Designing an Eco-Friendly Website
When we talk about sustainability, we don’t usually think about the music we listen to, the TV shows we stream, or the apps we download. But in implementing sustainable design holistically, we need to also consider our digital carbon footprints.
Technology and electronics require energy to be produced and to keep running (unless they’re battery-powered of course). Especially as technology makes strides in artificial intelligence and machine learning, which uses a lot of fossil fuel energy in computing power, we need to work collaboratively to find solutions that simultaneously support this innovation and reduce our carbon emissions.
If you’re thinking about the impact your website makes on the environment, you’re already off to a great start! As sustainable design grows and evolves to accommodate our changing technologies and economies, we have to adjust our methods as well. So when approaching your next digital project, here’s a list of things to consider to alleviate its impact on the environment:
What you can do
Start by evaluating your website’s sustainability with Eco Grader. (A lot of these tips follow the suggestions from Eco Grader!)
Power your workplace (whether that’s an office or at home) with renewable energy. Aren’t in control of how your workplace is powered? Show your commitment and interest in renewable energy by using Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) through companies like Arcadia.
Increase the speed of your website. The longer it takes for your website to load with big images, videos, animations, etc., the more energy it uses. By reducing the time it takes for your website to load, you’ll cut down on your website’s energy footprint.
Front end
Consider using a darker background color on your website. It takes more energy to display pure white on a website (or any other platform - think about projectors, for example).
Use simple designs + simple graphics in your website design.
Create print-friendly pages or print-optimized content.
There are also a number of things you can do on your website’s back end to decrease its energy usage and improve its efficiency, but since we’re not experts in this, we’ll only share a few:
Find a hosting service powered by renewable energy.
Help speed up your website by collaborating with developers to write efficient and/or modular code. Similar to how a universal design system helps to make apps or websites more streamlined, your code can do the same!
Become a 1% For the Planet member, which donates 1% of your company’s profits to environmental causes.
Lastly, you can offset your carbon emissions. However, this is not a perfect solution. We absolutely need to be focused on reducing our carbon emissions at all costs. Offset projects (like tree planting) can be difficult to hold accountable and actually measure concretely. For example, there’s no guarantee that the tree planted will survive or grow in its current conditions, just based on its interactions with other wildlife or exposure to the elements. If you can partner with local carbon offsetting programs, even better! You can visit the site or communicate with the organization directly to see how the project is going. Some examples of national carbon offsetting projects include Carbon Fund, Native Energy, 3Degrees, and Terrapass.