There is almost one smartphone for every person on the planet. That’s 6.3 billion handsets, generating nearly 150 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions (CO2e) annually.There is almost one smartphone for every person on the planet. That’s 6.3 billion handsets, generating nearly 150 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions (CO2e) annually.
But once a smart cellphone has been made, its emissions drop off considerably, with actual usage accounting for just 5% of its overall lifetime’s emissions.
The great news is that there are multiple green-friendly apps for your smartphone to help you offset your emissions and save the planet. The best eco-friendly apps will make your phone seem like a magic wand in your hand in the battle against climate change.
From search engines to shopping barcodes, app stores are full of helpful tools to help you go green. Let’s look at how green-friendly apps for your smartphone can transform your carbon footprint for the better.
How Do Green-Friendly Apps for Your Smartphone Promote Sustainability?
There are two main types of smartphones: Apple’s iPhone and those with Android operating systems.
Globally, around two in three people use Android phones, and the rest have iPhones. In the U.S., that figure switches, with almost two-thirds of Americans choosing an iPhone. Both offer downloadable apps via Google Play (Android) and Apple’s iOS system.
Games, shopping apps, media outlets, leisure pursuits — you name it, there’s an app. But it is social media apps that dominate the scene. TikTok is the world’s most popular app, followed by Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp.
There’s an increasingly prominent space for green-friendly apps for smartphones that aim to promote sustainable living. They encourage users and retailers alike to recycle, reuse, and reinvent the world’s precious resources.
These apps cover everything from litter picking to clothes swapping, car rides, and planting carbon dioxide-guzzling trees.
Do Green-Friendly Apps Contribute to Environmental Awareness?
The short answer is yes. Eco-friendly apps already contribute to increased environmental awareness and improved sustainability.
When was the last time someone with a smartphone printed a pre-bought cinema ticket or airline boarding pass or got a bank statement in the mail? These cell phones have revolutionized how we document, organize, and enjoy our lives. Nowadays, someone whose phone loses charge could find their lives paused until they find a charging outlet.
Apps are inherently green-friendly by reducing our reliance on a paper-dominated world, lowering people’s carbon footprint. Increasingly, green-friendly apps connect us directly with retailers and others who want to do good for the planet. They match a need or demand with people’s wants, encouraging greener behaviors like recycling or reducing food waste.
What Benefits for People and Environment Come from Eco-Friendly Apps?
“Eco-friendly apps are helping people be more energy efficient, eat less meat, forage for food, and share transportation. Smartphones, whose very existence encourages connectivity, interconnect many strands of society.
People can save money, reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, make the most of the world’s resources, and get a feel-good boost for doing their best to save the planet. Going green can improve air quality, preserve water, and even help save money on utility bills.
Let’s look at some of the best green-friendly apps for your smartphone. All of these are just a few taps away from your path to fighting climate change.
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6 Smartphone Apps to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
Our smartphones are all about communication and being in touch. Small steps can have a considerable impact. For example, research shows that there are more than 3.4 billion spam emails sent daily. Almost half of all electronic mail is spam or junk. These emails require 33 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to power 2.4 million homes, emitting the same emissions as 3.1 million automobiles. Here are several apps to help you live a greener lifestyle.
- Oroeco will track your entire carbon footprint, helping you decide how to tackle climate change.
- Litterati tracks litter globally, using the data to show where trash comes from so people can take action locally.
- Trimbox is a one-stop Gmail tool to help you unsubscribe from junk email lists or those you no longer wish to receive.
- Unroll.me offers a similar service to Trimbox and will even roll up the emails you want to read into one simple daily digest.
- PaperKarma will unsubscribe you from mailing lists and unsolicited mail offers, whether local or national. Take a photo of the unwanted mail, add the address you wish to unsubscribe, and you should be good.
- HappyCow is a one-stop shop for vegan and vegetarian places to eat. Consuming less meat is an important way to reduce climate change.
3 Smartphone Apps to Save on Energy, Plastic, and Water
Plastic pollution is a visible problem across rural areas, cities, and oceans. Animals are dying because of our love of this seemingly throwaway material. Global plastic recycling levels are at about 9%, dropping to 5-6% in the United States. Cutting off plastic at the source seems a better solution than recycling it.
With that in mind, consider all the plastic water bottles thrown away daily. Ditching a throwaway plastic bottle for an eco-friendly reusable water bottle makes a huge difference.
The TAP app lists over 250,000 reusable water bottle refill points across 100+ countries so you can refill on the go. It will even give you directions to the nearest refill point. Refill in the United Kingdom lists establishments happy to fill your bottle for free.
Many people can save energy at home with simple behavior changes. These include swapping out traditional halogen bulbs for energy-efficient LEDs, turning back the thermostat by a few degrees, or turning off appliances rather than using standby modes. And your smartphone can help you save even more.
A great way to monitor a home’s energy usage is via a smart thermostat. Control your heating and cooling remotely with a smartphone app and understand how to save energy and money on utility bills. Combine them with a smart home hub like Aeotec Smart Home Hub or Amazon Echo, and you can see your home’s entire energy usage from an app.
