Web Design and Development
Go Green: How To Shrink Your Carbon Footprint
Recently, a Harvard scientist released some shocking findings regarding the environmental impact of performing a Google query. He stated that performing two Google searches from a desktop computer can generate about the same amount of carbon dioxide as boiling a kettle for a cup of tea
. And while the results of the study have not yet been verified, this research does make all of us wonder about our own energy consumption. (Google’s follow up article: "Powering A Google Search")
Calculating Your Environmental Impact
To calculate your carbon footprint, we suggest this green energy calculator by the National Wildlife Federation. If you work from home, try this handy tool by The Green Office. You’ll be surprised to find out how much energy you use on a daily basis, and how this may impact the globe.
Want to get a bit greener? Here are a few suggestions.
6 Steps To A Greener You: Shrink Your Footprint
- Shut down, unplug, turn off. Many of use leave our devices running all day. To minimize energy use, remember to shut down your computer and turn off your monitors. If you want to take this a step further, unplug your devices. Of course, this would be inconvenient for most of us. So opt for a power strip or surge protector that gives you an easy switch to stop electricity flow to devices.
- Work off of a laptop. Laptops use significantly less energy than desktops. So if you have the option, work off of your laptop whenever you can.
- Choose green hosting. Servers are notorious for their excessive energy use. Some, for example, have been likened to SUV (sports utility vehicles). So opt for green hosting, such as HostGator which claims that their hosting is 130% wind powered!
- Optimize your website. Whether or not you are on green hosting, you can optimize your website so that is uses less of your server’s resources.
- Minimize printing. One great thing about working online is that we rarely need to print documents. However, when we do, its a good idea to make sure that we are not printing unnecessary pages. There is a great free piece of software called GreenPrint which help you minimize the number of pages that you print.
- Buy carbon offsets. To go completely carbon neutral, you can buy emission reduction or renewable energy credits. And for the average person or sole-proprietorship, you can be carbon neutral for less than $100. To learn more about carbon offsets and why buying credits is good for the planet, read Offsetting 101.
You can find a list of other energy saving tips on the Carbon Tracker website.
And to learn all about Google’s Green Initiatives, take a look at Going Green at Google.
Tags: Google, HostGator11 Responses to “Go Green: How To Shrink Your Carbon Footprint”
Trackbacks
Trackback URL for this entry:
http://www.velvetblues.com/web-development-blog/go-green-shrink-your-carbon-footprint/trackback/
Leave a Reply
- Categories
- CMS Plugins
- Code Samples
- Domain Names
- Industry News
- Internet Marketing
- Miscellaneous
- Professional Web Development
- Search Engine Optimization
- Tutorials
- Web Browsers
- Web Hosting
- Website Improvement Tips
- Website Performance
- WordPress Themes
- Subscribe by Email or RSS
- Want to be notified of new entries? Just enter your email address below. Our feed is delivered by FeedBurner.
- Recommended Hosting Company
- We prefer HostGator. Click here or on the image below to go to their site.
Want us to work on your project?
Contact us today for a quote. Click here to submit details regarding your project.
If you are making a general inquiry, send an email to info@velvetblues.com
Great list of resources
I’m constantly working to reduce my carbon footprint. Mine is already pretty low because I don’t own a car but is still higher than the world average.
I don’t print at home and I do the power strip turnoff. I used to leave my computer on all the time but now turn it off when I’m not there.
@Kim, yes the car is usually the biggie. I am probably not that good at following my own tips, but I have done some things, especially with the power strip and turning off monitors instead of leaving them on screensaver, and I’ve noticed significant energy savings.
Interesting read- another good reason to have Hostgator.
I guess you really don’t realize how much energy is taken up by the little things. Thanks for the heads up.
Power strip – check. A lot of people don’t realize the amount of money they can actually save by going green. Ever since I picked up the habit of turning things off when I don’t use them, it’s been money in the bank. My winter electrical bills are comparable right now to my summer electrical bill from a few years ago. It definitely makes a big difference.
@Jen, yep. And fortunately, it isn’t the only green host. More and more seem to be following this trend…
@TrainWreckIdeas, yeh its amazing how much energy we use, even when we aren’t aware of it.
Google search produces around 7 grams of carbon. That is huge amount of emission considering the search stats per day. Its urgent time we went green and this is a very relevant post on how we bloggers can help cutting down the carbon emissions.
@Forsaken, yeh green is important. As for Google, they are a green company and do their best to offset their emissions. They have biodiesel vehicles on their campus, they give their employees bikes, they invest in clean energy, etc…
Haha yeah shirley, I read about using laptop instead of desktop saves you lotsa energy and electrical bill! Great tips you have here..
Great article. Infact I use only my laptop since about 2 months now. And to say it…really my electricity comsumption went from Rs600 to Rs320 monthly now. Rs is the mauritian rupee.
Well I mostly let the lappy on sleep mode when I am away. Its for sure not very greeny
@Ben: Yep, the laptop is key. Unfortunately, sometimes it is easier to use a desktop because of the larger monitors.
@Kurt: That is a huge drop in cost. I am sure if I completely stopped using my desktop I’d have similar savings.
Yaay, I have unknowingly chosen a green host!