Apps to Help our Planet

Earth Day is April 22nd, but the whole month is dedicated to saving our beautiful planet’s environment. According to the Earth Day Network, that date’s the largest civic observance in the world, with more than one billion people participating in Earth Day activities each year.

You can become more eco-savvy simply by using your mobile phones and/or tablets. Here are five apps that can help you make a positive impact on our planet every day. All are free and available in the App Store (iOS) or via Google Play (Android).

Dropcountr – Your Mobile Water Use Portal

Dropcountr’s HOME platform helps you save water and money. It connects your home directly to your water utility company and allows you to track your water usage. By checking your personal use and comparing it via Dropcountr’s charts with the average household use in your neighborhood, city or county, the awareness could reduce your water consumption. You can set personal water use goals based on your household profile and lifestyle. Another great feature? Leak detection. While you’re on vacation, Dropcountr identifies and alerts you to a leak remotely, so you can alert help and prevent returning to a disaster. Dropcountr allows consumers access to special rebates and offers for indoor and outdoor appliances that save money, too; the app is also available in Spanish.

iRecycle – Find Local Recycling Fast

This app answers two questions: “Can I recycle this? If so, who takes it?”  iRecycle has been featured as the iTunes “App of the Week” more than five times and tells you how, where and when to recycle just about anything. This resource provides access to more than 1,600,000 ways to recycle over 350 materials. It includes details for collections points, such as the website, phone number, operating hours and materials collected. For use in the U.S. only.

GoodGuide – Find More Eco-friendly Products

GoodGuide lets you scan barcodes while you shop to quickly identify the highest-rated consumer products for safety and health – from baby shampoo to toothpaste to bathroom cleaner. Check out how green and socially responsible your potential purchases are with science-based ratings…or discover better alternatives. GoodGuide aims to encourage retailers and manufacturers to make and sell better products by helping consumers choose healthier products. Note: this app is called the GoodGuide Scanner in Google Play.

Oroeco – Be a Climate Hero

The team at Oroeco agrees with many of the world’s top scientists that climate change is real and caused by humans. Their app automatically puts a carbon value on what you buy, what you eat, how you get around and the energy you use at home. Then the app adds everything up so you can see how each part of your daily life connects to climate change and which decisions have more impact than others. Personalized tips show you which climate actions will reduce the most pollution while saving you money. Oroeco also includes a gaming aspect so you can compete and collaborate with your friends and family to earn rewards while you’re doing your part to create a better planet.

Seafood Watch – Support a Healthy Ocean

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch app helps you choose ocean-friendly seafood at stores and restaurants with up-to-date, scientific recommendations about seafood that is fished or farmed in an eco-friendly way. You can learn more about the seafood you’re eating as well.  Search for seafood quickly and easily by entering the common market name or get locations of nearby restaurants that serve sustainable seafood. (You can look up sushi by its Japanese name, too.)

It’s Easy to be Green

Along with using apps, there are many little things you can do to celebrate and help save the Earth:

• Join the Earth Day Network and be part of the largest environmental movement worldwide.
• Celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd . . . and every day.
• Buy reusable bags and use a refillable water bottle.