The map of free water in the new iTunes app

by Sofia Lorenzini

Among the thousands kinds of iTunes apps, every now and then you can find one designed for the environment, as well as for ourselves and our pockets. The new app for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad can be downloaded from the iTunes Store, and it allows you to find the closest free drinking fountains.

The interactive map, after finding our location, indicates us the distribution points closer to us, reachable by foot or car.
The app, downloadable for 0.79 euros, is called “Free Water in Italy – Find the closest fountain!” and was developed by Daniele Antonietti, who explains: "The idea was born when we knew that some mayors wanted to close the drinking fountains. With Free water we'd like to form a circle of people who fight for this right. People from many sectors are adding up (from cycling, to dog lovers or those who are involved with the environment)".

So far more than 10,000 drinking fountains have been uploaded in the map, both in large and small cities, and there's an additional possibility to improve the service by customers, reporting the missing points of interest through a special section of the app. Users use this service constantly and willingly.  

Free water in Italy has already been translated into English, French, German, Spanish and Japanese, and it tries to spread its voice through the major social networks, from Facebook to Twitter, where it has its main page that you can follow for updates and the chance to win copies of the app. Unfortunately Daniele Antonietti said that he didn't always find people willing to post the link to the app on their websites.  

At the Free water launch, it was in second place among the most downloaded and appreciated apps in the travel category, now it has about 300 users who use it about 20 times a day. Reviews from customers are good, with positive comments about the functionality of the app and its economical benefits.  

 The app aims at fulfilling the dual function of saving money, avoiding to buy expensive bottles of water, and at the same time saving the environment from useless plastic. The app description says: "Why to promote environmental pollution with plastic bottles? Why a tourist would have to pay 3 euros for a bottle of water in the middle of a big city?". But the users resulted to be more interested in the environmental aspect rather than the economic one, as reported by Daniele Antonietti: "Users are not interested in the financial aspect of the app, but rather in the environmental and social ones."

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Green apps for green users

by Anna de Polo

Among the multitude of apps available for anyone has a Smartphone there must be, of course, the green ones. More or less useful, more or less enjoyable, they are surely to download, at least for giving it a try, or because we want to feel green before actually being so. Yes, because nowadays the apps we have on our phones tell a lot about our personality and our lifestyle. As to say “tell me what apps you have and I’ll tell you who you are”. Or who you want to be.

So, if you want to give a green touch to your set of apps, you may start with the mother of all the eco-friendly apps: EcoApps. Free of charge, available for both iPhone and Android systems, it updates the users every time a new eco app becomes available. Alternatively, you can have a look on the web, where many lists of green apps are available to consult.

To set order among the several apps on the market, we can divide them into three categories. The first one includes the apps that calculate the ecological footprint of the user, usually on the basis of the distance covered and the mean of transport used, such as Green Brief, Carbon Track, Green Meter and UNEP Carbon Calculator. The last one, in particular, stands out among the others because, besides its enjoyable graphic layout, it illustrates the role that terrestrial and marine ecosystems play in storing greenhouse gases. Particular relevance is given to the coastal ecosystems, such as mangrove forests, seagrass meadows and saltwater marshlands, which as underlined by the BLU Carbon concept, act as carbon sink for the atmospheric carbon. Besides calculating our own ecological footprint, it’s also possible to get advices on “what can I do to help”, including buying sustainable seafood. By following the related link it’s possible to access the portal of another app, Seafood Watch, developed by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which provides information on where to buy or consume fish and sushi caught or farmed in a sustainable way. Unfortunately this app at present is available only for the States, but we can hope that it’ll be soon extended to the European countries, given its potential usefulness.

The second group of apps, such as GoodGuide, Go Green and Green Power, provides advices regarding how to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle and, at the same time, save up money. Green Power, for example, available only for Android system, allows increasing the life of the battery, thanks to the energy saving.

The third category of apps updates and informs the users about environmental topics. Particularly interesting is SkepticalScience, conceived for confuting the scepticism surrounding climate change. Based on a popular Australian blog, it contains data, surveys, graphs and interesting links about the topic.

Now you just have to download and launch one (or more) of these apps, mostly free of charge, thus making more room for the environment in your everyday life.

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