Put your hands up if you are trying to live a little bit greener. Okay, you can put them down now! At Cotton Roots, we are certainly trying to live life sustainably, but knowing what to buy, what not to buy, what to eat, what not to eat, how to dispose of things… these can all leave you scratching your head from time to time. But did you know your phone can actually help you go greener?
The internet is full of articles about sustainability, which is great for when you’ve got the time to read them, but when it comes to your daily lives and your busy schedule, sometimes you might need a little reminder. Now there are apps available that can put actionable challenges right at the tips of your fingers, no matter where you are. Since smartphones arrived in our lives, there’s a world of possibilities to help you embrace a sustainable lifestyle. From reducing your carbon footprint, to protecting the environment, here are some of the best apps for green living:
Joulebug “make sustainable living social, simple, and actually fun.”
This app rewards you for being sustainable, and with rewards comes more encouragement to be more sustainable! You can download the app and earn points every time you make a sustainable decision, like biking to work instead of driving. You can earn badges and pins and compete with your friends on Twitter and Facebook to do your environmental part. The badges get more difficult, and more rewarding, as you earn more points. Each badge comes with visual, informative content that provides the knowledge and motivation you need to make small but significant changes in your daily habits. Not only that, it also helps you save money and cut down on your carbon footprint.
- Earn pins, badges and points for discovering new ways to go green
- Buzz every time you do something sustainable – every time you Buzz something, you’ll be helping the planet. JouleBug measures the impact for you, all you’ve got to do is Buzz it.
- Compete in challenges to see who’s the greenest
- Join communities to learn the latest on sustainability near you
- Share how you are making a difference
credit: Gonzalo Baeza/ CC BY
This app allows you to calculate your impact to the environment. Greenhouse gases have some of the worst effects on global climate change. The UNEP Carbon Calculator lets you calculate how much CO2 is given off when you travel i.e driving to work, taking a train or flying somewhere. Users can then convert their personal carbon footprint for journeys taken by air, train or road. They will then be shown the equivalent area of a particular ecosystem (such as a tropical forest) that can absorb this amount of carbon dioxide.
The Green retail app is perfect for small shops and retailers as it helps save on water, energy and waste. Once downloaded, the Green Retail App will give small retailers videos, practical tools and advice on how to be more efficient. The retail sector has the potential to make huge efficiency savings and this app helps them realise savings where they can and to make their businesses more efficient. It includes quick guides to:
- Energy Saving
- Water Efficiency
- Reducing Waste
- Managing Waste
- Sustainable Procurement
- Storing & Handling Goods
Rippl is a free mobile app that helps you make simple, sustainable choices by delivering weekly green living tips. Each tip is designed to help transform your habits, save you money and help you live a greener life. We often set out with the best of intentions such as taking reusable bags for food shopping, or switching off the lights when they aren’t being used but sometimes we forget, and Rippl is your reminder! RIPPL includes:
- Free green living tips to help improve your day-to-day habits
- Ability to set goals and track your progress to show your impact
- Science-based recommendations for proven ways to help grow a healthy environment
- Opportunity to suggest your own tips to the community and share your success with your friends
The recycle app gives real-time reporting and recycling for local authorities. Can you never remember which week is green bin or black bin? Then this is the app for you! It also allows you to set collection reminders, so you’ll never forget to recycle and it gives you a real-time map of “Recycling & Waste Points” within your local area.