Best Green iPhone Apps

There are now iPhone apps and iPad apps to help consumers with just about everything these days. These simple applications make life easier for many people by offering weather updates, travel information, coupons, shopping tips, maps, directions, bank information, and so much more. There are also several “green,” or eco-friendly iPhone apps now available in the Apple store that offer daily green tips, provide advice on where to shop, and even help calculate a family’s carbon footprint.

When it comes to applications that are geared towards the environment, it is sometimes hard to tell whether a company produces the application merely for the sake of helping the planet and consumers or for the sake of marketing. There are several eco-friendly applications that are put out by corporations and businesses solely for the sake of increasing their profits, but there are also plenty of others that can be a big benefit for shoppers and decrease the environmental impact of families everywhere.

Some of the best eco-friendly iPhone apps are those that have been around the longest. Being on the market for a longer period of time means that there has been plenty of time for “bugs” to be fixed, and that developers are able to make the applications more effective and more beneficial to users. Here are the top five green iPhone apps currently on the market:

This application was formerly known as 3^rd Whale, and was one of the first green applications to hit the iTunes store. Produced by 3^rd Whale Mobile, the application enables consumers to find healthy and sustainable businesses near them in a matter of seconds. The GPS-enabled service provides maps and directions, as well as a listing of all environmentally-friendly businesses within a geographical area. Health food stores, yoga centers, bicycle shops, garden centers, and organic restaurants are all included in the Find Green database. The app can be purchased from the iTunes store or downloaded directly to any iPhone. The Find Green app is also available as an Android application.

Produced by Progressive Network Solutions, this application allows consumers everywhere to locate fresh fruits and vegetables from local and organic farmers near them. The What's Fresh application has an attractive, simple, and easy-to-use interface. Users can either search by location or enter a specific type of food that they are looking for. The application also breaks down searches by “fresh” and “hothouse” varieties of fruits and vegetables, and an interactive “fresh map” is also offered. What’s Fresh can be purchased through iTunes for $0.99.

Offered by Clear Standards, the Carbon Tracker iPhone app allows users to track emissions and chart their carbon footprint. This green app was designed to provide consumers with a clearer understanding of their personal impact on the environment. Using the GPS-enabled feature, the application tracks distances and modes of transportation based on inputted data for each personal, recreational, or business trip. Carbon Tracker is a free application that can be downloaded through the iTunes store.

Serving as a combination of both applications above, Shop Green allows consumers to calculate their carbon footprint and earn rewards redeemable at local businesses. The application uses CO2 calculators for many different types of activities and items purchased, based on data entered by users. Daily tips for recycling, reducing emissions, transportation, saving energy, and shopping are also offered. Efforts at reducing individual environmental impact translate into “eco-bank” rewards that can them be redeemed for special offers and discounts at several local retailers and restaurants. The application was designed by Viral Mesh, and is available through iTunes for $0.99.

Created by Webworks and Applications, Inc., the Go Green iPhone app offers daily tips and advice for reducing emissions, saving energy, shopping, and transportation through an attractive, easy-to-navigate interface. A new tip is provided each time that the user visits the app, and favorite tips can be saved to a green list. Go Green is a free application available for download through iTunes.