10 Ways To Reduce Your Online Carbon Footprint

[@OurEden]

Transcript 4 billion people worldwide have cheap and easy access to the internet, but all this online connectivity comes with a heavy environmental cost. In 2015, 830 megatons of CO2 was emitted by internet usage alone [1,2]. That’s equivalent to flying from London to Perth and back, over 74,000,000 times [3]. Thankfully, we can all play a role in reducing the internet’s carbon footprint by being considerate of how we use the internet, and we're going to show you how with these 10 simple tips, so, let’s get started. Cut back on Emails Sending an email produces about 4 g of CO2 [2]. That’s equivalent to driving a car just 24 meters [4]. However, about 300 BILLION emails are sent, EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. [5], emitting 438 megatons of CO2 per year, or about half of the internet’s carbon footprint. So unsubscribe from brands and mailing lists you no longer engage with, stop hitting reply-all, and try to discourage unnecessary emails in your workplace. Delete your data Whatever you do online, information is stored in data centres which require vast amounts of electrical and cooling power. For example, accessing a video or image online has been estimated to generate up to 12 g of CO2 per minute [2]. Sadly, much of the power used in data centres is wasted keeping information available 24/7, 365 days a year, that we no longer need. So make sure to delete any old accounts, Facebook photos, messages, emails and tweets. Whatever it is, declutter your digital footprint by deleting your data, as well as your carbon footprint. Start using Ecosia Ecosia is a search engine, much like Google, that donates 80% of its ad-revenue to planting trees and they recently surpassed a monumental 100 million trees planted, in over 9000 locations [6].Ecosia plants the right trees for the right places, avoiding monoculture plantations which we discussed in a previous video. Ecosia’s data centres even run on solar panels so your searches are actually carbon negative, absorbing more co2 than they emit. Their publicly available financial data, KZbin channel and blog [7] show users exactly how they're improving water security, providing habitats for animals and creating green jobs for some of the world's poorest people [8]. Are you scared of vampires? Well you should definitely be scared of vampire power. That’s the power used when a device is turned off but still plugged in [2]. Think about that little green charging light. On it's own it may not use a lot of power, but globally leaving devices on standby incurs a significant environmental cost. You can avoid this wastage by turning off and unplugging your devices when not in use, especially if you’ll be away from them for two hours or more. You can also set your computer to sleep mode while going to the bathroom or making a cup of coffee, which could save up to 92% of the energy compared with leaving it running [2] and also save on your electricity bill! Downsize your devices. About half of the internet’s carbon footprint currently comes from end user devices. Using a tablet or smartphone instead of a computer for simple tasks can save significant amounts of power [2] due to their smaller screens, reduced processing needs and lack of cooling fans. In fact, what device are you watching on right now? Abolish bitcoin Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin use computers to mine and send bits, with progressively more and more energy needed with each coin mined. In fact, because of the blockchain infrastructure and distributed ledger system, each bitcoin purchase now produces a whopping 253 kg of CO2, that’s over 630,000 times more than a visa payment [9]. Bitcoin also produces significant amounts of electrical waste due to burnt out severs. [10]. Leave a comment if you’d be interested in a global energy analysis of crypto currencies. Use ClickCLean Some websites servers are powered by near completely renewable energy, while the majority are definitely not. Luckily, Clickclean is a GreenPeace tool which shows you what % of a website or app’s power comes from renewable energy. So make an informed decision about where you go online. And rest assured, KZbin is one of the cleanest with 78% renewable power, to date [11]. Stop smoking near your computer. Strange as it may sound, cigarette smoke can clog up computer fans, greatly increasing the power drawn to keep them cool and killing their lifespan. So try to ditch the cigarettes for your body, your computer and your planet’s health and also be sure to regularly clear your devices of dust, even if you’re not a smoker [12,13]. Move small businesses to the cloud. If you run a small business, you may be tempted to set up your own IT network. However, it has been estimated that small businesses moving to much more efficient cloud servers could save as much as 90% of their CO2 with up to 38% saved in data centers globally, especially if you shift to a green cloud [2]. It could also save companies money and space on their IT infrastructure. Finally, Reduce, reuse and recycle your computing devices. Take care of your existing electronics and repair them before buying a new one. If you do have to buy new, recycle old devices and cables so they don’t end up in landfill and new devices can be made from the old materials. Bonus tips Check out climate care’s website on the internet’s carbon footprint to learn more about the problems the environment faces online [2]. Share this video with friends, family and work colleagues. And put pressure on internet companies to use clean energy, by tweeting, emailing, protesting or even boycotting their services. Outro: Let us know in the comments if you’ve got any tips that we've missed and also check out our other social media. And remember, as always but especially during this global pandemic, to look after yourselves, each other and, most importantly, the planet around you. Thanks again OurEden References: [1] kzbin.info/www/bejne/eKrPaWqJd6uipZo [2] climatecare.org/infographic-the-carbon-footprint-of-the-internet/ [3] www.atmosfair.de/en/offset/flight/ [4]www.gov.uk/government/publications/greenhouse-gas-reporting-conversion-factors-2020 [5] www.statista.com/statistics/456500/daily-number-of-e-mails-worldwide/#:~:text=Number%20of%20e%2Dmails%20per%20day%20worldwide%202017%2D2023&text=While%20roughly%20281%20billion%20emails,billion%20daily%20mails%20in%202022. [6] info.ecosia.org/what [7]blog.ecosia.org/1-2-million-trees-for-brazil/?fbclid=IwAR27pQUBBbk9j2FqhEB6-JDJZKe8xmNiWmtKfRHJr1bZAIUsWyu-Ynkmz-E [8] kzbin.info [9] digiconomist.net/bitcoin-energy-consumption [10]www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jan/17/bitcoin-electricity-usage-huge-climate-cryptocurrency [11] www.clickclean.org/international/en/ [12] www.technibble.com/computer-killers-pet-hair-dust-and-cigarette-smoke/ [13] kzbin.info/www/bejne/a4iTaJxji8SAjKc

