The internet has enabled huge advances in learning and sharing information, and our world is the richer for it, but it doesn’t come without a cost.

And the cost is not found just in the price of the hardware and services forming the infrastructure, but also in the environmental effects of increased power demands (and the associated carbon emissions) for driving the storage and delivery of bits and bytes from the servers to your screen.

Have you ever wondered what the carbon footprint is for something as vast and varied as the internet?

According to Mightybytes, the estimated 50 million servers that make up the internet, all of which demand a constant power supply, are responsible for 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

That’s quite a bit of an impact for something that seems ephemeral to most of us, and it will only increase as we get more devices in our homes and hands and more files on servers everywhere.

“More than 100 million websites and web applications account for 9% of the United States’ total electricity consumption, which is more than the airline Industry or a small country like Sweden. While the web is certainly more sustainable than other mediums (print, etc.), there is a lot of room for improvement.” – Mightybytes

In response to this need for improvement in the sustainability of the internet, the company started with the bits and pieces that make up the web. EcoGrader is their new web-based app that can analyze and grade individual websites on factors that affect how “green” a site is. From the FAQ page, the score consists of six tests, with more to come:

The six existing tests are:

• Is your site hosted on a green/sustainable hosting provider?
• What is your website’s findability according to MozRank?
• How many HTTP requests are there upon hitting your website’s homepage?
• What is your Google Page Speed according to Google Page Speed Insights?
• Is your site designed mobile first or responsively according to [method of test]?
• Did you avoid using Flash on your site?

Find out how your favorite websites compare over at EcoGrader.

In the midst of the climate crisis, clean business strategies are vital.

Even for a business unconcerned with the climate crisis, it would be in its best interest to invest in climate protection. Today, entrepreneurs and companies prosper from adopting more efficient practices, especially as environmental concerns worsen.

Made clear throughout history, it is the nations that innovate to meet the needs of humans and the environment who have ruled the world, politically and otherwise. With environmental responsibility comes innovation, this has been proven time and again as some of the world’s leading companies strive to improve their efficiency and sustain their good reputations.

In the early 2000′s, Dupont pledged to reduce its carbon emisson’s to 65 percent below their 1990′s levels, vowing to do so by 2010. Dupont made this pledge not because of environmental concern but to increase their shareholder value. They met their goals and after a 67 percent decrease in their global emissions, they had a 340 percent increase in stock value.

STMicroelectronics, a computer chip manufacturing company, pledged to become carbon neutral by the 2010 – and to do so while increasing production forty-fold. Despite having little idea at the time to how they would achieve this, they allowed their goal to inspire innovation within the company and ultimately reached it. Upon achieving this goal, STMicroelectronics estimates they had already saved a billion dollars.  This achievement also increased the company’s ranking, from number-twelve chip maker in the world to number-six.

It would also seem although businesses are not required to submit answers to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), companies interested in the capital markets would be advised to do so. This alone helps companies realize their largest areas of cost and consumption. Thus, allowing them to create alternate ways to keep their operations running that cut their carbon footprint and increase value. Companies that fail to manage their carbon footprint wisely are often deemed unworthy of investment.

In 2008, Walmart sent the Carbon Disclosure Project to China to inform suppliers if they wished to remain in collaboration with Walmart,  they would have to report their carbon footprints. Just a few years prior, in 2005, Walmart had already made a few pledges; they pledged to be supplied entirely by renewable energy; they pledged to create zero waste, and they pledged to sell products that sustain resources and the environment.

Again, such initiatives were stated and met, not for the good of the environment (though the environment has benefited greatly from them) but as a business strategy to save money and compete in a carbon-constrained world.

This is something for all businesses to consider, as in the end they only gain from implementing environmentally responsible practices.

Source:
Climate Capitalism, L. Hunter Lovins and Boyd Cohen, Copyright 2011

Being energy conservative doesn’t have to be hard. The following are a few simple and practical ways to save throughout the week.

Did you know that many email accounts can be accessed even when not online?  You can set yours up to allow message checking without the internet. To see if your email can work while your connection isn’t, open your account and then click on the “Settings” tab. Look for an “Offline” selection. Click on this and follow prompts to begin an install to add a work offline option.

This feature is best on your own personal computer and is not recommended for shared or public ones because it will store your files, which can be deleted later, on the particular computer that it was installed on. Also, keep in mind that certain features may not be available, like sending messages and your page may display differently, but will be back to normal once you have a live connection. You can switch between checking messages either on or offline, and if you are guilty of checking countess times a day it may be a good idea to try.

Doing things online can also be energy saving, though. Think of webinars, telecommuting and even online books and magazines, which are all a substantial way to save paper and power resources. By reading your favorite publications via web, you are actually contributing to tree conservation. One ton of quality magazine paper takes over 15 trees to produce (conservatree.org). So, thank you for reading and saving a tree!

Another active thing to do that doesn’t require much effort is to incorporate a home, office or school wide recycling day. Have it on the same day each week so that everyone will be more likely to remember to toss out things like unneeded papers and plastics. By recycling on a regular basis, less energy is needed to manufacture entirely new products. Not to mention, your space will be neater.

