Ah, there’s nothing like getting out into nature with nothing else but…your iPhone…

Welcome to the Modern World where to be smart phone-less is to be, well…unmodern. We use our devices for everything: maps, weather and traffic checks, finding great food, entertainment, and even, a little bit of the way the world was before we dug it all up and covered it with concrete.

Yes, the iPhone is good for more than just connecting you with a bunch of Angry Birds…how about letting it connect you with just plain old actual birds?

Meet Indeterminate Hikes+ a smart phone app created by professors at the University of Rochester in New York. The goal is to help us change our views of urban nature while helping users to better understand the way cities have evolved.

Cary Peppermint and Leila Nadir co-founded EcoArtTech, which focuses on bridging technology and environmentalism. The duo work with other artists and organizations, reports Utne, and Indeterminate Hikes+ is the latest offering from the collaboration.

IH+ works with Google Maps creating hiking paths in urban areas. Once downloaded to your smart phone, you enter in your target start and end locations. The app then generates “random” path routes that include a variety of activities focused on honing the user into nature along the way. “The prompts increase awareness of the environment where you live and also cause social interactions—you’re using the technology to reconnect with space instead of people,” according to Peppermint.

“Wilderness is all around you and the app encourages users to give the same attention to inner city parks and rain gutters that we do to landscapes like canyons and gorges,” said Nadir. The hikes are designed for groups of two or more (although you can certainly do one alone) and there are prompts from the app as well, encouraging users to take pictures at key spots (of environmental or historical significance). You may be asked to write a field note and perform other “socially interactive” tasks to enrich the walk and better observe nature.

Keep in touch with Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

Image: D’La Crux

The post Smart Phone App Helps You Find Nature in the City appeared first on EcoSalon.

The saying “there’s an app for everything” has become part of our cultural vernacular, and while some apps serve great purposes and provide handy information, the one I’m referring to in this post should have never been created, as it reduces parenting to dismissive gadgetry. Sadly, now you can use your iPhone to monitor your baby’s “cry-it-out” sessions. Adding insult to injury (such as the possible ensuing brain damage that the cry-it-out method may cause a child), the app bears the blasé title: “Ciao Baby.” How can any parent think it’s okay to give their baby the kiss off in such an insensitive manner?

In case you’re not familiar with what letting a baby “cry-it-out” means, it is a sleep-training concept that was introduced by pediatrician Richard Ferber, in which babies between four to six months old must learn to self-soothe in order to fall asleep. This often takes hours upon hours of screaming, crying and hysteria that sometimes culminates in vomiting and convulsions and may affect a child’s psyche by producing “lifelong emotional scars” and abandonment issues.

And “Ciao Baby” can help you achieve all of the above! Since the CIO method means that parents must put their baby in their crib awake, and then periodically check back in on them after certain increments of time, patting their back but not picking them up or – god forbid cuddling or holding them, the Ciao Baby app times and logs a baby’s outbursts and keeps track of the “time until next settle.” Wow.

Renown pediatrician Dr. Sears advises against letting a baby cry-it-out, imploring parents to “consider baby’s cry as signaling a need – communication rather than manipulation.” For those of you reading this who think their babies only had to cry-it-out for a week before getting the picture, Dr. Sears suggests that they simply became apathetic, they didn’t learn what you were trying to teach them. What a great first lesson to teach a child about life: fight for your needs, and then give up, knowing the one person who is supposed to care for you has turned his or her back on you.

I am certain that there are many parents out there who would staunchly support the CIO method, and have successfully and guiltlessly let their babies “cry-it-out,” achieving the end result of a baby who slept through the night at any early age and is perfectly well-adjusted. But as an advocate of attachment parenting, I deplore this practice with every fiber of my being. It is fundamentally wrong and unnatural to let your child suffer in order to achieve a convenient end for yourself. I’ve known parents who have shut their baby away in their crib so they could enjoy a movie, dinner or a glass of wine in the other room “in peace,” yet their child is screaming bloody murder within earshot and they are unfazed. And if you aren’t hard-wired to respond to your child when he is in need, why bother having a child in the first place?

