Lesson 4

Adapting your use of digital technology

updated on
 16/10/2023

Digital technology is an integral part of our daily lives, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to do without it, especially in a professional context. We need it to work, communicate, share, entertain, pay our taxes, telework, keep up to date… But all this has a huge impact on the environment.

Fortunately, we can reduce the very significant environmental impact of digital technology by reviewing the way we use it. On the agenda: digital sobriety, alternative tools that consume less power, the lifecycle of devices, and much more.

How can we use digital technology ethically?

78% of greenhouse gases in the digital sector are due to the manufacture of digital equipment alone. The best way to take action is therefore to rethink the way we equip ourselves, the way we use our appliances and the way we dispose of them:

  • Equip yourself more responsibly: don’t rush into buying, limit the amount of equipment you buy and opt for reconditioned and/or durable devices.
  • Take care of your equipment by adding protection, cleaning it regularly and repairing it if necessary.
  • Dispose of your equipment properly by donating it (to reconditioning facilities, for example) if it is still working, or by having it recycled by authorised facilities if it is not.

Here are a few interesting reflexes that you can adopt:

  • Send your emails efficiently by limiting the number of recipients, writing your emails in plain text format (rather than HTML) or deleting attachments when you reply to an email.
  • Regularly empty your mailbox and unsubscribe from newsletters.
  • Prefer audio conferencing to video conferencing or, better still, hold your meetings face-to-face if most of the participants are on site.

In terms of alternative tools that are more respectful of the environment and your personal data, you have a choice:

  • Surf the web using Lilo, YouCare or DuckDuckGo.
  • Communicate with Treebal, Newmanity or Tutanota.
  • Collaborate with FileVert (file transfer) or NordLocker (data storage).

A few tips to help you chill out:

  • Surf the web more cleanly by creating favourites for the sites you visit often and by regularly deleting your history and cookies.
  • Optimise your audiovisual consumption by choosing a resolution more suited to your screen (720p/1080p on a laptop and 240p/360p on a smartphone) and by deactivating the automatic playback of videos on social networks and streaming platforms.
  • Put an end to over-connection by switching off your devices when you’re not using them and activating energy-saving modes.
  • Moderate your use of social networks by avoiding endless scrolling.

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