Going Green With Your iPad

The iPad itself is innately an environmentally friendly product simply because it lowers the amount of paper used in the world. Read a book on your iPad, look up a recipe, and send an email or file to your boss. All of these things would have required paper a decade or two ago, but now you can do them guilt free on your iPad and save a tree at the same time.

The Apple company has long been a leader in environmentally responsible manufacturing for their products. The apple company website declares that all of their displays are:

• mercury-free
• arsenic-free
• and all of the plugs for their iPads are PVC free

The iBooks app by apple is a definite sustainable choice rather than paperback books. This includes how-to-books, children's books and popular novels. The more people that beginning downloading their books, the less books will be traditionally published for sale. This trend is growing, of course, but it will take a while to actually make a huge impact.

Magazines are a huge waste of paper, simply because they are so disposable. Sure you keep a novel around for a few years, but magazines may only last a month (if that). Getting magazines delivered to your iPad via the Zinio app, is not only environmentally green, but it's also a lot more convenient. Trying to hold a magazine on your lap during lunch, turn the pages, and not get mayonnaise all over the type can be a tricky business. As well, easier to read while in the bathroom, and quieter. Of course you may miss the heavy ink smell or the textile feel of the pages, but at least your conscience can rest easy.

EcoFinder is an app for the iPad that will tell you how and where to recycle practically anything. Right now it's geared towards the San Fransisco are as far as facilities, but it has a lot of info about what products can be recycled and which can't. It includes items such as cooking oil, gas tanks and toilets.

Not sure if a product is actually "green" or just pretending? The GoodGuide app will tell you about the product and company either from a selected list or when you scan in the barcode. It also gives the product a rating depending on different aspects of it's green-ness.