According to the official website of the UN Environmental Programme, “sustainable living means understanding how our lifestyle choices impact the world around us and finding ways for everyone to live better and lighter.”
At this moment, sustainable living cannot just be a hobby. Necessary steps must be taken by each one of us to reduce our and society’s use of the Earth’s natural resources and replenish them before it’s too late.
Simple choices such as turning off lights and appliances when not in use, using non-plastic water bottles and opting for organic food and other products can lead to a reduction in waste.
One way to do this is by incorporating green living into your day-to-day activities with the help of your smartphone. There are many apps to help people live a more environmentally friendly-life and can reduce the carbon footprint of each user.
Charlotte Mei, a nutritionist and host/presenter who has a passion for sustainability, shares the same sentiment. “Tech is so ingrained in our everyday lives, and in today’s world our phones play a huge part of it! My average daily screen time is seven hours so that says enough. I use my phone as a camera, note taker, personal assistant (Siri is just great), video editor, health tracker…the options are never ending. Not to mention, there is an app for everything! When it comes to building a new habit, apps are so useful in keeping you entertained through gamification or shaping your environment by sending reminders. For those taking steps towards a more sustainable lifestyle, these apps are a great way to start! I would even suggest putting one of them on the first page of your homescreen to remind you to check in regularly.”
If you’re ready to kickstart your sustainable journey, read on.
Here are some iOS and Android apps that can help in leading a sustainable lifestyle
iHuerting Start
Keep your gardening game strong with this app. All that an urban farmer needs to do is add the names of the plants and vegetables growing in their garden to the app, which then sends alerts about when to water them, fertilisation techniques and pest prevention treatment.
Additionally, the app also shares recipes using ingredients grown in the garden, which aids users in following a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle.
Download on Apple App Store
Sustainable Development Goals
In an attempt to highlight sustainable development goals (SDGs), this app provides the world’s to-do list to alleviate poverty, combat climate change and reduce inequality.
The app, brought to you by GSMA, lists 17 sustainable development goals and how to achieve them. Users can also personalise the app by choosing the goals important to them and the app sends notifications regarding the same.
Additionally, you can stay updated with the latest sustainable development news from across the globe.
Download on Apple App Store and Google Play Store
Olio
Olio works on the concept of sharing more, caring more and wasting less. Buying new items increases pressure on the environment, including the raw materials used in manufacturing products and the carbon emitted while transporting the final commodities.
To decrease that, the app allows all nearby users to share their things. From giving away extra food to lending or borrowing household items, such as tools, the app has provisions for everything. Its goal is to purchase less.
Download on Apple App Store and Google Play Store
Water Footprint Calculator
The web app calculates the amount of water being used in a household, based on one’s everyday actions. From water flushed down the toilet to daily utilisation in the kitchen, it computes the amount of water used every day and gives useful tips to decrease consumption.
Use the web app
Happy Cow – Vegan Food Near You
A 2018 study has shown that giving up dairy and meat entirely can reduce a person’s carbon footprint by 73 percent. The app shows vegan restaurants near the user, making the transformation to veganism easier.
Download on Apple App Store and Google Play Store
Think Dirty
Think Dirty lets users have a closer look at the ingredients in cosmetic and personal care products. The app helps find eco-friendly and cruelty-free cosmetics and beauty products. It takes the ingredients in the products into consideration and rates the item on the dirty metre, helping users analyse which product to buy.
Download on Apple App Store and Google Play Store
treatsure
Connecting consumers with businesses that have surplus and sustainable food, the app helps to minimise waste and tackle the issue of surplus food from the F&B/hotel buffets and groceries sectors.
Download from Apple App Store or Google Play Store
susGain
Through this app, find eco-conscious stores and recycling points in Singapore, earn points when you follow green habits and convert them into trees.
Download from Apple App Store
Upcircle
Give away your old items or recyclables to the app’s creators who will reuse, recycle or epicycle them. Not just that, you can also discover meaningful initiatives by artists, communities and businesses that keep your trash away from landfills.
Download from Apple App Store
GreenDay: EcoFriendly Shopping
As an alternative to mainstream shopping apps, this marketplace offers the largest selection of credible eco-friendly and sustainably sourced items in Singapore and Malaysia.
From grocery shopping to beauty products and household items such as cleaning products, users can find everything on this sustainable lifestyle app. Its community also offers an opportunity to share and learn more ways to be mindful of the impact you make on the environment.
Download from Apple App Store and Google Play Store
JouleBug
Along with everyday challenges that make saving energy and reducing waste a part of your daily habits, JouleBug also provides sustainability tips to users. These are extremely easy to incorporate into daily life. Additionally, users are rewarded with points and badges each time they log an action such as recycling and refilling a water bottle.
Download it from Apple App Store or Google Play Store
Replenish forests and reduce carbon footprint with these sustainable lifestyle apps
EcoMatcher
This app helps you to plant trees anywhere in the world, or gift a tree to someone on their birthday. You can even see the precise location of your planted tree and message the farmer who’s taking care of it for up-to-date information.
Download from Apple App Store and Google Play Store
Forest – Your Focus Motivation
Forest is a productivity app that helps eliminate digital distractions and enhances productivity in a fun and easy manner.
Users can plant a tree when they need to stay focused, and if they commit to their task, the tree grows; if they can’t resist the temptation to use their phone, their tree dies.
Additionally, Forest works with a real-tree-planting organisation to plant real trees on the behalf of the user, so that they can focus on what’s important in life while striving towards a greener life.
Download from Apple App Store and Google Play Store
Ecosia
You can also plant trees with your searches and reverse the negative community impact by using Ecosia, a search engine with a difference. Like most others, Ecosia makes money from search ads, except they channel their profits to plant new trees where nature and people need them most.
Download from Apple Play Store and Google Play Store
Enjoy educational games with an eco-conscious message
Eco Birds – Quest to Save the Environment & Stop Climate Change
Help the Eco Birds save their homes and environment from being destroyed by deforestation, pollution and oil spills in this highly addictive game. With a focus on the environment, players can increase their score with trees they replant and ‘villains’ they hit.
Download on Apple App Store
Lumino City
Lumino City is a puzzle adventure designed to raise awareness about renewable energy technologies and sustainable practices as an intrinsic part of the game. Almost every puzzle in the game involves the core idea of powering up a location using renewable technologies or exploring a form of self-sufficiency.
Download on Apple App Store
Apple Arcade — Gibbon: Beyond the Trees
Players embark on a journey with a family of gibbons but find themselves lost in a dangerous world. The game deals with challenging but acute environmental topics such as deforestation, poaching and climate change.
Download on Apple App Store
Apple Arcade — Alba: A Wildlife Adventure
This game takes players on an adventure to protect the beauty and nature of a faux Mediterranean island. They can also learn about the different species inhabiting the island.
Download on Apple App Store
Apple Arcade — Beyond Blue
Beyond Blue is a single-player narrative adventure where players explore the mysteries of the ocean through the eyes of Mirai, a deep-sea explorer and scientist. Offering an in-game encyclopaedia, as well as footage from the award-winning documentary Blue Planet II, the game encourages players to learn and reflect on the incredible vastness of the ocean.
Download on Apple App Store
It is important to understand that just downloading an app won’t lead to a more sustainable life. To reverse the pollution and reduce waste produced daily, users will have to inculcate sustainable habits in day-to-day life.
(Main and Feature Image Credit: ready made/Unsplash)
