According to NASA, 17 out of the 18 warmest years on record have all occurred since 2001 and carbon dioxide levels in the air are at their highest in 650,000 years. These statistics are daunting as climate change worsens every year. Luckily, mobile apps are able to help with environmental awareness and to fight global warming. Whether it’s an app for tracking air quality, pollution or water consumption, smartphone technology allows people to play their part in helping to save the planet. These apps contain functions like promoting greener lifestyles, tips about cutting down on CO2 emissions as well as other steps to becoming more eco-friendly.
Types of Environmental Awareness Apps and Their Features
Do you have a passion for helping the environment and bringing to light more awareness about climate change? Maybe creating a mobile app in this industry is right for you! Below we mention different features and the types of environmental apps you can choose to develop whether it’s monitoring and tracking carbon footprints, waste and recycling tips or personal water usage, take your pick!
Monitoring Carbon Footprints
- Incorporating carbon footprint calculators to see how actions in everyday life can affect climate change.
- Giving users the ability to monitor their carbon footprint progress.
- Questionnaires to determine a user’s personal and unique carbon score to understand how much CO2 they are producing. Users can then change their lifestyle accordingly such as lowering electricity consumption or using public transportation more often.
- A social media sharing option can allow users to post their carbon scores and see how they rank against their peers and family. This can give users an incentive to challenge themselves to get as close to zero carbon emissions as possible.
- Users can earn rewards, points and badges as they improve their carbon footprint and do their part to help save the planet.
- An environmental awareness app can provide personalized tips to users on how they can lower their impact on the environment and use resources more efficiently.
- Providing localized content can help users to discover sustainable initiatives near them.
- Users can compete in challenges to see who can be the greenest and most sustainable.
Garbage and Recycling
- A search tool providing information on how to sort different items like with plastics, glass and cardboard.
- Providing garbage and recycling collection schedules (users can set alerts as reminders).
- Providing the locations of nearby depots where people can safely get rid of any hazardous waste.
- Providing a map of locations and centres where people can donate different items like clothing or furniture.
Tracking Water Usage
- Tracking and managing personal water use.
- Leak alerts for avoiding waste and high water bills.
- Ability to compare usage to other neighbours.
- Ability to set and reach water goals as well as track progress.
Examples of Apps Providing Environmental Awareness
After reading up on some of the different features you can incorporate into an environmental awareness mobile app, take a look at some popular and successful examples using these functions.
Carbon: Knowing your Carbon Footprint
According to the team: “Everything we do has an effect on the planet. Research shows that we’re causing devastating damage to the planet by releasing extravagant amounts of CO2 gas into the atmosphere. The only way to jump-start the solution is to take matters into your own hands. Carbon is a good start! Our aim is to inform and inspire people to minimize the carbon emissions caused by their energy use. You might not see it, but thousands of pounds of CO2 are being released into the air when you use energy in your home or drive your car to work every day.”
Fun Fact: Guaraná is very proud to have worked on this app!
Apple App Store
Toronto Waste: Sorting Waste, Garbage and Recycling
According to the team: “The official City of Toronto TOwaste app provides you with access to your collection schedule, the Waste Wizard sorting tool and drop-off depot and donation locations right from your phone or tablet.
Key features of the app include:
- Waste Wizard: the City’s quick and easy search tool with information on how to properly sort over 2,000 items
- Collection schedules and the ability to set reminders and opt-in for alerts about service changes. Never miss your garbage or recycling day again!
- Drop-off depots or donation center locations.
The TOwaste app will help you figure out what waste items go where what bins to put out on which day and where you can donate items or dispose of other items such as household hazardous waste.”
Fun Fact: Guaraná is proud to have worked on this app!
Apple App Store
Google Play Store
Dropcountr: Water Usage Awareness
According to the team: “Dropcountr connects people and their water utilities on the mobile devices they use every day. Dropcountr is available and convenient to customers of participating utilities on any device or desktop computer. On average, users save about 9% in monthly water use – give Dropcountr a try today to save water, time and money.”
Apple App Store
Google Play Store
Oroceco: Helping to Solve Climate Change
According to the team: “Oroeco makes it fun, easy and rewarding for everyone to help solve climate change. Here’s how Oroeco empowers you (and all your friends) to become a Climate Hero: See how every aspect of your life connects to climate change, from your home energy and transportation decisions to your diet, shopping and entertainment choices.
Automatically track the climate impacts of how you spend your money with the world’s most powerful carbon footprint calculator. Save money and the planet with personalized tips and actions on how you can lower your impact on the environment. View your carbon offsets from award-winning clean cookstove projects. Compare, collaborate and compete with your friends, family and neighbors. Level up to earn badges and Climate Champion status for doing your part for the planet.”
Apple App Store
Google Play Store
JouleBug: Finding New Ways to Go Green
According to the team: “JouleBug is the easy way to make your everyday habits more sustainable, at home, work, and play. Discover how you and your friends can use resources, without using them up, with this newly designed app. JouleBug organizes sustainability tips into Actions that you Buzz in the app when you do them in real-life. Learn more about each tip with easy-to-understand Impact Stats, Bonuses, How-To Videos, and Helpful Links.
Encourage your friends by sharing how you’re making a difference and following what they’re up to in the Feed. Join local Communities for the latest sustainable news, limited-edition Actions and Badges, plus get access to local Challenges. Track your impact with your career stats and fill your Trophy Case. Save money, have fun, and be a little kinder to the planet, with JouleBug!”
Apple App Store
Google Play Store
Even though climate change continues to worsen, mobile development has allowed smartphone users to become more aware of what is happening in the environment around them. Even the smallest actions like tracking water usage and monitoring electricity consumption can help improve carbon footprints. If you have an exceptional environmental awareness app idea in mind, be sure to contact us so we can assist you in the development process!
