Green Apps for the Tech Savvy

Nowadays there’s an app for everything. There even happens to be many apps for the ecologically conscious, some of which are better than others. Let’s take a look at some green apps that are particularly useful and which you may have missed.

Green Genie is a super useful app for people who may not be eco-experts. The app provides tips on how to improve the environment and also includes a plastics directory, which deciphers the meaning behind those plastic numbers stuck on the bottom of plastic containers. Green Genie also suggests eco-friendly projects that recycle materials, like transforming the material of defunct garage door openers into some other useful gadgets.

GoodGuide also provides green tips but is more in-depth than Green Genie and capable of more sophisticated operations. For example, you can use the app at the store to scan bar codes and the app determines how environmentally friendly a product is. The database of information is huge; they have data on more than 50,000 products and they rate products in multiple areas.

Other apps have much more specific, albeit useful, purposes. The Light Bulb Finder app was one of the winners of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s “Apps for the Environment Challenge.” The Light Bulb Finder app is quite nifty and works by using zip code prompts and lighting information to direct users to light bulbs that would be more energy efficient, ultimately minimizing damage to the environment and saving the consumer money.

The Apps for the Environment Challenge also acknowledged Hootroot as a runner up for the Best Overall App. Hootroot works like Google Maps but takes into account factors like carbon footprints, so you know what kind of impact your excursion will have on the environment. Hootroot differs from the other apps in that it doesn’t require installation and can simply be accessed via hootroot.com.

What are some of your favorite green apps? Let us know in the comments below!

Chris Keenan is a green and general blog writer. He writes for many sites including his personal food blog.
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