Suggest an idea for an app
2012 November 30
Last summer people suggested over 100 ideas for green apps in the Apps for the Environment Challenge. We narrowed the list down to 70 ideas for green apps that are not repeats and we want you to tell us which ones developers should make into apps. If you have ideas for apps or you want to provide more detail about these ideas, just write them in the space below.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
12 Responses
leave one →
I would love to have an app that would identify plants that grow in the grass, leaves and flowers so I can tell what is growing around me how they affect or might affect each other.
Thanks for the suggestion. My Green Apps has at least 8 gardening apps that could help you: http://www.epa.gov/mygreenapps/existing_apps.html?appSearch=garden. Try the LeafSnap app to identify plants by their leaves: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/leafsnap/id430649829?mt=8. It was created by the Smithsonian Institution, Columbia University, and the University of Maryland.
I would like to see an app developed that would allow school networked desktop computers along with mobile devices (ereaders, smart phones, tablets etc.) allow any number of schools to compete in a “green” spelling bee. The theme of the terms (words) could be related to the conservation of our eco-system. It woul educate on more than one level, it would kickstart a competitive spirit and best of all it would support an even more open dialogue or awareness about the environment.
Here is how it could work. The teams or individuals would log onto a central game server that could be powered by solar or wind energy that randomizes the words presented for spelling. Once each round has begun, the first school (team) or individual to respond with the word spelled correctly wins the round. The way that individuals are eliminated is if the FIRST response received from any individual team or school is incorrect, then the sender of the sms or text with the incorrect spelling is eliminated from the spelling bee. In other words groups could compete in a networked spelling bee even if over mobile networks…
Thanks for contributing these ideas! The Ideas for Apps page (http://www.epa.gov/mygreenapps/ideas.html) now includes your recent suggestions so you can “Like” the ideas and see what other people like. EPA has listed its data that could be used to make the apps (see the spreadsheet on this page http://www.epa.gov/mygreenapps/Ideas%20for%20Apps%201-11-13.xlsx). That should help developers convert the ideas into apps. Keep the suggestions coming!
I would like to see an app that can be used by marine law enforcement officers and marinas (with pump-out facilities), to track when anchored vessels are emptying their marine sanitation devices. The law requires that a vessel operator cannot discharge raw sewage into the water unless they are at least 3 miles offshore (10 miles in the Gulf). The app would also be used to monitor anchored boats that exhibit conditions of neglect or abandonment, which puts them at risk of becoming a derelict vessel (sinking or breaking anchor), which can also result in negative environmental impacts and significant costs to remove. Some of the vessel conditions to be tracked are heavy barnacle growth on the hull, standing water inside the vessel, or missing components necessary for navigation). After a baseline inventory of anchored boats, an officer can use the app’s augmented reality to quickly scan the waterways to monitor, track, and share updates through the cloud. In addition, a vessel owner with this app could receive notification if his vessel received a welfare check by a marine law enforcement officer. I did a presentation on this conceptual mobile application for monitoring anchored vessels at a Boating and Waterways conference in 2012 and have screen shots of what the app would look like.
I’d like a fishermans’ friend app! Knowing all the fishing rules for a given location and time of year can be complicated, and even costly if you end up getting fined for keeping a fish you aren’t supposed to! Also, I know there are advisories associated with whether you should eat certain fish caught from certain areas. So I’d like an app that would take into my account my location and time of year to tell me what size, type and how many fish of a certain species I’d be allowed to keep, and that would tell me if that fish was safe to eat. Ideally, I think it would be great if the app could have a photo-based fish identification feature, and integrate other features like weather, maps, and tides. Thanks for this awesome web page!
Thanks for the idea. Several fishing apps are out there, but they only do a few of the things you mention. It would be great to include several types of information in a single app. Maybe someone could add a fish advisory feature to an existing fishing app. In the meantime you can get information about fish consumption advisories from EPA (see http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/fishshellfish/fishadvisories/index.cfm).
I would like an app that tells me what is recyclable and what is not in the community where I am located.
What is accepted in the recycle bins varies widely from place to place and from time to time. I often have questions about specific items such as egg cartons and milk containers even in my home town. When I travel, I have no idea.
A GPS enabled app could provide information on what is recyclable locally.
Note: This idea is also posted on an older list of suggested ideas. Please use this page for ideas for apps from now on.
Thanks for your idea because municipalities recycle different materials. Does anyone have suggestions about this subject?
In a similar vein, there is an app that helps you find the location of recycling containers. It’s called Recycle Me, and it was submitted to the Apps for the Environment Challenge in 2011. The link is https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/we-recycle/id553151162?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D2 .
Earth911 has just released its updated version of iRecycle, which geolocates recycling for every ZIP code in the U.S. iRecycle is based on Earth911′s Recycling Directory with over 1.6 million ways to recycle 350 items. It’s available for iOS and Android systems and your tablet. You can read more and download the latest version at http://earth911.com/irecycle. Thanks for the question!
Composting:
would like to see an app that individuals, businesses and schools can sign on to show who composts their food scraps or would be willing to give their food scraps away (coffee shops, grocery stores,food courts…), who accepts food wastes and who sells compost or compost supplies.
Sounds like a good idea. Does anyone know of apps that help people find places to compost or places that accept food wastes?