Green shopping on your iPhone

Today’s eco-savvy travelers also tend to be the most in-tune with the latest in technology. This week, green geeks everywhere received a handful of treats by way of Cupertino’s favorite tinkertoy, the iPhone.

We have all by now heard of (and perhaps use on a daily basis) the iPhone App Store, where Apple enthusiasts can purchase and download “applications unlike anything you’ve seen on a phone before”. Now, the app store takes another step in a green direction with the release of two cool shopping apps.

First , we have 3rdWhale – a free iPhone app that allows consumers (that’s you) to search for local, green businesses. Looking for an eco-friendly-good-for-the-planet product? 3rdWhale’s got you covered, with over 20,000 business listings in over 30 major cities in North America.

Through 3rdWhale, businesses get listed via directories that certify and accredit green products and other consumer offerings and are then assigned ratings: 1, 2 or 3 “Whales”. Word is that, while currently available only the iPhone, a Google Android version is on its was as well.

Chop prices, not trees

Next up on the list of iPhone goodness: Coupon Sherpa; a new iPhone app that lets shoppers access paperless in-store coupons on their iPhone and even iTouch.

For a measly one-time charfe of $1.99, Coupon Sherpa offers electronic coupons for more than 100 retailers nationwide, including GNC, JCPenney and Walgreens.

“We are changing the way people use coupons. We believe this is the future of shopping,” says Luke Knowles, who created Coupon Sherpa with his brother, Jesse Knowles. “A friend of ours mentioned that he longed for the day when many in-store coupons would be available on the iPhone. We thought that was a good idea and set out to make it a reality.”

According to a report by nonprofit group ForestEthics, e-coupons like those available from Coupon Sherpa are a viable alternative to the piles of commercial mail consumers receive on a daily basis. Paper mail advertisements create 51.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gases each year; roughly equivalent to the emissions generated by heating about 13 million homes or mowing more than 20 billion lawns.

So if you are one of the many who is way cooler than I am (still stuck in my Verizon contract….ARRGHH!) head on over to the App Store and check out these apps. Treat yourself to something nice, and help save the planet on the way.