Filed under: iPhone, App Store
GoodGuide gives you the low-down on Green Products
If you are environmentally conscious and only want to buy products that are safe and "Green," then look no further than your iPhone. That's because Good Guide [iTunes link] for iPhone allows you to search for these eco-friendly products. As a matter of fact, GoodGuide indexes over 65,000 products in several different categories. When you search through a category and find a specific product that you would like to learn more about, GoodGuide gives you details that can better help you make your purchase. You can find things like: Overall rating, health rating, environmental rating, and social rating.
You can also create a shopping list with the products that you like; however, this feature requires you to create an account with GoodGuide. The application is available for free from the iTunes App Store.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Matthew Heidenreich said 8:33AM on 12-03-2008
I'm all for 'saving' the environment but when i see all these "green product" lists, and all apple's 'we are green commercials'...its just annoying to me. I don't buy a product becuase its green... i buy it because it works.
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Brad said 1:54AM on 12-04-2008
Wow- this is just silly. There are countless choices out there where two products work identically yet one is the smarter choice for you, your children, and the planet.
Once more consumers start using the little amount of brainpower needed to make that choice- and hopefully make the more responsible one- is when manufacturers will respond by making their own responsible choices that also help the bottom line.
jason said 8:53AM on 12-03-2008
Its sad that you are annoyed. Think of the millions of people that will be annoyed in the next 50s years due to our decisions we make now. Its a shame to think I wont be able to eat fish safely in 2040(let alone now) Its better to think of it like this. When you have two products that you wish to buy that accomplish the same end result, why not inform yourself about the two and if you "are all for saving the environment" then you why wouldn't you want to choose the one that does lees harm to our resources?
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climbingcolorado said 12:22PM on 12-03-2008
. . . for three reasons, Jason: (a) the environmental movement has practically nothing to do with the environment and virtually everything to do with politics, (b) rarely do two products "accomplish the same end result", because, by definition, there would be no decision to make, and (c) the environment is not ours to save. The implication that it's ours to save is that it was us that significantly harmed it in the first place. That line of thinking gives us too much credit and not enough credit to the planet or science, itself.
I use "green" products mostly, but for two reasons only: (1) they may help me conserve money - my primary motivation, and (2) they may make me feel better for one reason or another.
If you're going to do something because it makes you feel better - including "saving the planet", then do it because it makes you feel better. But not because of some illusion of having some 35-year lasting effect.
For all your admirable efforts are 2.0B people living in squalor just trying to feed themselves and drink clean water, the environment be damned. "Green" policies to them would yield extinction today. That's a real problem. Until those people have some higher standard of life, politically-motivated green policies are a problem of luxury.
jason said 12:40PM on 12-03-2008
Not sure what your talking about. If you want to see two products that accomplish the same thing walk into a grocery store.
I see two bottles of shampoo, both clean my hair very well. One from a company that distributes its chemical waste into the river of one of these aforementioned villages of people living in squalor which in fact are in the process of decontaminating its water supply. The other which does not have a chemical waste that needs to be disposed. It does not make me feel better to pick the one that does not pollute. I have contributed to subtract the need for more of that product to be made. Hopefully others will do the same which will intern help the villagers now and in 35 years.
Oh and by the way did nature create Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) that are poisoning the food we eat today? Or would blaming man the creator of the toxins that I was referring to above in our seafood be giving us to much credit also?
Brian said 2:21AM on 12-04-2008
(a) the environmental movement has practically nothing to do with the environment and virtually everything to do with politics,
Are you kidding me?? Tell that to the fisherman who can no longer find fish, the people living next to industrial waste sites, the children playing with toxic DEADLY toys (yes, that too is an environmental issue. It's not just about the landscape and pretty trees). It doesn't take -any- political learning or influence to know that it's WRONG to come down with a gastrointestinal illness or a bacterial infection a few days after bathing in some water.
Green policies are NOT a problem of luxury. They are a a problem of the poor championed thankfully by those who have the luxury to help.
photogrant said 11:39AM on 12-03-2008
Please note! This is US based ONLY it seems. Very, very limited UK Products. Shame.
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Ryan Aipperspach said 12:05PM on 12-03-2008
I agree that buying "green" may not be the most important issue for everyone (although it is for some). But, at GoodGuide, green is only part of the story. We believe that consumers deserve to know everything about the products they consume: where they are made, how green they are, if they're healthy, and if they work.
Currently, we provide data on the health, environmental, and social impacts of products and companies. We're starting to add more content, such as user reviews and political contributions of companies. And in the future we hope to add even more.
We also hope to add support for additional countries as well, but we are focusing on support for US products and companies initially (although many of the companies that we rate are international).
- Ryan from GoodGuide
PS. You can learn more about our data and ratings at http://www.goodguide.com/about/ratings
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