World Clean Data Day 2024

February 2024

Join us to Spring clean your digital footprint on 21st March and reduce your carbon footprint.

Get involved

There are a number of ways to support, running events and PR activity; and through helping to spread the
campaign’s key messages across your own networks. Assets can be downloaded HERE.

Our world is becoming increasingly digital, with data coursing through servers and devices at an ever-growing rate. While technological advancements offer countless benefits, the environmental impact of this digital landscape should not be ignored. Enter World Clean Data Day, a Carbon Happy World initiative designed to raise awareness about the hidden carbon footprint of our online activities and empower individuals and organisations to reduce their carbon footprint.

Here we offer some activities and behaviours that can inspire you to embrace World Clean Data Day and turn it into a digital detox success, making it a significant event for your business in the carbon emission reduction calendar.

Organisational initiatives to explore

1. Promote digital detox challenges

Organise internal challenges at your workplace, encouraging employees to implement tips like reducing email
volume, closing unused tabs, and minimising unnecessary printing.

Inter office competitions, offer incentives and rewards for teams or individuals who demonstrate significant progress
in reducing their digital footprint.

2. Invest in sustainable technology

Evaluate your company’s data centre infrastructure and explore investments in renewable energy sources or carbon-neutral data centres.

Implement data efficiency practices, such as optimising website content for faster loading times and reducing unnecessary data storage.

Encourage employees to utilise energy-efficient devices and implement automatic power-saving features on office computers and peripherals.

3. Support green cloud services

Research and migrate your company’s data storage to cloud services committed to using renewable energy sources.

Partner with eco-friendly IT service providers who prioritise sustainable practices and offer transparent data centre information regarding energy consumption and carbon emissions.

4. Partner with environmental Organisations

Collaborate with environmental or sustainability-focused organisations to raise awareness about World Clean Data Day and promote collective action towards reducing the environmental impact of the digital world.

Explore opportunities to sponsor or co-host events that promote digital detox practices and carbon reduction strategies.

5. Advocate for policy change

Engage with policymakers and industry leaders to advocate for regulations and policies that encourage sustainable digital practices.

Support initiatives that promote energy efficiency standards for data centres and encourage the development of carbon-neutral technologies.

Individual actions to explore

1. Declutter your inbox

Unsubscribe mercilessly: Regularly audit your inbox and unsubscribe from dormant mailing lists you no longer read. This reduces the energy wasted on sending and storing unwanted emails.

Embrace deletion: Delete old emails you don’t need. Consider utilising auto-deletion options to eliminate emails older than a specific timeframe.

Consolidate for efficiency: Explore email aggregation services that gather your data from multiple accounts before sharing it with
businesses. This reduces the number of individual email transmissions.

2. Cleanse your devices

Uninstall the unused: Conduct a thorough review of your apps and remove those you no longer use. This frees up storage space
and potentially reduces background processes that consume energy.

Location, location, disabled: Location services can be significant energy drains, especially when not strictly necessary. Disable location tracking for apps that don’t require it.

Update for efficiency: Regularly update your devices and software, as these updates often include optimisations for energy consumption.

3. Manage your photo library

Cull the clutter: Delete blurry duplicates, outdated photos and low-quality images you’ll never revisit.

Embrace cloud storage strategically: While cloud storage can be convenient, utilise it with awareness. Remember, even virtual space has a carbon cost. Prioritise essential files and use local storage or external hard drives for infrequently accessed data.

Optimise image size: Consider using tools to reduce the file size of your photos without sacrificing significant quality. This reduces
storage requirements and associated energy consumption.

4. Tame your browsing habits

Think before you click: Pause before mindlessly clicking on links or opening unnecessary tabs. Each click translates to energy
expenditure for data processing and transmission.

Utilise ad blockers: Ad blockers can significantly reduce page load times, which can translate to lower energy consumption.

Stream efficiently: Opt for lower video quality when streaming content, as it requires less bandwidth and reduces energy use. Consider watching shows in batches rather than continuously, allowing devices to go into idle mode during breaks.

5. Advocate and educate

Spread the word: Share information about World Clean Data Day with friends, family, and colleagues. Raise awareness about the hidden impact of digital activities and encourage others to participate on the day and beyond.

Support sustainable businesses: Choose companies that prioritise sustainable practices and invest in renewable energy sources to power their data centres.

Engage with organisations: Contact environmental or tech-focused companys to learn more about their initiatives related to clean data and carbon reduction.

Making World Clean Data Day Count

World Clean Data Day is more than just a one-day event. It represents a significant opportunity to inspire individuals and organisations to take mindful steps towards reducing their digital carbon footprint.

If you are interested in supporting World Clean Data Day 2024, please get in touch at hello@carbonhappy.world.