You would think that with the online bank services and less paper being used or giving conferences over Skype rather than flying all over the world would make the internet environmentally friendly. But is it really the case? Short answer: to some extent.
Firstly let’s explore how the internet has been considered an eco-friendly paradigm.
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What does an eco-friendly internet look like?
An environment environment-friendly internet would be less likely to leave any carbon footprint if the following steps are taken:
- Having environment environment-friendly measures being practiced in corporations
- Using sustainable materials wherever possible
- Actively taking advices and working with environmental group activists for further environmental preservation
- Using renewable energy resources
What is being done to make the internet eco-friendly?
A survey by WiproDigital found that almost 100 percent of CEOs and vice presidents confidently believe that the IoT is already contributing to a more sustainable future, and will continue to do so in five years’ time.
- Emphasize digital citizenship and individual responsibility – Recording everything from naming detail to receipt documentation onto the computer systems instead of using paper has been considered an eco-friendly method of preventing trees from being cut down. It’s important to remind employees that, as corporate citizens, they each play a critical role in shaping a future where strategic growth and sustainability opportunities are intertwined and can support one another. To help build a culture of commitment and community, business leaders should encourage employees to take a proactive stance in designing the company’s sustainability initiatives. Almost all of the surveyed CEOs and vice presidents confidently believe the IoT is already contributing to a more sustainable future, and will continue to do. To do this, companies must instill a sense of individual responsibility for the organization’s impact. For instance, sustainability teams can use technologies such as virtual reality (VR) to immerse people in “situations” that demonstrate the impact of short-sighted environmental policies and build empathy about issues such as deforestation or desertification that otherwise might feel too far away to matter.
- Share knowledge and resources across departments – Once individuals recognize their responsibility, leaders then can help foster a collaborative business environment across multiple departments. As it stands, only 32 percent of survey respondents said there is significant collaboration between IoT/data and sustainability experts within their own companies, let alone within an external network. According to the experts interviewed by Wipro Digital, focusing on cross-functional discipline can lead to the creation of disruptive and systematic solutions. When employees are networking and actively sharing projects and resources freely across departments, it creates a fluid exchange of information among groups and individuals of varying areas of expertise, which in turn can spark new ideas and inspire experimentation. Innovation often follows. Increasing external collaboration is just as critical: One easy way to do this is enabling open data infrastructure. Open data platforms would allow better data flow and integration, better faster collaboration, increased transparency, and valuable data analysis, while also driving a potential maximum of $5 trillion in economic value. Similar to the advent of electricity, building such a public data infrastructure could have an immense impact on society, especially in addressing environmental and social issues.
- Collaborate to create guidelines for tech development – Because technology develops much faster than legislation can keep up, there is still a lack of unified environmental guidelines for emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. But there are also limits to how much corporations can prioritize environmental benefits over economic costs — as the key objective in most businesses, after all, is to maximize revenue. By working with government organizations such as the Environmental Protection Agency, businesses could help develop appropriate measures that ensure technology is being channeled for the greater good at scale. At times, some businesses have trouble complying with federal environmental goals because the set timeframe is limited or because they lack internal resources. To overcome that gap, the government and businesses can collaborate and together create more eco-friendly guidelines related to open data and IoT devices. Businesses will play an important and necessary role in building a sustainable future. The exchange of ideas, expertise, and data among individuals, companies and the government will allow the corporate world to better create sustainable products and services. It also will lead to innovation within businesses, across industries, and help restore the environment globally.
How is the internet not eco-friendly?
- Satellite internet is available to internet users in remote locations. However, satellite internet is very dangerous to the environment. Satellites are launched into space with rockets, which are not good for the ozone layer. Satellite also leave around excessive litter around space.
How can ISPs make the internet environment friendly?
If you are hoping to move toward an ISP that is better for the environment, that is a great first step. Fiber, unfortunately, is not widely available. Because it relies on fiber optic cables that have not been previously run, the cables will have to be run to your house from the closest connecting point. This is expensive, so it is not a decision that can be made lightly. Once set up, however, you will not only be making environmentally-positive decisions, but you will also have the fastest form of internet that you can get. Xfinity internet prices.
