Going green and staying green can be a challenge for anyone, especially in the world we live in now. Who has the time to make sure everything in the house is running smoothly (or not running at all) or find the most fuel efficient routes to work and back?
We all do now, as there are many different apps and programs that give us all the tools we need to go green, be green and stay green.
For Your Environment
iRecycle (Android, iOS)
With this handy little app, you’ll get locations for all the nearest places to turn in automotive, construction, electronics, garden, glass, hazardous, household, metal, paper, and plastic items from your projects. Also, iRecycle gives you the latest news and tips from Earth911.
Green Shine
Green Shine shows you environmentally-friendly clean-up solutions to substitute for those harmful chemicals in your cabinets. You’ll also get tips on how to manage those clean-up projects, as well as categorization of cleaning supplies by room.
For Your Life At Home
iViro
You don’t have to be a master craftsman to know how to get the most out of your home. With iViro, home owners can see how much energy it takes to power their home, from heating, cooling, lighting, hot water and appliances. The app also gives you suggestions on upgrades and retrofits that will save you on energy consumption, as well as a little money.
Control4 (Android, iOS)
So now you’ve got a good idea of where the bulk of your energy is coming from. What then? What if you’re not at home and forgot to turn off the lights? Control 4 in your home and on your phone or tablet (My husband and I use this on our tablets) allows you to adjust the temperature, turn on or off lights, and even goes as far as opening and closing drapes. You’ll also get information on energy use that is helpful in cutting back on costs.
For Your Life On The Road
greenMeter (iOS)
GreenMeter is certain to help you believe you’re driving a smart car no matter the car you are driving. This app views your car’s fuel and crude oil consumption using the iPhone or iPad’s accelerometer. Just enter a few details about your car, what kind of fuel you use, and what the weather is like outside. Then sit back, wait for the results, and you’ll be able to adjust to get the most mileage out of your car.
HootRoot
Getting from Point A to Point B (and everywhere in between) is the easy part. What about getting their without letting out the maximum amount of CO2? Now you’ll know both ways with HootRoot. This app takes in data from the EPA, the Energy Information Agency, and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics to help you get from Point A to Point B and minimize the amount of pollution.
Carticipate (iOS)
Looking for a carpool buddy? Carticipate allows you to find other riders or drivers headed in your direction. The goal here is to help cut down on carbon emissions when public transportation isn’t a practical solution.
Carbon Tracker (iOS)
Carbon Tracker gives you a pretty good idea of what the size of your footprint is. Well, your carbon footprint, that is. This app uses GPS to track your carbon footprint for the month based on how much you travel. Traveling by air? By train? By pretty much anything else? It’ll track that, too, and give you a good idea of how to best make that carbon footprint smaller.
For Your News And Projects
TreeHugger (Android, iOS)
If you follow environmental news, you probably tune into TreeHugger every now and again. The TreeHugger app gives you the latest news on sustainability, access to podcasts, and even updates from TreeHugger’s Twitter account (because who can’t resist Twitter?). You’ll also get the environmental slant on news from business all the way to celebrity life.
Green Genie
Knowledge is power, and with Green Genie, you’ll have quite a bit of green power. This app has a glossary of “green” terms, as well as an essential reading list on sustainability. It also has app has over 100 green project ideas, and database keeps growing, as it allows you and others to submit project ideas to the database.
With all these new apps, your phone is bound to run out of juice, so charge it, but just remember to take your phone charger out of the wall!
Patricia Shuler is a staff writer for BBGeeks.com and AndGeeks.com. She lives in Oakland, California.
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