Best 10 Apps To Help You Live More Sustainably

While we enjoy apps on our beloved mobile devices, we can’t forget that they are themselves an unsolved problem in the field of sustainability. The energy necessary to keep our worldwide digital mobile system alive, is soon set to have a larger carbon footprint than the entire aviation industry. So, while we try to support alternative solutions to this aspect, let’s use our mobile devices to follow a more mindful and healthy lifestyle and get the best out of them.

Never forget that every change needs patience and time: be kind to yourself and to the ones around you who may have different habits than you. 

In this guide we have chosen the best apps to help you live more sustainably within different categories. In our daily life, sustainability is mirrored in the way we consume food, our choice of products (food, clothes, beauty) that define us as end-consumer, the way we move around and travel, the waste that we produce and the little help that we may be able to send out for a better sustainable development. If you want to read more about sustainable lifestyle and how to get there: check out our last articles here. 

Food

OLIO brings back a sense community that was getting lost in our fast and busy days in the city, while fighting food waste. On this platform users can offer and find food from other members. If you bought too much food because of hungry-grocery shopping, and forgot that you were leaving tomorrow for two weeks to visit your family, OLIO is your best friend, and the planet will be grateful. 

Too Good To Go (:End Food Waste) is another platform to fight food waste, one the biggest challenges of our time, but it addresses restaurants, bakeries and supermarktes. Ready to collect food is made available for 3-5 $/€/£, great food that would otherwise go to waste. Your pocket and your planet will thank you! 

Buying & Selling 

Good On You does their own research on worldwide fashion brands, and determines ethical grades. You can write the name of the brand you are interested in, and see how they are doing in terms of sustainability on a 5 points scale. Our suggestion: in your sustainable fashion shopping, stay away from anything under: “great”. We found some labels under the rating: “it’s a start”, that still have a long way towards ethical fashion. This platform creates the ranking based on the criteria of labour conditions, environmental effect, and animal usage.

Depop is a great way to re-vamp your closet, without having to worry about finding the right sustainable brands and spending too much money. A classic second-hand market! Sometimes a new start is just the right thing to do, selling some old clothes bounded to heavy memories will make other people happy, and will free some space in your clothes for new memories and styles.

On the go 

Tap tells you where you can refill your water bottle while you’re a tourist in a new city, or just going to the park with your dog. Plastic waste has just became unsustainable at this point, and this app will help you spare a lot of plastic bottles in thirsty moments, you just need to know in which direction to walk and stay hydrated. We love it because they also offer a lot of information on plastic waste on their sites, check it out!

HappyCow is every vegan traveller’s best friend. A great platform to find vegan, vegetarian or vegan-friendly places to eat everywhere in the world. Once you have it, you won’t make it without, even in your own city. Trust us! 

Community & Freetime 

JouleBug is a funny way to live sustainability as a challenge and learn a lot out of it.  On this user-friendly platform you will earn points and achievement for your sustainable and simple daily actions and go higher in the score with other members of your community. Challenge your family to waste separation and recycling, and in the end…everybody wins.

Bikemap simply contains more than three million kilometers of cycle route; be it for your Sunday activity, holiday in the nature, or just daily ride to work. Zero emission, physical activity, and this app that makes it extra easy. 

Gardenia is there to help the helpless lovers of plants who can’t seem to keep them alive. Growing some greens in your home will improve your energy as well as a lot of many other little things on a daily basis. You just need to know which plant is right for you, and how to take care of it. This app will guide you, just let it.

Sustainable Development

Oroeco calculates your daily carbon footprint. If there is some habits that may need some adjustment to let you be more comfortable with your impact in the world, this app will show you, and you’ll know how to get better following its advices. The carbon footprint is calculated based on electricity consumption, transport, food and leisure activities.

Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, always with you and up-to-date. With this app you can get informed and check out news and projects aimed to reach the UN’s SDGs, you can learn how to contribute and design your own initiatives. Get curious, informed and creative! This are the innovations that will bring us change. 

Best Paid App

We fell in love with FOREST and couldn’t leave it out of our list. You should know that it’s not for free in stores, though. This app is designed to keep you away from your phone, and we find it just as genius as it get can get. You will learn about healthy phone habits, and you can do it while working, learning, or spending quality time with your friends. In the meantime, using your virtual engagement, FOREST will plant actual trees through the partner organization Trees for the Future. They already counted 565,788 planted trees. The design is beautiful and will stimulate your focus and relax. Download it, and enjoy being present for the important things in your life!