Everyone has a role to play in eco-friendly living. In many cases, widespread participation in green schemes validates them, secures them more funding, and leads to more impactful results.
However, many environmentally-friendly targets governments set can seem vast and overwhelming. The 2030 targets for emissions cuts are now forecasted to be missed in the UK, with many lawmakers and businesses failing to create lasting and substantial change.
Nevertheless, not everything in the green arena is vast and complicated. Even smaller changes to a regular lifestyle can make a difference.
How you use your smartphone is worth thinking about. It’s a multipurpose tool that, when used responsibly, can promote many green benefits. Read on for more on this train of thought.
Repair Benefits
Many people send their smartphones to landfill when faults and damage occur. It can be a rash decision to make.
There are eco-friendly benefits to repairing your smartphone rather than replacing it. As you might expect, these reasonings revolve around resources. After all, a damaged smartphone sent to a poorly managed landfill could mean that toxic chemicals in the device, such as mercury and lead, might potentially pollute water sources. Incineration can also release harmful greenhouse gases and toxins into the air.
Moreover, there’s also the case that landfills are running out of room worldwide. Your smartphone might only take up a tiny portion of landfill space. However, consider how popular these devices are and how easy it is to throw them away at a landfill (which many will do to ensure their devices don’t fall into the wrong hands). If everyone continues to use these areas for such purposes, things will spiral out of control.
Mobile repair services should be consulted instead, as it’s a far more eco-friendly option that skirts around many of the issues highlighted above. Instead of endlessly Googling ‘mobile phone repair near me’ in a frantic search for a rated service, approach Likewize Repair instead. Their experts are fully reliable; they travel to you, and they can be with you on the same day if you book their services early enough. Moreover, they can often fix devices in under an hour. There’s a 12-month warranty once they’re done, too. It’s incredibly convenient and also eco-friendly support!
Work with ‘Closed Loop’ Manufacturers
Sometimes, a smartphone really does need to be replaced. Even if a fault can be repaired, you may decide an upgrade is necessary anyway, and that’s completely valid. Nevertheless, you should still avoid heading to the landfill.
So, it’s worth looking into who you’re dealing with here. If you need to replace your smartphone, get the ball rolling the cleanest and greenest way possible – by working with ‘closed loop’ manufacturers. Research their practices online and decide if your ethics align with theirs.
Some smartphone manufacturers try to create a closed-loop supply chain. They’ll create their products from ethically sourced materials and have technologies to disassemble used smartphones and retrieve and recycle their valuable components. Other manufacturers will undoubtedly be clamouring to follow their example if they’re not already!
So, ideally, try to work with manufacturers that will recycle your old smartphone and replace it with an ethically-sourced iteration. It’s a more common practice than one might presume, and there’s no compromise to be had here – just good clean living!
Make Big Lifestyle Changes with App Support
One should perhaps not be too dependent on smartphone apps. Ideally, it’s good to have some level of self-starting independence.
However, it’s undeniable that certain smartphone apps have helped people lead more organised and focused lifestyles. They can instil a sense of discipline and keep you informed on important matters – especially regarding the environment.
Apps that could help you improve your performance with eco-friendly goals:
- Carpooling apps – These apps allow you to share rides with people in your local area, so long as they’re heading your way. Doing that can help you cut back on emissions.
- Food delivery apps – Many businesses that sell food will adopt green manufacturing practices regarding delivery procedures, organic supplies, handling waste, and improving livestock treatment. Obviously, vegan and vegetarian options will be out there too.
- Recycling apps – There are apps that will help schedule pick-ups from your property for materials you want to be recycled. They can help you locate nearby recycling centres too.
- Energy-saving apps – Some apps can help you control your home’s lighting and temperature remotely and on a timer.
- Electric vehicle apps – These downloads can help you optimise your travel routes and locate charge points for your vehicle.
As you can see, there’s a lot you can get out of green goodness your apps can help you uphold here. Try to think of your device as a dynamic tool that can help you learn eco-friendly best practices and develop a routine around them.
Reduce Paper Usage
People are digitising their lifestyles more and more. Whether it’s for personal or professional benefit, having all your important documentation online is immensely useful in terms of convenience and security.
It also reduces the amount of paper you’re using. Smartphones can be used to browse all your important personal and professional data. The devices can also scan important files and make any edits you see fit. Mobile banking can help you make payments digitally, avoid using paper money, and dodge receiving paper receipts too. It’s worth noting that the latter was branded an ‘environmental nightmare’ in 2018, and though digital payments are more common today, they should hopefully become the default practice sooner rather than later.
Need to create a shopping list? Use the notes app. Are you eager to read a thrilling novel? Explore a host of digital libraries out there and download the texts that interest you for some digital reading.
You may already know of some of these measures, but not everybody draws correlations between digitisation and a significant reduction in paper usage. We all know paper comes from trees, so do your part in trying to save them by using your smartphone for the above purposes.
Promoting Your Eco-Friendly Efforts
All smartphone users can readily access social media. In fact, it’s probably fair to say most people access things like Twitter and Instagram from these devices.
Considering environmental influencers have a strong presence on social media, you could try to follow suit. Of course, you don’t need to become a full-blown viral sensation, but if you can share parts of your eco-friendly journey, your activism at any scale may inspire others and keep people informed.
What products are you buying? Which speakers resonate with your post? Can you reshare anything that’s appealed to you recently? Could you take pictures or video footage of anything you love about nature and its preservation? There are many potential routes to go down here, and they can all be explored and discussed many lifetime’s over with your smartphone.
Green initiatives are a global effort, and there’s a constant conversation around them. Your smartphone could help you be part of that dialogue, providing commentary on all the latest news and techniques surrounding eco-friendly living.
Conclusion
Your smartphone can open up many worlds of eco-friendly possibilities. It can be many things all at once; a versatile green lifestyle guide, an example of ethically sourced goods and recycling, a means of reduced paper usage, and so much more. While you shouldn’t surrender your entire life to your device, it can provide you with plenty of inspiration, knowledge, and a strong feeling of green empowerment!
