The Environmental Protection Ministry has launched a free, downloadable
smartphone application to teach users the benefits of green
consumerism.
The app, called “Environment – Lets think green,” attempts
to guide consumers through different types of green behaviors that will
ultimately save people money. It will be available for use in Hebrew, English,
Russian and Arabic.
Users of the application receive on-screen guidance
from actor Tal Friedman, who, along with a wig of neon-green grass, became the
face for the Environmental Protection Ministry’s “Let’s Think Green” campaign
last year. The new application is the first such smartphone program to be
launched by an Israeli government office, according to the Environmental
Protection Ministry.
“After years in which we grew accustomed to
advertisements that encourage us to consume more, we are standing on the same
stage and calling for smart consumerism,” Environmental Protection Minister
Gilad Erdan said in a statement released by his office.
“We will continue
to turn to members of the public in every place where they are found – through
television, through Internet and through smartphones – in order to increase the
awareness that through small behavioral changes each one of us can save hundreds
of shekels per month and reduce environmental impact.”
Advice provided in
the application includes the fact that driving 90 kph instead of 110 kph saves
about 15 percent in fuel consumption, as well as recommendations that travelers
drive at steady speeds and avoid fast accelerations.
The application also
indicates that purchasing products from written shopping lists and retail chain
stores prevents unnecessary purchases and consequential waste – and instructs
people to never to buy bottled mineral water. In addition, the app advises that
by using energy-saving light-bulbs, residents can consume five times less
electricity than they do with standard incandescent bulbs, and they should
always remember to unplug electrical appliances when not in use as they consume
power just by remaining connected.