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Tips to reduce your digital carbon footprint

Scrolling, tapping and swiping are the norm for most smart device users. But did you know that every online activity costs energy?

Drew Minns, founder of Really good work, specialized in digital sustainability. Creating efficiently optimized web experiences is not only an initiative to reduce the digital carbon footprint, but also a unique initiative for internet users.

The grueling charging time speeds up and the device’s battery life can last longer with simple adjustments.

“Not everyone has the latest device; not everyone has a fast internet connection, so by actually making it more sustainable you can reach an audience that you may not have been able to reach before,” says Minns.

Vic: Drew Minns of Real Good Work, digital sustainability website and app developerVic: Drew Minns of Real Good Work, digital sustainability website and app developer

Vic: Drew Minns of Real Good Work, digital sustainability website and app developer

Drew Minns is the founder of Real Good Work, a company specializing in digital preservation.

We could use some of it Really good work‘s sustainable efforts to maximize energy when we use our own digital tools. Minn’s suggests optimizing your images.

“Make sure they are large enough to show up,” he explains. “For example, people often take photos straight from their iPhone, which are incredibly high resolution. What you do is put a huge, huge image on a page and then shrink it down, while users still have to download the image. That makes the site slow .”

When creating your own website, Minn recommends using built-in computer fonts and avoiding custom fonts. Opting for a darker theme can also reduce your digital footprint.

“Many screens actually use more power to effectively illuminate the pixels that display lighter colors, so if you have a darker background your site will use less energy,” he explains.

During your daily social media consumption, consider using the “capped usage” settings on your smartphone, scheduling app downtimes, and turning off auto-refresh of apps. These tips can help you use less data, extend battery life, and promote digital carbon footprint reduction.

(Credit: NicoElNino/iStock/Getty Images Plus. Creative #: 1383854915)