3.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions are linked to internet usage, meaning if the internet were its own nation, it would be the fifth-largest polluter in the world.

As part of Life Size’s commitment to minimising our impact on the environment as a company, we have researched the most impactful ways we can reduce our digital carbon footprint while at work. We have found that small action can be incredibly powerful when it comes to our digital carbon footprint.

This article shares some tips for ways to reduce our digital carbon footprint in our everyday working lives that are relevant for any office-based or remote business. If individuals incorporate these small changes into their work lives, we can collectively have a significant positive impact.

Manage your inbox

Perhaps unsurprisingly, emails are one of the biggest culprits when it comes to digital waste. A study conducted by the French researcher Basile Fighiera shows that an email with a 1MB document attached, sent using Wi-Fi, will emit 3.3 g CO2e. A short message without attachments sent to 10 recipients will emit 4.9 g CO2e. Add to that the fact that 361.6 billion emails are sent every day globally, and the need to reduce emissions from emails becomes clear.

Fortunately, there are a few ways you can reduce carbon emissions from emails:

• Reducing the amount of emails you send. You can do this by cleaning up mailing lists, cc’ing only those who need to see messages and only using Reply All when necessary.
• Reduce email weight. Keep emails short and use plain text. Consider sending links to Google Drive or Dropbox files instead of attaching files.
• Using messaging services instead of email. Messaging services tend to use slightly less energy than emails. Use a service like Google Chat or Slack instead of email for quick messages to colleagues.
• Delete emails you don’t need. Emails that you won’t need in the future can be deleted. For example:

1. Newsletters that you’ve read and won’t need to refer back to
2. Email notifications that you’ve acknowledged or actioned and won’t need to refer to again
3. Calendar updates for past events
4. Emails in your spam box (check them first to make sure they aren’t there by mistake!)

• Unsubscribe from services you don’t require. For example, unhelpful email alerts or newsletters you don’t read.
• Disconnect. Even running an email service in the background takes energy. Take some time each day to disconnect from your emails.

Reconsider your volume of video calls

Video calls are the new norm in an increasingly remote office culture, which carries a new environmental burden. One hour of videoconferencing can emit between 150 and 1,000 grams of carbon dioxide, depending on the service. That’s almost 25 times more carbon dioxide than audio calls. 

Ways you can reduce carbon emissions from calls:

• Turn off cameras during calls. Turning off your camera in video calls could cut carbon emissions by 96%. When you’ve been staring at a screen all day, it’s also a chance to rest your eyes. Agree with your team about which meetings need to be camera-on and when you can take a break from the camera.
• Take phone meetings where possible. Phone calls are a good option for one-on-one meetings. A walking phone meeting will also provide a wellness boost. 

Clear your cloud space

Research suggests that worldwide data storage results in up to 20.15MT CO2 emissions annually.

• Delete unwanted documents. Not every note you make needs to be saved. Delete files if you are certain they will not be used again. This includes photos and videos – media takes up a lot more space than documents. 

Make big changes with quick wins

It can be difficult to alter your working habits, so try starting with the following to set you on the right path towards your digital carbon footprint reduction journey:

• Turn your laptop off fully at the end of the working day.
• When charging your laptop, don’t leave it plugged in once it is fully powered.
• Save bookmarks for websites you frequently visit. This means you don’t have to search for them in your search engine each time. This is more convenient for you and saves energy.

We’d love to hear from you about what you or your business is doing to reduce your digital carbon footprint. Do you have any more tips we could implement at Life Size?

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