Saving the planet, one swipe at a time

Today, 7.49 billion people own a smartphone, a convenience turned into a household staple. While they are found in nearly every hand, electronics greatly contribute to around 70 kg of fossil fuel consumption per phone (European Environmental Agency)! To ease off the energy usage, try these tips to be more eco-conscious:

Using Less Power 

• Lower screen brightness or use dark mode.

• Turn on battery saver mode to reduce energy use.

• Less battery usage → less frequency to charge electronic devices → less electricity usage.

• Close unused tabs running in the background of your laptop.

• Unplug your chargers when not in use because they still use up energy when plugged in.

• In 2015, $19 billion worth of electricity was wasted on devices left on or plugged 24/7 (Natural Resources Defense Council).

• Unplugging your devices ensures that unnecessary electricity costs do not rack up!

Be Conscious of Your Electronic Purchases

• Don’t upgrade every year; try to hold on to your phone longer, not just replacing it at the sight of a new model.

• Recycle old phones responsibly–check Best Buy, Staples, Ebay, and local e-waste events for places to sell/donate your used products.

  • Buy refurbished or secondhand electronics instead of new ones.

  • Old iPhones can take trendy, low-quality photos!

Examine Your Phone Usage

• Limit video streaming.

• Streaming can utilize more than 200TWh annually from data centers (U.S. Department of Energy).

• Download music/podcasts for offline use instead of constant streaming.

• Use Wi-Fi instead of mobile data when possible.

• Wi-Fi transmits data over shorter distances than mobile data.

Choose Green Accessories

• Choose solar-powered chargers to minimize energy/fossil fuel usage.

• Purchase biodegradable phone cases.

• Support fair trade and biopolymer-made phone cases

  Tags:

  #fair trade#local#environment#green