The Best Apps to Help You Live More Sustainably

Sustainable living apps are a great resource if you’re looking to live a more eco-friendly and sustainable life. You can use them to track your carbon footprint, offset your air miles, pick up gardening tips and help save an item from landfill. But there are a lot of them out there. I’ve whittled down my selection of the best apps to help you live more sustainably, to help you on your journey in living a more eco-friendly life.

Olio, The Food Sharing App

I’ve recently discovered Olio and it’s one of my favourite sustainable living apps. Olio has grown from operating in just 5 North London postcodes to shares in over 50 countries. The app connects neighbours and local businesses to one another, in order to share food and other items. All completely for free. So if you have spare home-grown fruit and vegetables, extra milk that won’t be drunk before you go on holiday, or even clothes and toiletries, you can share them on Olio. Simply post the item on the app and then arrange a contact-free delivery. Earn badges, become a Digital Ambassador (like me), chat to other users in the forum and complete sustainable goals set by the team too. (Image Credit: Annabel Staff)

Ecosia, The Search Engine That Plants Trees

I couldn’t suggest Ecosia more if you’re looking for a sustainable living app. They’re a search engine that does their bit for the planet. Whenever you search the web, they plant a tree. How? Well, Ecosia uses the revenue generated by their search ads and invest it in planting trees around the world. Since it began in 2009, Ecosia and it’ users have helped plant over 100 million trees. They’ve even built their own solar energy plant too. So by downloading their app, you too can do your bit. What’s more, the app is completely free to download and use.

Too Good To Go, Join the Food Waste Movement

Have you ever wondered what happens to the food leftover at restaurants, cafes or supermarkets? Do the staff take it? Is it donated? Or is it thrown away? Unfortunately, it’s the latter, as 1/3 of food produced is wasted. To help combat this issue a group of entrepreneurs from across Europe set up Too Good To Go in 2016. This sustainable app helps you find food in your local area to rescue. You get delicious food at subsidised prices and leave knowing you’ve saved completely edible food from being thrown away. It’s been used by 3.2 million people so far and over 4 thousand businesses have joined in a bid to reduce their food waste. I’ve had some great meals from Yo Sushi and Planet Organic. And have missed magic bags from my local supermarket, bakeries and food markets too.

Refill, Free Refill Station On A Street Near You

It’s so frustrating when you’re out and about, with your reusable water bottle, but can’t find anywhere to fill up. That’s where Refill comes in. They’re a great app for finding refill water stations near you. Simply launch the app, type in your location and voila! And if you come across a refill station that doesn’t appear on the app, you can add this to help other users too. There are over 18,000 spots nationwide and by the end of 2019, they saved over 100 million plastic bottles! When you switch to a reusable water bottle and use Refill, you’ll be supporting their City to Sea campaign, which helps to keep oceans and waterways pollution-free. (Image Credit: Refill)

Vinted, Join The Pre-Loved Fashion Community

Vintage and second-hand clothing apps are a great option if you’re looking to buy and sell clothes online. You get to purchase a new outfit, whilst knowing that you’ve saved an item from landfill. Vinted is the perfect app for your second-hand online shopping. It’s a simple app to use, plus there are zero selling fees. So any money you make is completely your own. There are tonnes of fashion apps out there, so it’s totally down to personal preference which one you use. But Vinted would 100% be my recommendation when it comes to sustainable fashion apps. (Image Credit: Vinted)

So if you’re looking to live a more sustainable life, these apps can definitely help you on your way. If you have any suggestions for eco-friendly apps or those apps that help you reduce waste please let me know. Just drop your suggestions in the comments.

Until next time.