Five Green Apps for the Home that Every Tree-hugger Should Download

Easy, free apps that help you do things like eliminate junk mail to greening up your shopping cart

After returning from CES and being totally wowed by the plethora of green technology, I was inspired to seek out some green app’s that would solve some of my basic everyday pet peeves. Here are five apps that all tree-huggers should have on their phones.

PaperKarma – Why I didn’t find this app sooner? I don’t know, but finally I have found my solution to getting rid of the pounds of physical junk mail that end up in my mailbox. After downloading the app, you simply scan in the return label and hit unsubscribe. If we all downloaded and used this app, we could help reduce the 69 million tons of paper we use each year in the U.S., the most tossed away item ending up in our landfills.

GoodGuide – Looking for a way to green up your shopping cart? This app could be dangerous (in a good way). Have you found yourself in a grocery store aisle contemplating which product is greener or healthier for you? I always end up in this predicament in the cleaning aisle but now have a tool to guide my purchasing decisions. Ends up my preferred brand isn’t as green as I thought. I’ll be switching to the another brand moving forward thanks to the app’s easy “Alternative Products” tab, which provides you with better options.

iRecycle – Moving to a new town does have a few disadvantages, one of those being not knowing where everything is located. With the help of this app, I now can easily search based on the items I’m needing to recycle and find drop-off locations. I love the extensive list of items included in this app — anything from paint thinner to linoleum. So for all those DIYers who are scratching their heads trying to figure out where to dump that construction material you just pulled out of the house, this app is for you.

Light Bulb Finder – We all know by now that energy efficient light bulbs save us money by using less energy, but I’ve always wondered exactly how much. Contemplate no more thanks to this app, which helps you understand the savings you’d receive per light by switching over to a LED or CFL bulb.

Think Dirty – Ladies, worry about all those products you’re putting on your skin and in your hair? Or maybe you haven’t thought about the toxicity contained in your beauty regime? This app, similar to GoodGuide, allows you to scan in the barcode of a product to learn about the ingredients in personal care products and provides you with a “Dirty Meter” rating. What I learned is that I need to do a better job selecting my hair care products since my Dirty Meter rating was through the roof. Yikes! Luckily the app also has a “You May Also Like” tab with suggested products that are less dirty.

Athena Snow

Senior Manager, Public Relations & Giving for Coldwell Banker. Grew up in Sarasota and attended college at Western Carolina University. Athena wanted to wake up in that city that doesn’t sleep so headed to Madison Avenue to start her marketing career. She has been with this awesome brand for more than 15 years and can be found generating buzz about CB in every way possible. Athena helps to grow the brand’s position as the most storied real estate company within the industry and has led many high-profile endeavors; she was at the forefront of the brand’s pioneering smart home campaign, raised $6 million in two years to build 130 Habitat for Humanity homes, and led the Homes for Dogs program in partnership with Adopt-a-Pet.com that resulted in tens-of-thousands of dogs finding their furever home. She currently leads the CB Supports St. Jude program, which encourages the Coldwell Banker network’s 96,000+ real estate agents to make donations to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital for every real estate transaction they represent. In her spare time, you can find her either digging up a new area in her yard for another flower bed or planning her next travel adventure. She's the proud mom of three cats Jolene, Ziggy and Lucy.