Increasingly, it seems that our phones are running our lives. Personally, my phone wakes me up in the morning, tells me where to go when I’m lost and keeps track of what I eat during the day. It will even scold me if I go over my calorie count. Basically, I’ve turned my phone into the naggy mother I never had.
Since I’m trying to be a bit greener for the new year, I thought, why not sic my phone on the job? If it can get me to limit my desserts to once (fine, twice) a day, it can certainly help me tread a little more lightly on this planet. I did some research, and here are 10 of the most helpful green apps available for download.
GoodGuide
You know how you can stand in the aisle of your grocery store debating the merits of recycled vs organic vs local for what feels like hours? Which one is the greener purchase? Wonder no more. This app completely simplifies green shopping. Just scan the barcode of the product and you pull up an eco report on it right away.
Find Green
This aptly named app helps you find green anything. No matter what you’re looking for – yoga studios, grocery stores, hair salons – this app uses GPS and its comprehensive database of green resources and points you in the green direction.
RideRemedy
Here’s an app that makes carpooling a cinch. It connects you with others going your way. The best part is that you can communicate via the app, so there’s no need to share personal information before you’re ready.
Seasonal Harvest
You don’t want to eat a salad that has more frequent flier miles than a disgruntled flight attendant, right? Being a locavore can be tricky though, especially when you’re not an expert on the seasonality of fruits and veggies. That’s where this app steps in, offering you that info based on your GPS along with related recipes.
TreeHugger
This app gives you all of the TreeHugger access you crave when you’re away from your computer. Get the top stories, listen to the podcasts and easily share your TreeHugger favorites with your pals.
YPrintIt
Cut down on the paper wasted on traditional business cards and use electronic business cards instead. This app creates your business cards and communicates them to other smart phones, directly placing you in their address book and visa versa.
Green Gas Saver
This app tracks your behavior in your car to help you optimize gas usage to waste as little as possible. It will tell you if you’re accelerating too fast or turning too sharply and give you a final score that you can try to beat by being greener the next time you’re driving.
Green Charging
This app alerts you via alarm and vibrations when your phone is fully charged. That way you can avoid wasting energy and money by keeping it plugged in when it’s not needed.
Pollution
Going green means being more aware of your surroundings and you certainly will be with this app. Based on your location, it reports the air and water qualities and any possible effects on your health.
Greenpeace Tissue Guide
The amount of non-recycled toilet paper and tissue used in the US is a total eco nightmare. We’re literally flushing our forests down the drain. Greenpeace has created an app to stop that and help you make informed decisions about your tissue paper purchases by highlighting the most green brands.
Here’s to ringing in a green 2011 with your phone!
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