In a lot of ways, smartphones have made our lives so much easier. From getting in touch with our loved ones to paying for our groceries, smartphones have made us more organized and more productive. Nearly everything can be done through a smartphone app. Some apps have even made it possible to increase people’s awareness for environmental concerns and encourage a more sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle. To help you see and realize how apps do indeed possess the ‘power,’ so to speak, to enable people to live a cleaner and greener lifestyle, here are the top five enumerated ways that prove that this is so.
Locate Recycling Sites
As you do your research, you will find that several apps allow their users to look for recycling sites that are close to where they are. For users who understand the value of turning trash into something useful and reducing the volume of landfill waste, an app like this one does sound like the perfect remedy for the problem of waste management. If you’re lucky enough (or resourceful enough), you just might come across an app that also includes additional features such as informational articles on how to start and maintain a sustainable lifestyle.
Evaluate Your Shopping Choices
Have you ever imagined having a shopping app that actually tells you how earth-friendly your favorite brands are? Well, you’re in luck, because if you check out your app store, you’ll find that some apps do allow you to check more than a thousand fashion brands on how they perform concerning environmental impact and ethical behavior. They also provide recommendations for brands that are similar to the one you are looking up. This idea is great for people who are trying to discover environmentally and socially responsible brands. Moreover, apps like these are likely to provide a rating based on three factors: people (the impact on workers across the supply chain), planet (the impact on resources and the environment), and animals (they list a number of animal products that are unsustainably farmed or known for problematic concerns).
Hence, if you’re of the opinion and belief that even shopping has to be green, then downloading such apps is a good decision. They will serve as an easy reference for people who want to make more sustainable choices while indulging in a more conscious form of consumerism. These apps also publish informative articles that users can browse through while they are on the go.
Connect You With Like-minded Companies
For investors who would rather support brands and companies that reflect their values, it would definitely help to have an app that will show you what each brand and company stands for or believes in. No problem, though, because such apps do exist. This way, people who regularly invest or are in the process of making their first financial investment can use these apps to investigate the organizations that they are considering. If they are more concerned about certain causes – LGBT rights and gender equality, for example, they can use such apps to search for companies and brands that foster values which support these causes.
For those who are concerned with environmentally sustainable practices, it would truly be of great help to enlist the assistance of apps, in the spirit of identifying who are your ‘allies’ in the industry – who are those that are engaged in protecting and conserving the environment and its resources, and who are those that would really not care, at all.
Identify ‘Green’ Products
If what you’re concerned about is whether or not the products you are using help protect the earth, then you’re probably looking for an eco-tech app that provides information about the health impact and environmental safety of a certain product. Good news: your friendly app store has those apps, too. These apps allow consumers to make informed decisions about the products that they are buying. This way, users can look up a specific product or use the barcode scanner feature. Such apps then provide a rating based on the data available, any negative impact, and ingredient hazards. With this, you’ll see an extensive list of items in the app’s directory, from makeup to food, so consumers can use the app to assess the environmental impact of a wide range of products before they make their purchase.
Measure Your Carbon Footprint
Carbon footprint refers to the amount of greenhouse gases that are released as a direct and indirect result of certain human activities. The primary goal for sustainability is to reduce and minimize one’s carbon footprint. Thus, it’s great that there are now apps that help make the carbon footprint easier to monitor and track. Such apps allow its users to measure their personal footprint based on a number of factors, including how much electricity your home consumes, the transportation they use, and many others.