by Colwyn Elder (@colwynelder) #ClickClean is a campaign aimed at increasing awareness of all the ‘dirty stuff’ we consume online, where “dirty” refers not to content but rather all those clicks, streams and shares that are still being powered by dirty energy.
Based upon the recent Greenpeace report of the same name, #ClickClean calls out the good, the bad and the ugly (or rather the clean and the grubby) in terms of tech companies using renewable electricity to power their data centres, simultaneously asking people to take action.
Leading the charge
Last month’s column asked the question “How green is your internet?” and readers will be pleased to know that tech giants Google, Facebook, and Apple lead the charge by using an increasing amount of renewable electricity to power their data centres.
Google’s vast internet ecosystem means that energy demands are high, yet 34% of its data centres run off renewable energy. This means our searches, Gmail, and YouTube videos all are being increasingly powered by clean sources of energy.
Facebook is also getting greener. At the end of 2011, the company made a pledge to move toward 100% renewable energy, largely in response to a call from its users. Facebook’s latest data centre, based in Iowa, saw US$2 billion investment in wind energy, the largest single-purchase of wind turbines in the world.
In 2012, Apple also took a seat at the table by pledging its commitment to power the iCloud with 100% renewable energy, and building the two largest privately owned solar farms in the country at its data centre in North Carolina. Apple is also working with an innovative new type of solar panel at its upcoming data centre in Nevada that concentrates sunlight up to seven times.
Turn a bit murky
But, while your conscience can rest easy when listening to iTunes and checking your Facebook page, things turn a bit murky should you want to move into work mode and share anything on LinkedIn or Twitter. Likewise for inspiration platforms Pinterest and tumblr.
And, unfortunately, Amazon remains amongst the dirtiest and least transparent companies in the sector, choosing to power its infrastructure on lowest electricity prices only and with zero reporting of its energy or environmental footprint to any source or stakeholder.
What with our online lives resulting in a collective electricity demand equivalent to the sixth largest country in the world (and an expected 60% increase by 2020), the environmental argument for a green internet is gaining traction all the time. Furthermore, costs for renewable energy are dropping alongside rising prices for fossil fuel-based electricity, making a compelling business case.
Ultimately, as proven by Facebook’s customer-demand-driven pledge, it’s we the clickers, and the increasing value we place on sustainable practice, who will encourage companies to switch.
“The Internet has helped move the world to more freedom, transparency and democracy”, says Kumi Naidoo, Greenpeace executive director. “It’s only natural that it moves the world to a clean energy revolution that will last for generations to come.”
All we need to do is #ClickClean.
Strategic consultant Colwyn Elder (@colwynelder) brings a global perspective to the issue of sustainability, having lived and worked in London, Tokyo, Amsterdam and Cape Town. She contributes the monthly “Green Sky Thinking” column on sustainability issues to MarkLives.
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