Proponents (parents who use) the CIO method will argue that if it’s practiced responsibly and done correctly, that letting your baby wail their lungs out and go ignored is perfectly fine. But these are just excuses to make a parent feel better about not tending to their child’s primal need to be held and comforted. Or, these excuses resemble regurgitated theories from doctors and books that parents advise for information as they stray away from what feels right for them instinctively.

What would the world become if we simply said “ciao” to those in need and timed their cries for help on our iPhones? I shudder to think anyone is buying this app to help them better monitor their neglect.

The post “Cry-It-Out” iPhone App Makes Me Want to Weep appeared first on EcoSalon.

Maybe it’s time for a tech break? A day-hike, maybe? Perhaps even an overnight in the woods, out in nature with no TV, no computers, no emails or phone calls. Ah, yes, leave that iWhatever behind, break out those boots (could it be they’ve never once been used? Not once?) and hit the trail. Shouldn’t you do this more often? You know, get more familiar with the local flora and fauna and – wait, isn’t there an app for that?! Ugh. Yes. Of course there is.

To help you with what probably should come naturally, MyNature has just launched its MyNature Tree Guide which helps you identify trees by answering a series of 15 questions (as many as you can, anyway). The app will match your answers against its database of 200 North American trees to find the one that most closely resembles what you’re encountering “in the field.” Once identified, you can see photos, range maps and profiles to learn more about the tree in question. For the drill-drown, you can access images of leaves, needles, fruit and bark, as well. There’s also a “MyNature Journal,” in which you can record the trees you’ve found, along with the location, weather conditions and whatever other musings you want to jot down to remember that not-quite-tech-free day when you encountered that killer oak.

As for the fauna, MyNature has you covered there, too, with its tried-and-true MyNature Animal Tracks application. This guy has a searchable database with track sizes and shapes in seven easy-to-place-what-you-see search categories. Like the Tree Guide, Animal Tracks features a ton of pics and drawings – even sound (.wav) files of animal “vocalizations” – that’ll help you figure out what’s what. You can check out a demo vid over at Treehugger or at the MyNature Site.

So add these apps to EcoSalon’s top 10 green things you can do with your iPhone and 10 green apps. Both are iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad ready and require iOS 3.0 or later (Animal Tracks is also available for Android). At $6.99 they’re not cheap, but c’mon, what is it worth to have access to the knowledge you need when you finally go for that tech-free day out in nature?

Just you, the fresh air, the birds and your smartphone. Mmmm.

The post Master Your Outdoor Domain with MyNature Flora and Fauna ID Applications appeared first on EcoSalon.

Planes, trains and automobiles. Each leaves their own trail of exhaust that represents, in essence, your trail of exhaust when you make a decision to use one of these common methods of getting where you need/want to go. For those of you who are interested in measuring – and managing – that trail, there’s a new iPhone app that can tell you in advance what your CO2 emissions will likely be before you travel, or what your footprint looks like after you’ve arrived.

Available through Apple’s iTunes App Stores, Green Travel Choice is a GPS-based CO2 tracker that uses Pocketweb’s Pocket Life location-based web and mobile platform. A couple of “clicks” on the map (where you are and where you’re going) and the application displays travel options for your route, offering up nine modes of transport and the expected CO2 burn-off you can expect from each one. It then stores the information and your choices, so you can add up your emissions over time and get a summary of what you’ve been up to. Think of it like looking in your own personal carbon mirror. If you don’t like what you see, time to make some life changes. Or at least some new travel plans.

According to Pocketweb, an average person in an industrialized nation emits about 110-145 pounds of CO2 every week for travel. Making better choices about how you “get there” can have a big impact on the environment. If you drive an SUV from, say, New York City to Washington D.C., your carbon footprint amounts to about 240 pounds. Catch the train instead, and you’re down to 46 pounds. How’s that for some fast and simple weight loss?

