Smart phones can boost sustainability

Smart phones … what would we do without them? Smart phones are not simply a mobile phone on steroids. Far from it. Where it may have been seen as such a while ago, the smart phone has in the last few years become as much part of our lives as toothpaste, and almost as important.

The iPhone has opened a whole new world for smart phone users.  And did the other manufacturers sit and watch what would happen? Nope. It wasn’t long after the iPhone saw the light that other major mobile manufacturers upped their game and started creating smart phones comparable to, or better than, Apple’s beloved smart phone.

By using a smart phone you can cut down on a lot of waste by using the phone’s notepad and voice memo facilities instead of paper, the diary and calendar functions for the same reason. By lumping together lots of other tools, such as calculators and cameras, smart phones can also cut waste from packaging and the additional batteries needed to power stand-alone items. And because there are good ways to keep your phone waste green, as there are now many mobile phone recycling sites, getting a new smart phone doesn’t create waste but helps others.

And then came the apps.

There’s an app for almost every conceivable thing out there. Need to know how many calories you’re taking in daily? Need to track how far you’ve jogged this morning? Need to know which song is playing on the radio? Need to send a love poem to someone you adore? Yup, there are bound to be a slew of apps for just these few needs. Apps are there to make your life easier.

So how can the smart phone help you in living a more sustainable life?

While you have a smart phone, why not consider using it for more than Facebook, Twitter, texting and calling people? Why not go the extra mile, and use it to improve your own sustainability? It’s possible. As mentioned above, apps are there to make your daily life easier. But they can do more than that. Apps can help you become more aware of the fragile ecology around you and around the globe. Let’s look at a few of the apps out there that can do this:

• Ecorio: Track your carbon footprint while travelling. Ecorio uses your smart phone’s GPS to calculate your carbon footprint. Once you’ve seen the size of your carbon footprint, the app gives suggestions on how you can make it smaller. The app runs in the background, and records every movement you make when you use a bus or car. Ecorio makes suggestions for public transport or carpools in your area. Right from the app, you have the opportunity to buy carbon offsets to help reduce your carbon footprint.
• Go Organic!: The Organic Trade Association, Music Matters and Earth Day Network bring you the “Go Organic!” app, which allows you to find stores near your location that provide free coupon books for organic foods and products.
• The Find Green App: This iPhone app helps you choose the greenest business in your area. The Find Green App uses your phone’s GPS and a large and growing database of green businesses around the globe to make informed suggestions.
• GreenMeter: Track your vehicle’s power and fuel efficiency with this app. Green Meter also evaluates your driving habits, and makes suggestions about how you can improve. It shows you the size of your carbon footprint, your fuel efficiency and even how many barrels of oil you’re consuming.
• GoodGuide: GoodGuide assists you in making better shopping choices. It offers a database of products, gathers information about the ingredients of products, and displays it for you to make an informed decision. The GoodGuide database already has tens of thousands of everyday products, and the list keeps growing. The app even allows you to scan barcodes with your iPhone, for immediate product information.
• Seasonal Harvest: You”d love to be a locavore, but finding out which green produce is in season at any given time of the year is a mission. With the Seasonal Harvest app, you can learn which seasonal produce is available locally at any given time, making it easier to buy food that is grown locally. Better than buying oranges flown in from some forgotten island at the price of an arm and a leg. The app also helps in your search for recipes, and shows nearby farmers markets.
• Yprintit: No need to carry a stash of business cards around anymore. Yprintit helps you to create a digital business card, ready to be transferred digitally to other smart phones. The Yprintit service has hundreds of designs available to choose from, making it easier for you to create a business card while saving the planet one small bit of paper at a time.
• TreeHugger: Treehugger.com is one of the world’s most popular websites when it comes to all things related to green. However, using a website on a smart phone often leads to frustration, not satisfaction. That’s why Treehugger.com created an treehugger.com iPhone app that enables you to stay on top of all things green via your smart phone.