7 Apps That Make Doing Good a Breeze

It’s now easy to share the love!

Green grass and spring flowers by tree in the shape of a heart to represent giving help to others.

(varuna / Shutterstock.com)

Did you know that there are apps that make it easy to help others, our planet, and so ourselves lead more giving and meaningful lives? Check out Goodnet’s list of just seven of the best ones, making it a breeze to do good, and spring into action for Good Deeds Day on April 3, 2022!

Be My Eyes
Here’s a simple but genius idea created by Hans Jørgen Wiberg, a Danish furniture craftsman who has a hard time seeing. This app connects visually impaired people in need of some help with sighted people with a few minutes of spare time to offer through video calls. 

The help needed may be something like identifying a can of food or spice in the kitchen, checking expiry dates, finding a missing object in the home, or help in navigating new spaces and reading signs.

Volunteers register, detail which languages they speak, and when someone needs help, notifications appear on their device. This app is available in over 150 countries and in more than 150 languages.

Download Be My Eyes on the App Store or Google Play.


OLIO
This is a neighbor-to-neighbor sharing app for unwanted edibles and surplus non-food items. Available in Spanish and English although users can add and request listings in any language, and with items successfully shared in 62 countries, it uses your location to match you with others signed up to the app and receiving notifications nearby. 

Items posted are usually collected within the hour. Everything from garden furniture to compost to unopened packaged food has been photographed and shared on the app.

Users can filter by distance and how recently the items were added. They can also customize notifications to control the alerts received.

The app invites you to “Join millions of neighbors all over the world who are using OLIO to share more, care more and waste less.”

Download OLIO on the App Store or Google Play.

Good On You
Here’s an app that provides ethical ratings on over 3000 clothing brands making it easy to shop for clothing with a conscience.

Find out how popular fashion brands rank in terms of goodness. As the app’s makers explain: Each brand receives an easy-to-understand rating out of five, from 'We Avoid' (1) to 'Great' (5), and individual scores for its impact on people, the planet, and animals.” You can also ask for your favorite clothing brand to be ranked.

Then discover some stellar ethical brands that keep well known brands on their toes by minimizing waste, empowering workers and protecting flora and fauna. 

It’s also an ideal hub for doing some window shopping on sustainable style to look and feel great in!

Download Good On You on the App Store or Google Play.

My Selfless Act
This is a social networking site and app  promoting the idea of giving back to the community through volunteering. It offers information on local volunteering opportunities in India and globally, and encourages collaboration and inspiration through the sharing of ideas and activities.

Founder, software developer and businesswoman,Trupti Gor, shares her reasons for making time for volunteering in her busy life: “I volunteer because I feel it is part of being a human being. When I volunteer I can spend quality time away from my work and busy lifestyle with people in need. The feeling that I can shape someone's life for the better is unexplainable. It is an emotionally uplifting experience that can never be matched by money or fame. So I implore everyone to find a cause and volunteer. Because not only will you be helping others, you will be helping yourself as well…. Life has so much to offer if we remember to look beyond ourselves."  

Download My Selfless Act on Google Play.

Too Good To Go
Too Good to Go is a popular US app for “food waste warriors” who care about the environment. Users browse nearby bakeries, cafes and restaurants that have delicious food on offer for less that would otherwise be binned, that they collect directly. According to the app, 40 percent of edible food is thrown away each year in the US alone.

Reflecting the reality of differing availability from day to day, users are notified of food on offer, so they get to sample a variety of recipes and feel good about what they eat.

Download Too Good To Go on the App Store or Google Play.

Zooniverse
Want to help with cutting edge global research? Zooniverse is an app with millions of registered  volunteers that lets you become a citizen researcher! Help professional scientific and humanities researchers  via your mobile device or the companion website

Global volunteers taking part in this exciting crowdsourcing project typically don’t have a scientific background but their contribution is highly valued. As the app explains:  “Our goal is to enable research that would not be possible, or practical, otherwise. Zooniverse research results in new discoveries, datasets useful to the wider research community, and many publications.”

Download Zooniverse on the App Store or Google Play.

Aloe Bud
Don’t forget to care for yourself! Createdby someone who struggles with their mental illness, routine and remembering daily self-care,” Aloe Bud is a welcoming and simple  “self-care pocket companion” app. It gently reminds users about self-care activities through motivating push notifications in physical, mental and emotional needs.

These reminders relate to anything from staying hydrated to taking screen breaks to maintaining connections.

Download Aloe Bud on the App Store.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
5 Ways to Volunteer and Give Back
Helping Others Benefits the People Reaching Out
Understanding 7 Types of Empaths

Good Deeds Day, an annual global day of doing good, is the pinnacle of doing good year-round. Initiated in 2007 by business woman and philanthropist Shari Arison, Good Deeds Day has grown to 108 countries with millions of participants.  Good Deeds Day 2022 is on April 3.