The internet has huge potential to move us towards a sustainable future through dematerialising products and streamlining industries. Despite its many benefits though, it is not perfect. The storage, processing and transmission of data consumes electricity and that has an impact on the environment. The web may appear clean, but it has a real impact on climate change and its impact is growing as our hunger for data accelerates.
The good news is that there are simple things that we can do about it, and contrary to what some may think, a green website can actually be a better website for everyone. Approaching web projects through the lens of sustainability can have benefits not just for the environment, but also in terms of improved SEO, accessibility, user experience and even cost savings.
We’ll look at some practical steps to green the web and the benefits that they bring.