The care of the environment has become one of the most prevalent concerns today. The human being has spent years using the natural resources that nature offers us and, on the contrary, projecting onto it the consequences , both positive and negative, of his activity and his progress in different areas.
One of the sectors that has experienced the greatest development in the last decades has been the technological one. Every day thousands of devices are produced such as household appliances, televisions, computers, tablets … and, above all, mobile phones, with the negative effects that this entails. What many do not take into account is that technology, well used, can also serve to help care for the environment.
Our mobile phone , for example, can be a great tool when it comes to acquiring good habits , as well as being beneficial for the environment, through different apps that will allow you, among other actions, to save water or energy, recycle , make more sustainable purchases, learn about air quality …
Below, we list some of the most useful mobile applications to help us in this task.
Recycling Guide
It is one of the most important applications in Spanish when it comes to recycling . Created by Ecoembes (one of the most important national organizations in regards to caring for the environment through recycling), it teaches the user to correctly separate organic waste from paper and cardboard, plastic and packaging, glass, the metal … and deposit all of them in the appropriate container .
The app also has a search engine in which the user can search for all kinds of products and instantly know in which container they should be deposited.
This application is available for both Android and iOS .
Mirubee
Recently launched by a Spanish start up , Mirubee allows, by means of a meter that is located in the electrical panel of our home and that connects to the WiFi network, to analyze the electrical consumption of each of the devices that we have at home . This app is perfect for keeping a detailed control of domestic electricity consumption.
In addition, you can configure different alerts and notifications to help you avoid consumption peaks and also receive personalized instructions with which to increase energy efficiency and reduce polluting emissions.
The only drawback of Mirubee is that the meter necessary for the correct operation of the app has a price of € 119. However, those responsible for the application point out that the reduction in the monthly electricity bill can be around 15% .
This app is also compatible with all devices .
Go Green: Carbon Tracker
This is a very interesting application, since it analyzes the carbon footprint that our daily activities produce : from electricity consumption at home, to the use of public or private transport. Thanks to it, the user can know, based on a scale determined by the app itself, if their activities are respectful of the environment .
Once detected the habits with room for improvement, the app itself will offer the user advice and alternatives on how to change some of their habits, acquiring a more sustainable behavior.
Carbon Tracker has a disadvantage, and it is only available for iOS systems .
Plume Air Report
Developed by scientists specialized in atmospheric information , Plume Air Report works similarly to a weather forecast. It allows to know, in real time,
the pollution levels of a specific area . In addition, it predicts how the air quality in that area will evolve in the next 24 hours after consultation. This information can be very useful for the user to decide at what time of the day to carry out some activities, for example, to do physical exercise outdoors, thus breathing purer air.
The app also features historical data analysis and includes a FAQ section and a blog. to understand the state of the atmosphere and thus improve the air you breathe.
This app is compatible with all devices and you can download it here .
Good guide
Good Guide is the perfect app for the most committed, as it analyzes the brands and products we buy and consume and determines if they are healthy, safe, healthy and environmentally responsible .
The operation of the app is very simple. User can scan the barcode of the product through the mobile camera and discover information about the implications of its manufacture and use for both society and the environment.
Download this app, for both Android and iOS , here .
Loss of the night
According to experts, one of the types of pollution of which we are least aware is light pollution , since, unlike the others, it is impossible to see it with the naked eye . However, it has become a real problem for astronomers and astronomy enthusiasts.
The large amount of light emanating from the cities prevents us from observing the stars at night. To raise awareness of this problem, Loss of the night allows us to recognize the levels of light pollution that are reached in certain places and indicates the visibility that the stars have at each point.
This app is only available for iOS .
Liight
This last application is one of the most special. It has been created by a group of Spanish university students and encourages the acquisition of sustainable habits such as recycling or using the bike through incentives. This incentive is Liigths , a virtual currency that is acquired every time we do one of these actions and that can be exchanged for different products and services .
You can download the Android app here .
These applications can help us to become aware of the need to take care of the environment. However, we must be the ones who make the determination to measure our actions to achieve a more pleasant, clean and protected planet among all of us.
