Sustainable love and our digital footprints
THREE NEAT THINGS
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ISSUE 055 | 13 February 2023
Hi friends!
I've been looking into how much carbon our online activities, like hosting our websites and browsing the web really use. It's been eye-opening to see the impact. Did you know that if the internet was a country, it would rank in the top six as the world’s biggest polluter? Every website is hosted on a server, and most of the world’s servers are powered by fossil fuels.
I found a couple of quick ways to make a difference, but need to do a lot more work. Any easy start was to switch to using Ecosia for web searches - it plants trees with the profits. My next step is to re-do my website on a platform that uses renewable energy (Squarespace doesn't), and streamline it so it uses less carbon.
Then I need to consider what impact my digital images have via my clients websites and how I can measure that. Most carbon assessments don't even take into account how long you spend on the internet every day, and I've never done one that asks you to measure the emissions per page load of your own website.
Learning more about my digital footprint is on my project list for 202e - if you're interested in hearing what I find out and the tools I use to do this process, reply to this newsletter and let me know!
Marnie x
1
A guide to feeding wild birds
Are you one of the 30-50% of Australian households that feed wild birds?
This controversial practice is banned in WA (you can't feed any native fauna without a licence), but millions of well meaning people still feed wild birds in their backyard. Unfortunately, many don’t realise that it can do more harm than good for our feathered friends – and if done incorrectly, can lead to serious problems including malnutrition, disease and unbalanced populations.
But, if you are going to feed wild birds, here’s some tips on how to do it properly.
2
Sustainable love
Photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash
If Valentine's Day is your jam (personally, it's not mine, but I'm a bit of a Christmas grinch as well!), it's often celebrated with helium heart balloons, cheap soft toys, plastic gift wrap, and glitter that then sits in landfills for hundreds of years.
But it doesn't have to be that cliche - there are heaps of sustainable ways to celebrate this day of love without further damaging our planet. Some solutions include mindful gifts and activities that prioritise the environment, while still allowing for meaningful expressions of affection.
3
A web browser that's planted over 2 million trees
Ecosia is a search engine that uses its profits to plant trees, operating on the principle of turning everyday internet searches into a force for environmental restoration.
By harnessing the power of web searches, it provides a simple yet impactful way to contribute to reforestation just by choosing a different web browser. Oh, and they're also a Certified B Corp!
