There are many steps you can take to be more eco-friendly, starting with small habits in your everyday life and technology use. It might take a while to get used to a new lifestyle, but you’ll feel proud knowing you’re making a difference in your own small way.
Here are nine tips on how to reduce your carbon footprint as a techie. Once you see where you can improve, be more mindful, smart, and disciplined when using your devices.
1. Sort Your Emails
It’s true that every piece of tech, whether hardware or software, draws electricity. This includes the process of sending and storing emails. What you can do is take an active interest in cleaning up your folders, from your inbox to your junk file.
No matter how boring, this can keep your carbon footprint in check. Delete old emails, unsubscribe from newsletters you don’t read any more, and block spam as best as you can. Anti-spam filters for Outlook like SpamBully and MailWasher might come in handy.
From then on, just stay alert and manage your email account so its energy consumption is low. See what settings can help too. Whether you’re on Outlook, Gmail, or another provider, there are tools that automate different functions like instantly deleting emails from specific senders.
2. Use a Laptop and Take Care of Its Battery
Plugged in devices siphon electricity more than anything else. On average, a desktop computer can consume between around 60 and 250 Watts per hour when on—a laptop at least 15 Watts. Even sleep mode needs some power to function.
The answer here is to unplug, which makes mobile devices the best option, especially those with good battery life. The longer they can go before you need to charge them, the better.
So, if you need a computer, invest in a good laptop—and use it remotely as much as possible. Also, learn how to take care of it, the battery in particular—starting with not leaving it plugged in after it’s fully charged.
Make the most of tools that analyze laptop battery health, so you can stay on top of any changes to the device’s performance and sustainability. Treat all your mobile devices the same way and it’ll be even easier to maintain an eco-friendly tech life.
3. Minimize Plugged-In Devices
Adding to the point above, you can reduce your carbon footprint even more by staying unplugged with all your devices. Even when you need to charge them, you can do so fast and without damaging your battery or the environment with unnecessary emissions.
It all comes down to the fact that mobile technology constantly produces more powerful and energy-efficient smartphones, tablets, notebooks, and laptops, not to mention gadgets like power banks and USB Type-C adapters.
Explore the most sustainable methods around and merge them with your lifestyle. You may even find that you don’t actually need a desktop computer for your work or entertainment, so there’s no reason to inflict its power consumption on the planet.
4. Adjust Your PC’s Brightness and Volume
Another way to conserve electricity and battery life is to reduce how much power your computer actually consumes. In this sense, a key aspect to look at are your audiovisual settings.
To begin with, dial down your screen’s brightness to a point where you can clearly make out details but without wasting energy. If, on the other hand, you need your visuals at their best but don’t want to keep changing the setting, you can schedule the computer to dim its lights at a certain time.
In terms of audio, the same advice applies. Turn it down to just the decibels you need. You can even change the volume on different apps, so they don’t all draw the same power. Think about your audio output too, considering how differently a computer’s built-in system and headphones or external speakers work.
5. Use Local Instead of Cloud Storage
Saving your files to the cloud is very convenient and secure, but each interaction, from transferring to storing the data, produces CO2 that could be avoided with more practical methods.
As Business Quant explains, the average capacity of a computer hard drive reached 3.2 terabytes by the second quarter of 2020. At this point, your computer itself should be your most reliable data storage space.
If that’s not the case or you need extra room, you can turn to external hard drives, USB sticks, and even your phone as alternatives. The only energy you’ll be spending is in connecting the devices and transferring the files.
6. Download Music and Movies Instead of Streaming
In 2019, the University of Glasgow and the University of Oslo conducted a study with Dr. Matt Brennan at the helm, examining the economic and environmental impact of the current music industry.
It found that plastic pollution is at its lowest since the times of vinyls and CDs. However, streaming and downloading music greatly increased greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) by 2016, reaching 350 million kg in the US.
Most entertainment today is in digital format, so it’s difficult to cut out your emissions completely. What you can do is go for the least harmful option. Instead of streaming music, movies, or shows, find services that let you download them.
Then, you can play the files on your laptop or smartphone and not worry so much about how your hobbies affect the environment.
7. Use Offline Games and Apps
Unfortunately, it’s not just music or movies that rely on streaming and downloading services. Video games and apps use lots of digital interactions that make them convenient and popular but not very eco-friendly. Just think of the impact game streaming services will have now.
To ease the problem, avoid software that work exclusively online. In fact, there are loads of titles and applications that only need the internet to download and maybe launch them. Beyond that, you can use them directly from your device—minimal digital services and carbon emissions required.
8. Repair Devices or Buy Second-Hand
No device lasts forever, but you can certainly try to keep yours running for a long time. Whether you learn to repair things yourself or hire an expert, it’s better than buying brand new technology, considering how much it costs you and the environment to manufacture them.
If you definitely need an upgrade, see what second-hand technology is around. Check stores and online retailers like RefurbIO and Gazelle for refurbished products. You’ll find top brands and models in great and affordable condition.
9. Manage Your Time on Devices and Online
The best move towards a greener lifestyle is to put the technology away more often. Set a schedule for yourself to include work, entertainment, and long breaks from your devices. This can stop you from using too much electricity and digital services.
In order for this to work, however, your timetable should be realistic in terms of personal tastes and willpower. For example, if you spend your tech-free time on activities you don’t enjoy, you’re unlikely to stick to them.
At the same time, you need to make the effort to avoid social media or a quick podcast while out for a walk. Minor indulgences are okay, but the whole point of this exercise is to break your dependence on technology, help your devices last longer, and keep your overall carbon footprint under control.
Dig Deeper Into Your Digital Carbon Footprint
With these tips you can start transforming your personal tech habits into more eco-friendly ones. You may need to make some sacrifices here and there, but you can still enjoy music, movies, video games, and other hobbies, just in a more energy-efficient way.
The next best step is to really get to know what a carbon footprint is and how the digital industry contributes to it. Learn the terminology, numbers, and additional measures to take apart from managing your devices that can help the global situation.
