cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/6839374
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this post was submitted on 18 Feb 2024
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Solarpunk technology
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To counter all the negative comments, I think the idea of making websites low energy (think solar.lowtech as an extreme example) is a good design principle. Yeah, in the big scheme of things it means not much but something is better than nothing.
https://www.websitecarbon.com/
This has been discussed before a while back. When it came up, I measured my page that is an environmental site and blog and it got an A+ rating. My intent in choosing the theme was to make it low data as possible (with my technological illiteracy) and I think the rating reflects that. No one wants or needs heavy webpages for a majority of them, of course exceptions apply. In this day and age, the heavier they are, the more data they are actively stealing.
Inconvenient truth: the location of your website matters more than its content in terms of footprint. Hosting in on a VPS at Amazon probably has a lower footprint than a raspberry pi in your garage. And overall, it is really, really small.
I'm not saying it isn't but like said, something is better than nothing. The doomerism involved in saying the individual can't make any choices doesn't make me feel solarpunk.
Everyone should be aware of the bleeding obvious but if individuals want to make changes, then let them? I like to plant thousands of trees each year and I definitely know that isn't going to save the planet but I still do it because it makes me feel good.
Hell yes. I'm glad to see someone get it. Every little bit counts! Something is better than nothing. Even if it's tiny. It all adds up.
You totally rock.
Your comment is more succinct than mine but that was my intent.
If your webpage doesn't need to load things for any important purpose, then actively make it lighter. It doesn't hurt anyone and is one simple act that adds to the whole.
As for eco-certification, at least someone is trying to make it obvious. Good for them.
Individuals can make a ton of choices and impact! But don't make them believe that some things are impactful when they are not. Changing the way you move around, insulating your home, changing your diet, improving your recycling, all these have an impact. Making your webpage 50K lighter? That's good design sure, but not an environmental action.
Insulate your water heater before worrying about the few mW a website could save!
I get you but I've already done all those things.
Ordering them by priority is fine but this is more of an ethos than a checklist. Everything that one could do could follow the same philosophy by shaving off energy usage where one can. Doesn't matter if it's a hot water tap, a walk to the shops instead of driving, sitting under a tree instead of aircon, or designing a website to send less data. They are all the same because the goal is use less and they all matter. Does that make sense?
At one point then the goal is not to lower your impact, it is to make it positive: don't lower your energy use anymore, become a net producer. We just moved in a house so the insulation and switch to heat pump is our priority but at one point I want solar panels. I want guilt-free air conditioning in summer
Already done. Plus all the tree planting and biochar I do.
Perhaps your argument is a foundational one whereas other people are already chasing the diminishing returns. As an ethos, I feel that everything one should do is striving to that lower goal but there is no shame in attacking your agenda as a priority checklist, it makes sense financially.
I still don't know why we can't have low energy websites as the norm but certainly there are low-hanging fruit to grab elsewhere. Definitely not denying any of that.
Somewhat related anecdote: When I do my environmental work in the field and biomass needs to be moved, most people tend to move it downhill as that's easier. I always move biomass uphill as I introduce energy into the system rather than the usual entropy (nutrients flow downhill). Most people don't understand that argument, it's beyond them, they think "it doesn't matter". Just like low energy websites, it's the little things...
Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of good reasons to do lighter websites. Environmental impact is not one of them. Either your electricity usage emits CO2, in which case you have more urgent things to do, or your electricity does not, and you don't care about the additional microwatthour loading a js library took.
My site has some international visitors. Mostly poor farmers though I guess scale and millions of users doesn't come into the equation but sure, whatever you say.
https://www.theonion.com/how-bad-for-the-environment-can-throwing-away-one-plast-1819571260
Then making it light makes sense because some of these visitors will have slow computers and expensive bandwidth. (And probably a much bigger co2 impact per site visited but I have the weakness to think that knowledge is worth it)
Only recycle metal and electronics, plastic recycling is a scam. Best case is plastic recycling goes directly into a landfill, worst case it's bundled and shipped half way around the world and dumped on the beach.
10000% this, make the web lighter an smaller and use less energy mrowr !!