Tap into the world of green living
Smartphones and
tablets are not eco-friendly inventions. But, they can be used for apps that
help you adopt basic environmentally thoughtful habits in your daily life
Smartphones and tablets may not seem
to be de signed with the environment in mind, being made of complex layers of
plastics, metals and electronics, with chemical batteries. But apps may help
you adopt environmentally sensible habits in your daily life.
BrightNest,
free on iOS, is a beautiful general
guide to improving your home. One of its many categories is simply called
Green. When you sign up for your free login, you can choose to receive only
green tips -from “conserve water like a pro“ to ideas on performing a home
energy consumption audit. Tapping on a tip brings up more detailed information
that is nicely illustrated, well written and easy to follow. Sometimes, though,
a lot of tapping is needed to navigate through the menus and tips.
Green Tips &
Tricks,
free on iOS, is much simpler. When
opened, it presents an environmental tip com posed of just a few sentences of
text --a source of daily ideas for making your life a little greener. The ads
can become annoying, though.
A similar option is
Green Tips by Mobilendo,
which is free on Android and Windows
Phone. While idly trawling through this app, we found some simple conservation
tips that we'd never thought of -like dusting the coils on the back of the
refrigerator to improve its energy efficiency.
One thing you can do to make your
life greener is avoid throwing recyclable items into the trash.
The iRecycle app,
free on both iOS and Android, can
help.
The app is simply organised. First,
you pick the category of item you need to recycle, like paper or batteries. The
app then offers a detailed list of options -recycling particular types of
paper, for example. You can then either let iRecycle use your current location
or type a site into its search box, and it will list establishments nearby (in
the US only) that will take your items for recycling.
GoodGuide,
free on iOS and Android, helps you identify
environmentally sound household items to buy. You can search for items by name
or scan a product's bar code, in which case the app will try to identify the
item for you. When you have found an item in the list, the app displays
detailed information about how it is made, its environmental impact and even
data on the company that makes it.
Installing solar panels is a way to
improve your home's green rating and possibly save money.
But choosing the right kind of solar power installation can be complex.
Solarchecker,
free on iOS, may help with that.
The app performs some calculations based
on your geographic location and where you would like to put your panels. It
then reports how much power the panels could generate. If you enter some more
details, it can help calculate how much money you would save.
It's not the easiest app to use, though,
and it helps to have done some research before you use it.
You can also learn how wasteful your
life is with apps like
Zero Carbon,
free on iOS. This app calculates the
carbon footprint of daily activities, like commuting to work or eating a hamburger.
It also provides tips on reducing your footprint to help the planet a little.
Carbon Calc,
free on Android, is roughly
equivalent, though perhaps less easy to use
-New York Times
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