Your Digital Carbon Footprint

"I want to minimize my digital carbon footprint because I understand that storing old emails in server farms uses a lot of energy. I have three email accounts with thousands of emails because I'm super lazy about emails. If I delete 1,000 of the really old unnecessary emails, what's my annual CO2 savings? If all of your listeners did the same, how much energy could we save? How many cars off the road?"

 

It's likely you've already sent a few emails today. Perhaps you've also streamed a video and performed an internet search or two. If your digital footprint is the trail of data you leave around the internet, your digital carbon footprint is the carbon emissions that trail creates.

On this episode I'm answering a listener's question about how to minimize your digital carbon footprint in 4 easy steps (ditch that cloud storage!).

 

Here's a preview:

[2:40] Why digital carbon footprints matter (and how to start caring about ours)

[6:30] Not nebulous, fuzzy, or benign: The ins/outs of clouds and server farms

[10:30] 4 high-impact habits that reduce your digital carbon footprint

[19:00] If everyone who listens to this show commits to deleting 1,000 old emails, how many car equivalents would we remove from the road for one year?

 

Resources mentioned:

Sector by sector: where do global greenhouse gas emissions come from?SoulSeaspiracy

 

* Want more episodes like this one? Check out #131: 5 Carbon Footprint Facts You Likely Didn't Know

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