Common Ways That Cell Phones Actually Help the Environment

Though it may feel counterintuitive, advancing technology might just be the key to saving our planet. Cell phones are rapidly replacing landlines and are introducing several new ways to help save energy, discover wildlife and how to conserve it, and even save on fuel. It’s reported that well over half the world’s population owns a cell phone; almost more people that have cell phones than have constant access to clean water and toilets.

Cell phones becoming so abundant all over the world, in first and third world countries alike, makes it much easier for people to connect with each other over conservation efforts. With the push of a few buttons, you could be speaking with activists all over the world about their efforts and what else needs to be done. The job of saving the planet doesn’t belong to one country or one group of people and cell phones are helping us help each other.

Yes, there is now an app for saving the environment; several apps, actually. One app allows you to check the air and water quality in your area. To measure air pollution, for example, you would just take a picture of the sky, crop the picture to just sky, and then let the app do its thing. For farmers, there are apps that can help them water their fields remotely and more efficiently. They’ll save their precious time and more importantly, save water using the wireless technology to control water pressure and how long the water stays on. For fields far away, these kinds of apps increase a farm’s efficiency by allowing the technology to handle some of the work.

There are many apps dedicated to helping the average homeowners improve their homes’ energy consumption. With these apps, you can control your house’s temperature whether you’re there or not. Some allow you to turn off lights remotely, making it easier to keep your home safe from intruders while you’re gone without wasting more energy than necessary. Some even make it possible to control your home’s energy use by room.

Internet technology alone can help drivers save time and money through real time traffic alerts and conditions. Smartphones take this even further. An app called Ecospeed helps you to lessen your fuel consumption by showing you the most fuel-efficient routes according to weather, traffic, and even gas prices to help you save on gas money. Other apps allow a driver to monitor their real time fuel consumption and learn how to improve the car’s gas efficiency en route by staying at a specific speed or by speeding up.

Apps are even helping save endangered species and wild animals. For example, one app named Wild Calls raises awareness by sending informative notifications to subscribers about endangered plants and animals. Cell phones also allow rescues to protect animals by sending out notifications of GPS-tracked animals in the area, like bears in Yellowstone, so humans can avoid them.

These are only a few of the ways cell phones are helping to protect the Earth and this is only the beginning, according to many experts. As soon as you buy that new smartphone, apply your screen protector, and download a few apps, you can include yourself in the next generation of environmentalists.