If you are a seeing is believing type, keep track of energy use with engaging and resourceful gadgets like Oregon Scientific’s wireless appliance manager  which looks at the energy consumed by each outlet to let you know which ones are guilty of using too much power, or a Kill-a-Watt which observes your carbon footprint over the time period of your choice.

Being aware of your usage will likely lead to energy smart behaviors, and often doesn’t take that much effort.

While methods for assembling roads, bridges, and tunnels have evolved over the years, the procedures for home construction remain virtually the same. In Third World countries, this failure to modernize has cost many lives each year through dangerous construction practices, and delays the process of transforming impoverished nations into cultured societies.

Recently, the method of 3D printing has gained popularity in the manufacturing and scientific industry. These printing devices are capable of taking certain construction materials and turning them into 3-Dimensional products. So far, organs, tools, artwork, and even guns have been printed and sold in retail stores worldwide.

Scientists and researchers are looking at current utilizations of 3D printers, and envision taking them a step further in commercialization. They hope that in the next few years, advances will be made towards the creation of giant 3D printers capable of building houses, apartment complexes, schools, and more.

The benefits that this type of construction method provides are well worth the research into the technology. For example, commercial 3D printers will lower the casualty rate of construction workers in poorer nations and reduce the time and costs of traditional construction. Rather than taking months or years to build a neighborhood, the job could be completed in a matter of weeks.

Behrokh Khoshnevis, a Professor of Engineering at USC, has been leading the research into developing these massive 3D printers that he claims can design and build a full home in 24 hours. He’s titled the process, “Contour Crafting”, and hopes to begin implementing this technology in underdeveloped nations soon.

Prof. Khoshnevis also anticipates sending these printers to the Moon and Mars for future colonization projects. His website reads, “Contour Crafting technology has the potential to build safe, reliable, and affordable lunar and Martian structures, habitats, laboratories, and other facilities before the arrival of human beings”.

Along with the costs and lives saved by this construction practice, 3D printing leaves a minimal carbon footprint compared to diesel tractors and trucks necessary for traditional construction. At this time in development, Contour Crafting has the ability to design and build everything inside a complete home, minus the doors, windows, and electrical installation. This is where the construction process involves human workers, along with trained operators for the 3D machinery.

Even though this futuristic technology exists only on paper, small-scale 3D printers are very much a reality in the manufacturing industry. In the next few years, we may have our home designed and built by Contour Crafting, which opens up the door for many new and exciting possibilities.

Sources:

Daily Mail – http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2187623/Contour-Crafting-builds-house-24-hours.html
Contour Construction – http://www.contourcrafting.org/
Smart Planet – http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/thinking-tech/uh-oh-3d-printer-produces-a-real-gun/12527?tag=search-river

Thanks to increasing efforts worldwide, people are gradually, and in small ways, reducing their carbon footprints.

It’s a large movement, based on individuals choosing to change their habits, and raise their voices against global climate change.

But what happens when we are browsing the e-edition of the newspaper (to save paper), and we find out that the ice caps are still melting, will continue melting, and will be completely melted in a certain amount of time.

Sometimes it can be hard to face the predictions of coming disasters. Animal extinction, factory farming, overfishing, over mining, fossil fuels.

All these issues keep coming, and not stopping. And sometimes it’s easy to forget that we ARE making a difference.

90 percent of Canadians make daily efforts to reduce their carbon footprints, organic farms are on the rise in major food chains, and millions of intelligent and effective people are researching ways for a better, sustainable future.

So don’t forget to keep spreading the green and help fight climate change!

A trend for the trend-setters. Eco fashion is becoming the hot new thing and one of the most fashionable of all is leading the way.

Stella McCartney has a new found conscience that has led her to create a range of eco-friendly sunglasses. For Spring Summer 2012, Stella McCartney launches a new ‘eco-friendly’ collection of sunglasses. It is a sustainable collection with the use of raw materials stemming from natural origins, such as castor-oil seeds and citric acid. The collection is made from over 50% natural and renewable resources, and to top it off McCartney’s offices and studios are powered by a clean energy.

You don’t get any more famous than Bono. His label Edun, along with partner Ali Hewson, is inspired by Africa. Their aim is to encourage other brands to trade with Africa in order to help lift the economies of Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2008 Edun established the Conservation Cotton Initiative Uganda (CCIU) together with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Invisible Children. CCIU provides funding, training and enterprise support to cotton farmers to help build sustainable businesses in Northern Uganda, one of the poorest areas of Uganda which is recovering from 25 years of civil war.

Katharine Hamnett is a tireless advocate for environmental issues and has been since the 1980′s. Katharine is a true campaigner for the use of organic cotton. Her iconic slogan tees are produced to the highest environmentally friendly standards and are the height of eco-chic.

Marc Jacobs has recently opened an eco-friendly flagship store in Tokyo. The building is a multi-level glass and rock building that is ecologically sound. He creates eco-friendly tote bags that are super cute too.

American Apparel reduces their carbon footprint wherever possible and they reuse and recycle most materials in the company. They have solar panels on their large factory and feature a 100% organic cotton range.

So forget straw-like hemp sacks as fashion. You can be fabulous and eco-friendly all at the same fashionable time!