25 Essential Green Tools, Apps and Resources
Part 2 in a 4 Part Series: Your 100-Item Guide to the Green Web
Image via Rhett Maxwell
From the green browser to great green blogs, helpful widgets to handy directories, the “green web” is growing fast and anyone interested in gleaning green information online can find a wealth of eco-friendly websites, databases and applications. Start with these 25 green tools, applications and resources but don’t stop here – this is just the beginning. Feel free to add more links in the comments!
Tools
Widgetbox has an extremely handy paper calculator that assesses the environmental impact of any print job, from cards to resumes to brochures and more.
The Vehicle Eco Calculator takes everything into account: carbon impact, ROI, cost, fuel efficiency and more.
EcoImpact is an all-encompassing widget that is practically made of awesome. Toggle to food, office, building and more to determine the eco-footprint of a number of activities. Embeddable.
Gil Friend has put together a Squidoo lens of virtually every carbon calculator on the web. Recommended:
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has a simple, handy calculator that looks at the impact of food, transportation, work and other important indices.
Low Impact Living has a terrific home calculator that estimates the carbon footprint of your house.
The Environmental Protection Agency also has provided a comprehensive carbon calculator that takes a number of important factors into account and offers helpful resources for further information.
TerraPass has everything you need to make your airline travel a little more green. Offset flights and much more, and see how many trees get planted. Even with increases in airfare, carbon offsets are inexpensive. It’s not completely greening your travel – only staying home does that – but it does help.
Image via Randy Son of Robert
Plastic water bottles are one of the worst things for the environment. Bottled water is simply unnecessary in the United States, where tap water is so safe. Opt for an at-home filtration system and forgo bottled water entirely to reduce your carbon footprint. Here’s a great water filter comparison.
The Home Energy Saver is a great DIY home energy audit tool that offers resources for making your home more efficient.
Applications
Get the green browser: eco Flock
If you’re on Facebook you can choose from not one but eight eco-friendly applications. (Look for next week’s post on green social media for more.)
Resources
Earth 911 has everything from recycling center information to carbon calculators to green resources to product reviews and company analysis. A great consumer resource.
Brighter Planet is a linear thinker’s ideal resource. With streamlined, well-organized directions for a number of carbon-impact-related issues, this is a very helpful resource.
Build It Green is a nonprofit dedicated to improving housing standards and reducing sprawl in California. Full of helpful tips for building and retrofitting according to green standards – with links for those outside California as well.
The EcoBroker has real estate agents, affiliates, information, regional resources and much, much more for all things related to eco property management and sales.
The Union of Concerned Scientists is essential reading for anyone interested in learning the truth about global warming and climate change, industry efforts to reduce environmental regulation, lobbying and corruption, and science-by-press-release. Dispelling myths, exposing lies, educating the eco-minded.
Green Drinks is a real-life organization that holds meet-ups internationally (visit the site to see if there’s a Green Drinks chapter in your town). The topic: green. The event: drinks. A good time is had by all. Sign up online – Green Drinks is on Facebook.
EV Rental Cars is a nationwide green and hybrid rental car company. Make reservations online just like you would air travel.
Local Harvest has a comprehensive online map that helps you to find local, organic farmers, farmers’ markets and CSAs (community supported agriculture) in your area.
The Agricultural Marketing Service offers a complete national guide to farmers’ markets and co-ops for the United States.
The world-famous Monterey Bay Aquarium offers Seafood Watch, regional safe seafood guides that are downloadable.
For all the commiserating about China, the state of California alone emits more carbon dioxide. Learn about global comparisons you may not have known before with this interactive map resource that covers everything from poverty to fuel to resources to food.
EcoFlip is classifieds gone green. Everything you’d find on Craigslist or Freecycle, but green!
Green search is everywhere. Choose your green cause, your preferred search engine, and your topic – there are dozens of excellent green search options listed in the WebEcoist green search engine roundup.
How about green web hosting? Treehugger has a long list of reputable green hosting solutions.
More helpful links:
There’s so much more to the green web. Find more tools and resources at these trusted sites:
CNET’s online tools for offline green living and eco-friendly downloads.
More green tools than you can shake a vetiver reed at.
Mashable’s incredibly detailed list of 80+ sites, blogs, resources, tools, calculators and more.
25 of the Best Green Blogs and News Websiites
25 of the Best Green Web Tools, Applications and Resources
Great post. I’m really enjoying this series.
Don’t forget Search Green Travel , where you can save the environment just by searching for cheap plane tickets. We created it as an easy way to make your travels more eco-friendly.