10 Apps to Aid Your Green Living

As a society, we owe it to each other, to our descendants and to our planet to be more environmentally aware. Recent research has shown that human pollution is the cause for 99% of global warming, a shocking figure, especially when you consider that the industrial age only truly began a few hundred years ago. Though we are all (for the most part) doing our best to live ‘greener’ lives, there is so much more that we could and should be doing. Though smartphones and tablets could be seen as a significant contribution to the current environmental slump, there are a variety of ‘Apps’ on the market that have set about to redress the balance somewhat by actively helping to make users live more environmentally conscious lives. Here we’ll be discussing 10 of the most popular.

1. GreenCalc

This one does pretty much what it says on the tin. It’s an app for the iPhone and iPad that allows you to calculate all of your carbon emissions. The app uses its own algorithms to process your data and tell you exactly how large your carbon footprint is (that is, if you choose to be completely honest). There are other apps on the market (such as LiveNeutral) but these generally charge. GreenCalc however, is completely free. More on GreenCalc, here.

2. GreenMeter

An incredibly intelligent and innovative app for the iPhone that uses your phones built-in accelerometer to measure how environmentally friendly your driving is. The app will glow a subtle green when you’re driving sensibly and will flash violently at you when you start braking madly and speeding about like a drag racer. It’s an app which will not only help you drive in a more environmentally reserved fashion but it could also save you money, as it will teach you to use your fuel more efficiently. More on GreenMeter, here.

3. EcoCharge

For little more than the cost of a small cup of coffee, this handy little app will warn you when you needlessly leave your phone on charge. The app also offers a new green living tip every time you open it up and comes with a variety of attractive skins. More about EcoCharge, here.

4. iRecycle

An app that has had the honor of being featured as the iTunes ‘app of the week’ 5 times now, iRecycle is a simple but remarkably effective tool that users your phones GPS to track your nearest recycling opportunity. The app traces where the user is and then pinpoints places nearby where they can recycle a variety of waste items at their (pardon the pun) disposal. It will also offer advice on why they should be recycling and how to recycle specific items. More about iRecycle at: iTunes App Store and Google Play.

[Suggested reading: All Sizes of Toner Cartridges Can Be Recycled]

5. Water Saver

This app for the Windows Phone operating system teaches users how best to save and conserve their water usage. The app also included a feature that allows you to track exactly how much water you’re saving on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis and how those savings have been affecting the environment. For the hopelessly competitive amongst you there is even the option to compete against your friends. More on Water Saver, here.

6. PaperKarma

Nobody enjoys getting junk-mail, not only is it intrusive and just plain irritating but it’s also incredibly wasteful to boot. The PaperKarma app however can analyze junk-mail through your phones camera and will be able to tell you right there and then exactly where it was sent from and how you can prevent yourself from getting it again. Saving the world, one pointless letter at a time! More about PaperKarma at: iTunes App Store and Google Play.

7. Carma Carpooling

For the more adventurous amongst us, ‘Carma Carpooling’ is a revolutionary ‘car sharing’ app that lets users plan a route (for example a daily work commute) and then matches that route to other users who it can put you in touch with. The idea is for more people to share rides, thus reducing emissions and saving users potentially hundreds in fuel costs. There is also a ‘rating system’ so you can check what other users have had to say about your potential lift sharers. More about Carma Carpooling at: iTunes App Store and Google Play.

8. Fooducate

Living a greener lifestyle doesn’t just mean looking after the environment, it also means looking after yourself and Fooducate is an app that strives to get people eating healthier and better. Using the apps barcode scanner, Fooducate will be able to scan the majority of food products and offer you their full nutritional information. This will include the foods caloric content and (more crucially) let you know if it is ridden with any potentially harmful additives. Better yet, the app will give you healthier (often tastier) alternatives so you don’t need to give up your favorite foods altogether, just make a slight adjustment to your weekly grocery shop. More about Fooducate, here.

9. Seafood Watch

Love your seafood? Then you definitely want this app. Eating the right seafood not only can help the environment but it can improve your health as well. Seafood Watch will help you to choose the most ocean-friendly seafood restaurants and stores via your phone’s GPS. It can also allow you to sort seafood by “Best Choice”, “Good Alternative” as well as which ones to avoid. More on Seafood Watch, here.

10. Pollution

The rather severe title is pretty apt in this case. Pollution pulls stats from over a thousand cities across the world and lets users know exactly how ‘harmful’ the air they are breathing is. It can locate you via GPS or (if you’re feeling curious) you can pull up any (supported) city and view it’s stats with little more than a swipe. It’s a sobering app that is highly recommended to anyone who is not a raging hypochondriac. More on Pollution, here.

About the Author: This post was written by the team at Juice Electrical Supplies – connect with them on Twitter or check out their recent infographic about energy saving tips.

[Image credit: Gualberto107, Freedigitalphotos.net]