Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking that a single person cannot do much to conserve and protect the environment. Or that great efforts and sacrifices are needed to begin to see some minimal results. However, a lot can be achieved with small actions. For example, from the mobile phone, with the use of applications known as Green Apps. Learn everything you can do for the planet.
The smartphone can be a powerful tool to pursue this and other types of objectives. And, although the grain of sand that we can humbly contribute is a modest contribution, the more users who join, the more important it will be.
Climate change: a reality with many consequences
Although there are still doubts about its causes and the degree of real influence of human activities on the climate, the scientific community seems to agree on one point: Climate change is a real process.
There are some purely natural aspects of it that we cannot control, although there are others (such as the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas) in which we can and must act. For the good of the planet and for our own benefit.
There are many aspects in which climate change is harmful to us and our environment. Climate imbalances not only affect our health and safety (heat waves, extreme weather events, etc.), but they threaten the ability to grow food. Furthermore, sea level rise is already a real threat in some island nations. The figure of "climate refugee" It's not just a theoretical idea.
What are Green Apps?
The challenge is enormous, but there are already many initiatives underway to try to stop this process. Beyond what governments can do, ordinary citizens can also collaborate with small actions that, added to each other, can give great results.
Within this idea we must fit the concept of "green applications" (Green Apps). These are applications through which beneficial effects for the environment can be generated. They all have their direct utility for those who use them, but they also incorporate that extra bit of ecological awareness, increasingly demanded by the user.
What applications help the environment?
Enough words, let's take action. Below we present a list of 15 environmental apps with which we will be able to help achieve the goal of combating climate change and its effects, as well as acquiring habits or taking actions in favor of sustainability:
Planifood
Planifood It is an app that helps us plan our diet taking into account factors such as tastes, food intolerances or specific needs. It is a good tool to achieve a healthy, varied and balanced diet.
What is your contribution to caring for the environment? This app promotes the consumption of natural products, without industrial processing, grown and obtained naturally and respectful of nature. Likewise, avoid food waste. Because Learning to eat well also has its ecological side.
Disposal
Waste management and recycle Correctly disposing of waste is one of the basic pillars for environmental conservation. Disposal It is an app designed specifically for this purpose. Through it it is possible to mark polluting points using geolocation on a map. You can even attach images.
The purpose is to send this information to the authorities through complaints, as well as share it with other users, encouraging them to join this initiative to clean our towns and cities of garbage. Only available in the Play Store.
Greta The Game
This is an app aimed at children that seeks to raise awareness among the youngest about environmental commitment. Greta – The Game named after climate activist Greta Thunberg and is presented in the form of a game.
Players are tasked with taking care of the planet, sowing seeds and earning points toward their ultimate goal of “returning hope to the world.”
Earth Hero
Another Green App that is worth knowing is Earth Hero. Once downloaded and installed, this application will perform an initial estimate of our personal carbon footprint. Afterwards, you will send us some suggestions to refine and improve it.
All the advice that this app provides us is very useful, not only for the environmental benefit it represents, but also for improving our lifestyle. A very interesting way to be part of the change.
BlaBlaCar
BlaBlaCar It is a well-known app that many people regularly use to share a car with the aim of reducing expenses. However, at the same time it is a good opportunity to reduce vehicle emissions that pollute the air in our cities.
According to data from the app itself, its users have saved 90.000 tons of CO2 emissions in Spain in the last 12 months. In addition to this, part of its profits are allocated to Pur Project, an initiative that develops environmental protection programs in the Peruvian Amazon and promotes tree planting in countries in Asia and Africa.
Recycling guide – RECICLES
This Recycling Guide It has been designed by Ecoembes in order to become an effective tool for recycling packaging waste at a private level.
It seems like something of little importance, but it is not like that. If we do not deposit each waste in the appropriate place, we are creating two problems: we prevent its recycling and we cause it to remain in the environment for many years. So, to know where to deposit each waste, just grab your cell phone and consult this app.
Noise Meter
When we talk about pollution, we often forget the noise pollution. Excessive noise is not only annoying to the human ear, but it can also affect the balance of ecosystems in rural areas and the animals that are part of it.
Noise Meter is a good tool for measuring the level of environmental noise, which uses a built-in microphone to determine the volume of sound in decibels (dB), displaying the results in easy-to-view graphs.
percentile
When we talk about recycling we also mean re-use, that is, giving a second life to objects, clothing, etc. that we no longer use. By doing this, we considerably reduce the environmental impact generated by the textile production industry.
percentile It is not an application, but it is an ideal website to help you in this task. It is a meeting point where sell and buy used clothing (which must meet certain quality and hygiene requirements). In addition to its ecological value, this idea allows us to save a lot of money and renew our wardrobe.
Link: percentile
Green Tips
If you don't know where to start taking care of the environment, Green Tips It is the most advisable app. It is a complete practical guide where we will find thousands of tips so that any of us can lead an ecological lifestyle. And, incidentally, save energy at home, reduce your car's gasoline consumption, etc.
eLitter
Another of our reference Green Apps is eLitter. It is a tool developed by the organizations “Zero Discharges” and “Clean Landscape” through which any of us will be able to obtain information about the different types of waste: its origin, its quantity, the places where it accumulates. …
In short, relevant data that we can help collect in order to develop a prevention and treatment strategy. A very useful collaborative tool.
Next Door
The creators of Next Door They define this app as a meeting place for the residents of each neighborhood. Its main objective is to promote the local economy and collaborative initiatives between citizens, with special attention to recycling and reuse of resources.
LupBak
Reducing energy expenditure is a goal that many of us set ourselves, not only to save some money, but also thinking about its effect on the environment. In this purpose we have the help of a magnificent application: LupBak.
This app shows us the prices of electricity in different sections of the day. Thanks to the use of colors, it is very easy to distinguish the low, medium and high sections, and adapt our daily consumption to them. It also allows us to configure alerts and notifications. And best of all: it's free.
SpinLister
SpinLister It is the green mobility app. Its target audience is tourists who want to discover a destination and choose bicycles as a means of transportation. The application offers a bike rental and sharing platform.
With this system everyone wins: the traveler gets a clean and cheap means of transport, the owner of the bicycle obtains extra income and the environment is freed from the fumes of taxis, buses or rental vehicles with combustion engines.
Good Guide
In our list of Green Apps it was obligatory to include GoodGuide, the application that informs us about what we are buying and what is bad for our consumption. Its mission is to classify all the products we buy in the supermarket according to their environmental impact.
Products are evaluated using a three-color scale after analyzing their life cycle (origin of their ingredients, production phase and disposal or recycling). In its database there are more than 250.000 analyzed products.
Social Car
Finally, another proposal similar to that of BlaBlaCar. His idea is based on car sharing, that is, car sharing to reduce the environmental impact generated by the use of motor vehicles. Social Car He proposes a simple idea: instead of four or five people traveling each with their own car, join together to use just one.
It is also an ideal solution for those who do not need to use a car every day, but only occasionally. Sharing will always be better than buying or renting.
Link: SocialCar