Ten Ways To Reduce Your Carbon Footprint While Studying Online

While there are significant advantages to studying online compared to traditional brick-and-mortar educational institutions, there are still ways students can reduce their carbon footprint. Compared to conventional degree programs, online degrees offer the benefit of decreased emissions from travel in addition to less energy use. The use of digital resources instead of paper handouts in classes also places less of a strain on natural resources. If you care about the environment and plan on completing your degree online, you can use the following methods to reduce your carbon footprint further and make a positive change in the world.

Use A Laptop Instead of a Computer

Studying online requires access to classes and study materials using an electronic device, such as a laptop or computer. It is possible to reduce your carbon footprint by opting for a laptop instead of a computer to do so as it can use between 50% and 85% less energy, depending on the conditions. This can make a massive difference in the long term, and typically, online studies don’t require as much computing power as gaming, video editing, and other intensive tasks that are more suited to desktop computers. 

Make Sure Your Device Is Energy-Efficient

No matter what technology you use for your online studies, you can reduce your carbon footprint by always opting for energy-efficient models. Look for hardware certified by ENERGY STAR, the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, and other similar programs. In addition to consuming less power, these types of hardware are usually made with eco-friendly manufacturing processes. 

Hold Off On Unnecessary Upgrades

As tempting as it might be always to have the latest and greatest gadgets, this can lead to a lot of electronic waste. Instead of constantly upgrading to the newest model every year, you can save a lot of money and reduce your carbon footprint by extending the lifespan of your existing devices. This can be done by maintaining your devices properly through regular cleaning and maintenance. 

Make Use of Power-Saving Settings

By consistently using the power-saving settings on your electronic devices, you can further reduce your carbon footprint and save energy. Small changes, such as turning down the brightness of your screens, turning off applications that are not being used, or using sleep mode when not using the devices, can add up in the long term. You can also turn off features like autoplay for video streaming services to prevent unnecessary video streaming, which uses more energy. Downloading content instead of streaming it multiple times is another way to save energy. 

Change Your Email Habits

Studies done by ClimateCare have shown that the internet has a carbon footprint, thanks to CO2 emissions from emails, searches, and cloud storage. In addition to actions, such as choosing a green cloud provider for storing your data whenever possible, even the simple act of changing your email habits can have an impact. Actions, such as limiting the “reply all” function and unsubscribing from newsletters you are no longer interested in, can help reduce your internet carbon footprint.

Use Digital Notes Instead of Paper

If you take notes while studying online, using digital note-taking applications instead of paper is more eco-friendly. These will help you reduce your carbon footprint, but they also tend to be much more efficient than paper notes, thanks to features such as cloud syncing and collaboration options. 

Don’t Print Your Study Materials

It can take a while to get used to studying in a paperless way, but it is more efficient and eco-friendly in the long term. Instead of printing out your reading materials, use PDF or E-Book readers to view everything on your devices. Most of these programs support everything you can do with paper materials, such as highlighting text, adding notes and annotations, or bookmarking pages. In cases where printing is unavoidable, try to do it in a sustainable manner by using things like recycled paper, printing on both sides of the page, or using draft mode for less ink usage.

Make Your Study Environment More Energy-Efficient

Campuses use a vast amount of energy to keep the lights on, but you can make your study environment much more energy efficient when earning your degree online. Use natural light during the day to reduce energy usage, and swap your old incandescent bulbs with energy-efficient LEDs whenever possible. These not only last a lot longer but also consume less electricity. Be sure to unplug devices and chargers that are not in use, as they can still use energy. You can make this easier to manage by using power strips that have dedicated on/off switches.

Regulate The Temperature of Your Study Environment

The easiest way to regulate the temperature of your study environment is to use a thermostat, but there are more environmentally friendly solutions. Instead of turning up the thermostat, insulate your study environment with things like a cozy rug on the floor or a warm, eco-friendly comforter for cold days. 

Walk or Use Public Transport

Not having to commute daily is a significant advantage of online learning, but there will still be times when you’ll want to take a break from studies to go outside. Whenever possible, opt for walking or using public transport instead of driving to take a chunk out of your carbon budget. In addition to reducing CO2 emissions, it can result in less traffic on the road, which decreases congestion and the associated issues. If you must drive to run errands, try to combine everything in one trip instead of making multiple trips. 

Conclusion

Individually, these actions might not seem like much, but they are a great start if you want to reduce your carbon footprint. If enough students adopt these habits, the impact can be huge. It requires a lot of mindfulness, but the sooner people begin to take responsibility for their carbon footprint, the better it will be for the future of our planet.