https://dev.to/vanshika_kapoor_4d608ca34/meet-greenbuddy-your-ai-companion-for-getting-outside-4k80 https://dev.to/vanshika_kapoor_4d608ca34/meet-greenbuddy-your-ai-companion-for-getting-outside-4k80 <h1> 🌱 Meet GreenBuddy: Your AI Companion for Getting Outside </h1> <p>What if AI could help us spend less time on screens and more time exploring the world around us?</p> <p>That's the idea behind <strong>GreenBuddy</strong>, a project I'm building for the Hacktoberfest 2026 “Touch Grass” challenge.</p> <p>As a student exploring web development and AI, I wanted to create something that combines technology with a simple, positive real-world habit: caring for our planet and spending more time outdoors.</p> <h2> 🌿 What is GreenBuddy? </h2> <p>GreenBuddy is an AI-powered environmental companion designed to encourage people to take small steps toward a greener lifestyle.</p> <p>Instead of using AI only to answer everyday questions, GreenBuddy focuses on environmental awareness and practical actions people can take in their daily lives.</p> <h2> ✨ What can you do with GreenBuddy? </h2> <ul> <li> <strong>Ask GreenBuddy:</strong> Get AI-powered suggestions for reducing waste and making more environmentally friendly choices.</li> <li> <strong>Check My Waste:</strong> Ask about an item, such as a banana peel, to get guidance on how to handle or dispose of it.</li> <li> <strong>Explore outdoor activities:</strong> Choose your available time and mood to help make getting outside easier.</li> </ul> <h2> 🤖 How I built it </h2> <p>GreenBuddy uses:</p> <ul> <li>HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for the frontend</li> <li>Node.js and Express for the backend</li> <li>Google's Gemma model through a hosted AI API for the live demo</li> <li>Render for deployment</li> </ul> <p>One of the important parts of this project was getting the AI features to work on a publicly accessible website, rather than only on my local computer.</p> <p>I also learned how important it is to keep API keys in environment variables instead of exposing them in public source code.</p> <h2> 🌍 Why Open Innovation Matters </h2> <p>GreenBuddy uses Google's open-weight Gemma model, which gives developers more flexibility to build AI-powered applications and explore how AI can support real-world needs.</p> <p>For this project, I first experimented with Gemma locally through Ollama and later connected the deployed version to a hosted AI API so people could try it online.</p> <p>This taught me that open-weight AI gives developers different ways to experiment, learn, and deploy their ideas. It also makes it easier to explore different setups depending on the project's needs.</p> <p>My goal is to use AI as a helpful starting point for real-world action—not as another reason to stay on a screen.</p> <h2> 💚 Why this project matters to me </h2> <p>I believe technology can be useful beyond our screens. It can help us learn, build awareness, and take small actions in the real world.</p> <p>GreenBuddy is a learning journey for me. I'm still improving my development skills, and building this project has helped me understand how frontend code, backend APIs, AI, and deployment work together.</p> <p>My goal is to make environmental action feel simple, approachable, and achievable.</p> <h2> 🚀 Try GreenBuddy </h2> <p>🌐 <strong>Live Demo:</strong> <a href="https://greenbuddy-suus.onrender.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://greenbuddy-suus.onrender.com</a></p> <p>💻 <strong>GitHub Repository:</strong> <a href="https://github.com/Vanshi23-del/greenbuddy" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://github.com/Vanshi23-del/greenbuddy</a></p> <p>I'd love to hear your suggestions! What feature would you add to help people spend more time outdoors and make greener choices?</p> <h1> devchallenges #hf26challenge #webdev #opensource </h1> devchallenge hf26challenge