JouleBug encourages employees, via its mobile app, to buy into a company’s sustainability goals. Green actions earn rewards and recognition, with people’s efforts translated into easily-to-understand environmental contexts such as emissions saved or landfills avoided.
7 Eco-Friendly Apps for Sustainable Transport
Transportation accounts for 27% of America’s greenhouse gas emissions, making it the biggest polluter by sector. Smartphone apps are changing how we move around, making it easier for people to share rides, hire sustainable options like bikes, and plan journeys in their low-emissions electric vehicles (EVs).
Carpooling is a great way to get about in an eco-friendlier manner. Zipcar and Hitchhiker Carpooling are two such apps available in the U.S. Zipcar users can hire a car for a specific journey, while the Hitchhiker app partners drivers with car space with people looking for a lift along the same route.
The most famous carpooling service in Europe is BlaBlaCar, covering 21 countries, from London to Milan, and further afield.
Electric vehicle (EV) drivers worried about range can download the PlugShare app, which shows all nearby EV charging stations, mainly in the U.S. and Europe. The information available includes charge point and plug types and user reviews.
Going car-free is increasingly more straightforward too. Cyclists love the Bikemap app. There are more than 12 million cycling routes worldwide, from epic multi-day trips to scenic pleasure rides. Pair this with e-bike or e-scooter apps like Lime and the clean energy revolution could well be pedal-powered.
There are apps for gas-vehicle drivers who wish to reduce their emissions. The Torque Pro app monitors your vehicle in real-time, evaluating performance, fuel efficiency, and more.
4 Eco-Friendly Fashion Apps to Save the World
Fashion, especially fast fashion, is increasingly under the microscope when it comes to global warming. That’s because the industry contributes 10% of all the world’s carbon emissions, more than aviation and shipping combined.
Naturally, there are apps out there hoping to change our throwaway attitude toward clothing and its associated environmental impact. It’s simple to convert clothes into eco-friendly products — simply recycle, resell, or give them away.
Second-hand shops and markets are a great way to find bargains. There are many online thrift stores available via smartphone apps too.
ThredUp lists new and used items, including famous brands, across America and Canada. Don’t have time to list clothes to sell? Download Flyp to connect with independent sellers who will do the work for you. Other second-hand markets exist via apps or online for eBay, Vinted, Depop, and Asos Marketplace.
Need help to determine how ethical your favorite brand is? Use the Good On You app to see how they measure up.
Looking to repair your favorite garments? The MendIt app matches tailors, seamers, and cobblers with folks who want to keep their favorite clothes in top-top conditions for seasons to come. This is sustainability in action, keeping skilled workers in a job while saving the planet from needless new clothes purchases.
3 Smartphone Apps to Reduce Food Waste
Food waste is a big issue in the United States. The following statistics make for grim reading:
- The U.S. discards more waste than any other country worldwide, throwing almost 60 million tons of food into landfills.
- Some 22% of solid waste in all U.S. landfills consists of discarded food.
- Almost 40% of the entire American food supply ends up in the trash.
- The average food waste per person per year in the U.S. weighs in at 325 pounds (147kg).
- Food waste in the U.S. is worth $218 billion annually, equating to around 130 billion meals.
Here are three of the best and easy-to-use smartphone apps to combat food waste.
- Olio: Pass on extra food or other items to people who live nearby.
- Too Good To Go: Leftover food in supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, cafes, grocery stores, and more are advertised on this app. Shoppers choose what they want, pay via the app, and pick up a bargain, saving food from hitting the trash and often enjoying a cheap and tasty meal.
- No Waste: This app tracks all your home food purchases so you can check and plan meals with what you’ve got left, as well as draw up shopping lists. Monitoring helps reduce food shopping bills and minimize food waste, with the ultimate goal of zero waste.
6 Apps to Improve Your Green-Friendly Credentials
There are many ways to level up your sustainable lifestyle rating. Here are several green-friendly apps for your smartphone.
- Fat Llama is where people go to borrow almost anything rather than continually buying new.
- The Ecosia search engine turns its profits from people using its services to plant trees, with more than 185 million saplings already enjoying the feel of soil thanks to Ecosia’s reach.
- NatureHub connects people and communities and socially responsible local businesses.
- Social environmental activists may like the Climate app. Here, people can research their sustainability interests and connect with like-minded folks.
- Double up and plot the world’s fast-changing environment on NASA’s app, which shows how climate change affects the world.
- The Plume Labs app offers local air pollution levels, allowing people to challenge governments and industries about air quality.
Green-Friendly Apps for Your Smartphone Make a Difference
Green-friendly apps for your smartphone can help change the world. Changing your search engine provider or quickly finding food that was otherwise destined for the trash are easy ways to achieve a more sustainable lifestyle.
Your smartphone is a gateway to hundreds of helpful and efficient apps. Their prompts assist with behavior changes and locating alternatives to the buy-and-throwaway future. You can even recycle or upcycle your smartphone at Reboxed.
Even if you don’t have a smartphone, many of these apps have valuable websites to assist. And there are more steps you can take, such as switching your electric company to a renewable energy supplier. Every little step helps the planet become a cleaner, greener, and better place to live.
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