Reduce Your Digital Footprint with These Simple Actions

In this age of streaming and remote work, the environmental impact of digital technology is not negligible. Thankfully, those who wish to be more mindful of their digital carbon footprint can easily adopt a greener approach with some simple everyday actions.

Simple Ways to Make You a Greener Internet User

Here are six ways to do so:

Reduce Power Consumption

To consume less energy with your computer or smartphone, try:

* Lowering the screen brightness
* Opting for “night” mode (which gives a dark background to most applications)
* Setting the screen to go to sleep after just a few minutes
* Switching off GPS and Bluetooth connectivity when not needed
* Turning off Wi-Fi as soon as you leave the house

Keep Your Hardware for as Long as It Works

On the subject of hardware, it’s always best to keep devices for as long as possible. You may opt to recycle them by giving them to someone or to an organization that will take care of recovering what can be reused. When replacing your hardware, try to go for second-hand (reconditioned) items to reduce your digital footprint.

Opt for Wi-Fi

When it comes to connectivity at home, regardless of the device, give preference to Wi-Fi over a 4G or 5G connection. Did you know that watching a video over Wi-Fi rather than your mobile network consumes up to 23 times less energy?

Adjust Streaming Quality

Unsurprisingly, streaming is a most energy-intensive usage. By slightly lowering the image quality via the settings of your streaming platform, you’ll help reduce the power consumption associated with your viewing habits. Another simple action is to stop the next episode from playing automatically. It’s also better to download content and watch it later than to stream it directly.

Manage Your Emails

The more emails you receive and store in your inbox, the more energy your dedicated servers consume. So, delete all messages that are no longer of any use or that are too old, and unsubscribe from newsletters that are no longer needed. You should also opt for group messages rather than sending the same message several times to a single recipient, especially if one or more attachments are included.

Keep on Top of Cloud Content

As for all the content you store in the cloud (documents, audio files, images, videos, etc.), don’t hesitate to do a thorough clear-out on a regular basis to determine what to keep and what’s no longer useful.

Conclusion

By implementing these simple actions, you can make a positive impact on the environment and reduce your digital footprint. Remember, every small change counts, and making these changes can have a significant impact when combined with the efforts of others. Make the switch to a greener internet user today!