[@Lone-Lee]

You know what? You could've posted this transcript in the description. Firstly, because I haven't seen any channels post the transcript of their videos in the comment box. Secondly, because you could save the server space occupied by posting the references twice. Btw, I'm a new subscriber. And, your channel is great: )

[@OurEden]

@@Lone-Lee Hi Lee, thanks for subbing and your kind words. Usually we find that the transcript it too long to fit in the description due to the character limit so by default we always not put it in the comments. We will likely also be making them available on patreon for free so a short link there in the description may help.

[@haloclips5387]

Love to see that you've mentioned Ecosia.

[@OurEden]

Thanks, we love their work!

[@WutWut7881]

I’d like to hear about bitcoins

[@OurEden]

Sure thing! Stay tuned, will probably been in a few videos time :)

[@haloclips5387]

Use ethernet instead of wifi, (especially for TVs Console, or desktop PC) Because of the reduced packet loss and therefore reduced load on servers

[@OurEden]

Very interesting, thanks for this. Do you have a reference?

[@ramsebfx9851]

Crypto currency analysis request

[@nightfury417]

What a useful info. I love it. Keep the good work to spread the awareness of Green Earth to people around the world

[@OurEden]

Thanks so much! Make sure you're subscribed, we're working on new material now.

[@mznxbcvxyz]

Are deleting email can reduce our carbon footprint ???

[@OurEden]

Yes.

[@LiveTree]

A lot of one's carbon footprint comes from one's online activity. How can clearing your data that is no longer in use as well as not sending as many online messages? #Livetree #Fairweb #OnlineFootPrint

[@planetepic]

Can you do a part 2 please?

[@OurEden]

Sure, we're currently looking at cryptocurrencies. Anything else you'd like to see?

[@planetepic]

@@OurEden Idk maybe just a few more ways?

[@kennethj8236]

I gotta call bullshit on this. Where did you get your information from?

[@OurEden]

Hi. All our references are in the description. Is there anything in particular you want to question?

[@anamikapisharody4630]

Isn't this video uploaded in KZbin leaving a carbon footprint? So isn't that ironical?

[@OurEden]

Great point. Yes, sadly it is impossible for humans to do anything without some environmental impacts. Fortunately, as we state at @4:18, KZbin's servers run on 78% renewable power, so they are much less emitting than many other video hosting/streaming services. It is also hoped that this small carbon footprint will be offset by inspiring people to cut back on their carbon footprints in other areas, such as switching off their devices.

[@cronos1.2_sqrt5.2]

Don't try to be too smart to avoid looking stupid. Of course this video is leaving a carbon footprint. Planting a tree will do the same, we need tools and machines for that. Judging by your brilliant remark a good and easy start to reduce the carbon footprint would be stopping tree planting.