Green Travel Choice has some solid alliances with environmental groups, as well. When you download the application, you’ll get a $15 voucher to join The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) as a Traveler member.

The post CO2 Go: Making the Right Travel Choices appeared first on EcoSalon.

As we head into summer, you’ve got clambakes, grilled mahi-mahi, and all sorts of other seafood delectables to look forward to. The next time you’ve got a taste for fish, I suggest consulting the free iPhone app Seafood Watch to make sure you’re making responsible dining choices.

The app features a couple of different ways to access the information in its database. If your heart is set on eating a particular kind of fish, you can search it by name and get its status since Seafood Watch lets you know if you’re making a good buying decision and wave you off eating fish that’s overfished or high in toxins.

If you’re open to what types of fish to buy at the store or at a restaurant, check out the apps regional guide that leads you to the most responsibly acquired fish in your area. Got a hankering for sushi? Seafood Watch’s sushi guide lists fish by Japanese and common market name.

Thoughtfully put together by Monterey Bay (CA) Aquarium, Seafood Watch is updated regularly and plans are in the works for new features to be added. Don’t have an iPhone? No sweat. You can access the app’s mobile site, from any cell phone with an Internet connection. And for access to the same information offline, download any of the eight free PDF files that tickle your fancy.

The post Sustainable? Toxic? Make the Right Fish Pick with the Seafood Watch App appeared first on EcoSalon.

Unless you only wear natural stain on your lips and cheeks, chances are you find yourself in the cosmetic aisle from time to time. You may already know what products are chemical free, but what about finding ones that aren’t tested on animals? Just download the free Cruelty-Free app on your iPhone and you’ll be able to tell at a glance.

This handy shopping guide contains information on a wide range of cosmetics, personal care items, and even some household products. Cruelty-Free’s database is continually updated and each entry includes direct links to company websites, so you can get even more info.

The database itself takes its information from the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics’ (CCIC) Leaping Bunny Program, that certifies no new animal testing is used on products before they’re pushed to market. Navigating the guide is a snap – you can search alphabetically by company or by product.

The post Find Animal-Friendly Makeup with the Cruelty-Free iPhone App appeared first on EcoSalon.

Ridesharing is like skinny-dipping: it’s great in theory, but awfully hard to find someone who’s ready to go when you are. Well not anymore because Carticipate is a nifty little iPhone App that pairs you up with your friends, family, or co-workers so you can share the ride, gas, and carbon footprint together.

To connect with a pal that’s going your way or find someone to ride with you, just fire up the app and indicate where you’re going and when. All your iPhone-toting friends with the same app installed on their devices can check in and match up their plans with yours.

Carticipate comes with a pre-loaded list of destinations, but you can easily add your own. There’s also a global search feature that lets you scan a list of registered users to see if anyone in your area is headed where you’re going. While we’re sure Mother Nature appreciates your desire to help save the planet, remember mom’s advice: Don’t get in a car with a total stranger.

Don’t have an iPhone? That’s okay, there’s also a Carticipate app for Facebook that’s just as cool and useful.

The post Get Your Ridesharing Groove on with Carticipate appeared first on EcoSalon.

This app is pure genius. All you have to do is simply hold your iPhone up to the barcode of most food labels in the grocery store, click, and you’re instantly connected to an enormous database.

Get information on basics such as protein, fat and iron content, to the more sophisticated, like additives and allergens. You can even create a customized  profile to alert you to products that contain gluten, peanuts, milk or anything that could throw your system off kilter. The lists are easy to read and color-coded for quick identification.

The $4.99 Essentials Scanner App is also great for anyone who is trying to lose weight, as it can track calories consumed. However, you’re primary interest is weight loss, you might want to explore loseit, which can track calories consumed over time.

I like to think of the scanner app as an entourage in your pocket: nutritionist, allergist, and a personal trainer.

The post The All-in-One Food Essentials Scanner App appeared first on EcoSalon.