Whether you’re team Android or Team Apple, what matters is that we all enjoy our smartphones. Thanks to all the wonderful developers who constantly churn out dozens of variously-purposed apps every day, we’re more connected and updated than ever before, more amused and amazed too, and not to mention more organized and productive. There’s hardly an aspect of life not facilitated by an app.
Android hugs a tree. What's stopping you? (Image from TheEnvironmentalBlog.org)
The other day I was browsing new apps to install in my dinky phone when I stumbled upon this: an app that conveniently changes the traffic light from red to green via an infrared transmitter. Those guys think of everything.
Now, there’s a panic button app too that lets families and loved ones know you just got arrested in the (a must-have for activists and demonstrators). And there’s even an app that can measure height and distance just by pointing your camera at the object in question using good ol’ trigonometry. Of course, you’re still pondering the traffic light changer, right?
But I digress.
What I really mean to say is that there are eco apps for your smartphone too. Yes, eco apps. Or green apps. They may not be as breathtakingly intense like Temple Run or quirkily fun like Pixlr-o-matic, but in their own little way they help us users do our part in greening our lifestyles for the environment.
Green Zone
You know how in FourSquare you announce to the world what posh hotel you’re currently staying in. In Green Zone, you do a similar reporting of your exact location but you also make it known to everyone the environmental health of that area, the degree of pollution or purity, that sort of thing.
Carbon Footprint
Some apps let you count calories burnt. These eco apps for a change let you count your carbon footprint by quizzing you about your lifestyle and choices. (Be honest!) Then you can proceed to make the necessary adjustments for a cleaner, greener living.
- My Planet
- Carbon Footprint Calculator
- Green Footprint Calculator
Teradesk
Go absolutely paperless in the office with Teradesk’s nifty file manager that lets users remote search access files, and share them through bluetooth. You can pause a download and then resume where it left off. And of course, Teradesk comes with its very own secure cloud disk as well.
Simple Green Smoothies
Vegans and health buffs can concoct a decent smoothie with just about anything at hand. But what about the relatively clueless? This free eco app from Tommy Tessandori comes to the rescue with its yummy array of smoothies with simple, fail-safe recipes and instructions via videos (There’s an entire section presented by kids no less!) And because it’s a green smoothie, you can be sure each gulp is a healthy one.
Note to self: Try an eco app today.
Carbon 3R – Sustainable Lifestyle
Many people still don’t know the 3 R’s, much less in what order they should be. (For the record, it’s 1. Reduce, 2. Reuse, and 3. Recycle, in that order of importance.) Carbon 3R offers eco-friendly tips for each R (No pictures though, it’s all text), and takes the guesswork out of what to recycle, what to compost and what to never let reach a landfill—different waste materials are listed under respective headings. For good measure, the app lets you in on a green news feed too that includes Treehugger, Yahoo Green, and NYT Green Living
Treehugger
This is Treehugger’s official eco app that lets you catch up on the latest green news and trends, reviews of green products, and practically anything of interest to sustainable living.
USGBC App Lab (http://new.usgbc.name/apps/)
USGBC’s catalog of seven third-party apps is designed to integrate with LEED Online. There’s an app for managing required documents for certification, and a separate app that lets users plan and organize their LEED projects (LEED being a heady undertaking requires extreme organization). While they may not be eco apps for your average Joe, as these are intended fro use by serious LEED users, we’re still filing them under eco apps because hey, they facilitate green building all over the world.
GoodGuide
The next time you’re out shopping, use GoodGuide’s barcode scanner to get relevant info about the item you’re buying. Products are rated for being healthy, safe, eco-friendly, and socially responsible. Over 170,000 products are inventoried (an extensive array of baby products is included), although as of now GoodGuide covers only products in the U.S.
Electricity Calculator
This app lets you know your electricity usage and the corresponding costs, either per day, per month, or per year. When you can track your electric usage, you’re more aware and hopefully you become more responsible. So go kill that vampire energy now.
INRIX Traffic
Never get stuck in traffic again. INRIX Traffic gives you road scenarios and traffic conditions in real time so you can plan your travel time and plot your route accordingly. Saves you gas, and that’s good for the environment naturally.
Environmental Educator
Not exactly TED Talk material but this eco app presents short videos that tackle different issues concerning the environment—from global warming to coral reefs to air conditioning to rainforests. You get the picture.
It goes without saying that these eco apps aren’t the most popular in the planet, no matter if they’re free. Not everyone is a fan of ecology after all. So you have silly fun games featuring pots catching potatoes garnering a million downloads while over to the side a mere 300KB eco app that guides users about the 3 R’s getting only a handful. That’s how life is.
Of course, you’d be foolhardy to depend on just these eco apps alone. Read up, investigate, make the slight changes as advised by what you’ve read, and start to make green a lifelong habit.
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