Green Living Archives - Page 8 of 12

Saving Our Planet: There’s an App for That

Along with the increasing popularity of Smartphones, apps are continuously being developed to assist with everything from sticking to a diet to acing examination.

Therefore, it would seem to be no surprise that a number of apps have been developed to help individuals and businesses conduct themselves in a greener, more sustainable manner. Apps are available for both Android and iOS powered devices and are frequently either very inexpensive or entirely free of charge.

Green Outlet

If you are tired of paying out big bucks to the electric company every month, the Green Outlet app may be just the ticket. This iOS app allows you to make a rough prediction of your monthly bill, and indicates which appliances are the likely culprits for excess energy usage. However, the app does not include a calculator for natural gas appliances. The app can be downloaded for 99 cents US from the Apple iTunes App Store.

Plastic Analyzer

The Plastic Analyzer app allows you to determine what kinds of plastic you are using by conducting a search for the plastic identification code. The app then indicates what products are included in the plastic object or bag and informs you of whether the plastic is recyclable. The Plastic Analyzer App is available free of charge for Android, iOS and Windows 7 powered mobile devices.

7 Ways to Go Green This Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time for food, family and tradition. If you’d like to introduce some new, eco-friendly customs this holiday, there are plenty of opportunities to go green while celebrating one of the biggest events of the year. Here are some simple ideas to reduce waste and save a little money – all while showing your gratitude to Mother Earth:

Reduce and Use Leftovers

According to U.S. News & World Report, families waste nearly 25 percent of all food prepared on Thanksgiving. That’s a lot of good food ending up in the trash. When planning your meal, consider cutting out those dishes you feel you have to serve but that no one eats. For example, if you consistently toss the cranberry sauce each year, leave it off the menu. This will save you time and money, and eliminate waste. Plan to reuse leftovers throughout the week in turkey sandwiches or stew.

Research if local food banks will accept donations. Not only will donating food help those in need, but the practice will also teach your family about the value of giving.

Best green apps for your Smartphone

There are more green apps than you may think. Apparently, apps on how to be green or related to green matters are a bigger deal than usual. It is probably not a sign that people are going to give up their cars for bicycles and stop eating Brazilian beef, but an interest in green matters is better than nothing.

It was difficult to compile a list of the best green apps because there is such diversity, plus there are a lot of good ones. Nevertheless, here is a list of some the many good ones.

Seasons (iPhone)

This is an app that tells you if seasonal foods are currently in. It is really nice when you have things such as apples that were grown down the road instead of coming from Spain. This app will tell you when your countries foods are currently in. You will find that your local supermarkets even have these foods in stock.

Good Guide (iPhone)

This is a rather nice app for finding out how green and ethical your current products are. It has over 70,000 products and gives you some very interesting and worrying facts, such as how a bag of cement is responsible for its own weight in CO2 emissions. It is a vital app to have for people who actually care.