April 22nd marks Earth Day across the globe, and it's essential we play our roles in demonstrating support and preventing environmental destruction.
With the world in a state of quarantine, outdoor activities may have come to a halt. Despite this, there are multiple ways you can commemorate this occasion from your mobile phones.
Here are the five best apps to help you celebrate Earth Day by initiating an eco-friendly lifestyle and creating a sustainable environment.
1. Ecosia
Ecosia is just like any other search engine: it allows you to browse through the web and search for content. It gains all of its revenue from search ads.
What sets Ecosia apart is the fact that all of its profits are directed toward planting trees in areas where greenery is scarce and its need is excessive. All you have to do to plant a tree is use Ecosia to search the web.
Ecosia has strict privacy policies in place to protect all your data. It also publishes monthly financial reports and tree-planting receipts on its website to ensure authenticity. Its reputation remains undisputed since Ecosia has been featured in prominent publications like Forbes and The Guardian.
As of right now, Ecosia is planting millions of trees across the globe every month. Furthermore, its servers run only on renewable energy, consequently removing around 1 kilogram of CO2 from the atmosphere per search.
Make sure you plant some trees this Earth Day by downloading the Ecosia app and searching the web.
Download: Ecosia for iOS | Android (Free)
2. Too Good To Go
On average, 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted globally every year, while 40 percent of consumable food in the US is discarded. Too Good To Go is a startup aiming to decrease these numbers and preserve the environment.
Too Good To Go claims to be the world's number one app to counter food wastage by ensuring it reaches potential consumers at economical prices.
Restaurants, bakeries, supermarkets, and all types of food-based businesses across 15 countries are in the app's directory. Most of these entities are forced to throw away food on a daily basis due to lack of time or minor defaults. The app connects you to your nearest food company or store where you can pick up a magic bag of food.
All you need to do is open the app, place your order and collect your meal. Can't find your order? The app has a built-in map to help you find your way and locate similar stores nearby. You can create a favorites list for future use and share meals with your friends and family.
Enjoy an eco-friendly meal on Earth Day knowing you've contributed to helping the planet.
Download: Too Good To Go for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)
3. Grove Collaborative
Grove Collaborative started out as a small startup by a group of three friends and now has more than 2 million users. The app strives to provide healthier alternatives to essential items required in the household and advocates for a sustainable lifestyle.
The app sells eco-friendly items such as vitamins, bathroom essentials, and cleaning supplies at an economical rate. All their products are 100 percent cruelty-free, and Grove Collaborative aims to be completely plastic-free by 2025.
You can customize your cart while shopping on the app, browse through VIP events, get reminders for new releases, and re-stock items. Grove also offers a subscription that lets you customize an order to a specific frequency. If you need a detergent every month, Grove automatically adds it to your cart at a set time.
The best part is, along with extremely economical prices, Grove gives free gifts and free shipping on your first order with them.
Every shipment is carbon neutral and devoid of plastic. If you don't like an order, its refund policy is highly flexible and lets you return a product immediately.
Download: Grove Collaborative for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)
4. Recycle Coach
This app has a variety of tools and features to promote recycling and to lead residents, municipalities, and workplaces toward improved recycling plans. It is currently used by over 6 million people worldwide.
Here are some of the services offered by Recycle Coach:
- Knowledge is power and Recycle Coach has incorporated that by creating educational tools with detailed instructions. These tools teach you how to recycle correctly, learn helpful tips and tricks and read fun facts, all at home.
- Its personalized Calendar lets you set your recycling goals and plan ahead for the year while staying updated on any recycling events that might be taking place in the community.
- If you find litter across the streets of your community or broken bins and a lack of supplies, you can report it to your municipality and get it resolved.
Download: Recycle Coach for iOS | Android (Free)
5. AirVisual
Unlike other weather apps, AirVisual is the first app of its kind that provides accurate data on real-time air pollution across the globe. It currently functions in over 80 countries and 10,000 cities.
You can use this app to receive accurate data and health advice to protect yourself from air pollutants. The temperature and humidity sensors help you plan outdoor activities and schedule ahead of time.
Analytical data in the form of graphs help you interpret trends in air quality in a particular area.
This app is especially useful for people with pulmonary diseases such as asthma or bronchitis. It offers a "Sensitive Group" of Air Quality Information that gives you all the necessary data and forecasts relevant to anyone sensitive to toxic air quality.
Download: AirVisual for iOS | Android (Free)
Celebrate Earth Day and Adopt a Sustainable Lifestyle
There are tons of ways you can contribute towards a greener Earth with minimal effort. In fact, most eco-friendly alternatives are more beneficial than what is typically incorporated into our lives.
These apps will help you develop recycling habits, encourage the use of healthier products, increase climate awareness, diminish the impacts of food wastage, and even plant multiple trees with a touch of your screen.