Show Notes
Did you know you probably emit more CO2 from your website than your travel! Welcome to Sustainability Solved! In this episode, hosts Will Richardson and Charlie Luxton explore a surprising yet critical issue: digital emissions! Joined by Tom Greenwood and Georgie Monaghan of Wholegrain Digital, the conversation covers everything from the environmental impact of websites to how organisations can reduce their digital carbon footprint. This discussion offers actionable insights for anyone with a digital footprint (Yes, that’s probably you). Problem Digital emissions, often overlooked, contribute 4% of global carbon emissions, surpassing the aviation sector. Organisations frequently underestimate their digital footprint, focusing instead on areas like travel. This lack of awareness results in inefficient websites, high electricity usage from data centres, and excessive consumption of new tech. Solutions Optimising Websites: Build lightweight websites using lean code to minimise energy usage. Audit and reduce resource-heavy elements like autoplay videos, large images, and redundant scripts. Adopt green hosting providers powered by renewable energy.
Promoting Awareness: Use tools like the Website Carbon Calculator to measure digital impact. Encourage transparency about digital emissions in board-level discussions.
Extending Equipment Lifespan: Repair and refurbish devices instead of replacing them. Purchase refurbished technology and prioritise products with high repairability scores.
Innovative Cooling for Data Centres: Explore creative solutions like reusing data centre heat for community swimming pools or industrial applications.
Results Wholegrain Digital reduced one client’s website emissions by 94% through creative pixelation and optimisation techniques. Organisations like the UK Green Building Council have embraced these practices, integrating sustainability into their core operations and communications. Businesses are now reporting digital emissions at board level, leading to greater accountability and alignment with sustainability goals.
Takeaways Awareness is Key: Educate teams about the impact of digital emissions and their role in reducing them. Start Small, Think Big: Begin with low-hanging fruits like using dark mode, adjusting video quality, and switching to green hosting. Leverage Tools: Utilise resources like the Digital Declutter Toolkit to identify actionable changes. Continuous Maintenance: Regularly review and optimise websites and digital processes to sustain long-term benefits.
Green Element Group is an environmental management consultancy offering a range of bespoke sustainability services, products, and resources to accelerate the just transition to a stable climate. The Group consists of Green Element Limited, Compare Your Footprint Limited, and Sustainability Solved Podcast and Resource Hub.
Find out more about Green Element Group here and benefit from a 20% discount on the first year of subscription to Compare Your Footprint, the highest quality carbon footprint software for your organisation. When registering, click ‘Got a Coupon’ and enter code ‘PODCAST‘ to claim discount.
Mentions and Resources Possible by Chris Goodall The Ministry for the Future Sustainable Web Design by Tom Greenwood UKGBC.ORG Deep Green Greenpeace, Click, Clean Tom Greenwood Substack
Sponsors This episode is brought to you by Business Declares, a network inspiring businesses to address the climate, ecological, and social emergency. Learn more at Business Declares.
Credits Hosts: Will Richardson, Charlie Luxton Production: Soundquake Exec-Producer: Sam Hamilton-Turner Producer: Jake Lee-Savage
For questions or feedback, email us at [email protected]. Tune in next time for more stories on sustainability and business innovation!
More from Sustainability Solved
I was told I did not have the academic ability to finish my masters in a year. I finished in a year, with good results. Part six of seven on why Sustainability Solved is changing format. In this episode: the one person who could say that sentence and get the result she wanted, why the messenger is half the job, and why we are going three episodes deep instead of one. Read the written version: https://willsussolved.substack.com Subscribe for weekly sustainability intelligence that actually moves the needle.
A travel agent sold me a round the world ticket in ten minutes. A thesis on snowboarding in the Cairngorms quietly built the rest of my career. Part five of seven on why Sustainability Solved is changing format. In this episode: three students selling me their cities, why the best-told pitch always wins, and how to use what people are genuinely interested in. Read the written version: https://willsussolved.substack.com Subscribe for weekly sustainability intelligence that actually moves the needle.
At nineteen I was offered the chance to be the youngest pub manager in the UK. I turned it down because of who told me to. Part four of seven on why Sustainability Solved is changing format. In this episode: managing staff at nineteen, the offer with the title and the money losing to the couple I actually trusted, and the sentence that is the whole reason Sustainability Solved Podcast is changing. Read the written version: https://willsussolved.substack.com Subscribe for weekly sustainability intelligence that actually moves the needle.
I walked into hundreds of pubs before one offered me a job, on condition I dressed up as a chicken. It is still the best lesson in communication I have ever had. Part three of seven on why Sustainability Solved is changing format. In this episode: why they tested the chicken suit and not my CV, how I was sacked repeatedly without ever being told, and why people have switched off from climate messaging. Read the written version: https://willsussolved.substack.com Subscribe for weekly sustainability intelligence that actually moves the needle.
Rainwater harvesting, a reed bed and a solar thermal shower in a Welsh cow field. The engineering was never the hard part. Part two of seven on why Sustainability Solved is changing format. In this episode: how a caravan nobody wanted became a log cabin everybody agreed to, why my dad shipped it from Canada when he should have bought it here, and what to do about the site or supplier where your plan is going slowest. Read the written version: https://willsussolved.substack.com Subscribe for weekly sustainability intelligence that actually moves the needle.