Supporting Green Tech In Everyday Life

The thermometer in your house can adjust the temperature when you’re not at home. The AI in your browser can suggest ways to live a greener lifestyle based on numerous data points. Technology is finding ways to sneak into every facet of human life, so humans might as well find ways to use it to support the planet. Innovators make specific technologies for environmental healing, but you can also use technology more thoughtfully to live sustainably. Here’s how to support and implement green technology in your life.

Environmental Impact of Tech

The world is constantly plugged in, so you must use tools responsibly. The potential impact of tech on the planet is just as appalling as it is promising for the Earth’s wellness. Before anyone can find ways to support green tech, you have to know the background and why people are seeking this information in the first place.

Traditional and green tech are both guilty of creating adverse environmental impacts. Everything from medical devices to solar panels relies on innumerable minerals to forge, usually at the expense of the environment. Extraction frequently relies on fossil fuels, habitat destruction and unethical labor practices so people can scroll TikTok at their leisure. The energy and fuel sink is an embarrassing carbon footprint for Big Tech.

And this isn’t even addressing the issue of electronic waste, or e-waste. It’s a phenomenon that paints technology as a sector that supports polluting the environment and damaging the livelihood of impoverished communities. In reality, green tech could rewrite history for the better.

However, standard and green tech differ, as not all byproducts of technological material extraction, production and shipment are created equal. For example, supporting green technology innovation (GTI) in China proves an interesting carbon dynamic. Carbon emissions rise yearly, but it’s slower than in the past because of investments in green tech. Most interestingly, carbon emission intensity — how much an economy’s development relies on carbon — declined. It’s a promising look into the future.

At Home

When people think of eco-friendly technology, they believe they will have a long shopping list. You can integrate green technology products and practices into your home on any budget, so prioritize based on your circumstances. For those wanting to invest in green tech financially, here’s what you should consider installing to improve the Earth’s quality of life:

• Smart home technology that performs automation, like turning off lights.
• Indoor air quality monitors to assess air pollutants.
• Renewable energy generation, like solar panels or biofuel pellet stoves.
• Electric or hybrid vehicles.
• Eco-friendly power strips, lightbulbs and chargers.

However, building new habits and relationships with technology is also vital, such as turning off the lights when you leave the room. Green technology also stretches outside of electronics. Some of the most critical green technologies, like compost and recycling bins, are quite rudimentary.

At Work

Many jobs rely on technology to function. You can manage your eco-impact at work, even if the company is less than caring. These are the most tangible ways to reduce your digital carbon footprint by integrating green tech habits into your work life:

• Cull your inbox by creating filters and deleting backlogs.
• Unplug devices when finished, minding the battery’s health.
• Use night modes or reduced brightness to minimize energy-consuming lights.
• Do as much work offline as possible.
• Implementing IoT technologies that leverage sensors to improve efficiency.
• Encourage your workplace to purchase tech secondhand.

Putting a computer in sleep mode, opening an email and posting an Instagram story all draw electricity. Every digital activity, no matter how passive, requires energy. Reducing your strain on energy and servers makes you a better steward of eco-friendly technology.

From a managerial standpoint, there are more opportunities to incorporate green tech into your company’s daily operations. Start by setting green tech goals included in a corporate social responsibility framework. Next, consider what technologies in your company have the worst environmental impact and find a way to reduce, eliminate or manage it. For example, industrial complexes relying on fossil fuels to power machinery could look to waste-to-energy models or biofuels for optimization.

Out in the World

Companies and individuals can emotionally, philosophically, intellectually or financially support green tech. These are the less-than-acknowledged ways to implement sustainable technology. Ultimately, the best way to let green tech become part of your everyday life is to stay informed and continue educating yourself on advancements. Environmental advocates need to stick to the facts and disseminate misinformation to promote productive discourse and legislative moves.

Regardless, people can go to school to learn how to construct more eco-friendly phones. Companies could change something as simple as packaging technology to offset 42,000 metric tons of landfill emissions. Teachers can change curricula by embedding environmentalism as a part of their lessons. These efforts all amount to achieving the same central thesis.

Even cities can embrace incorporating green technology, like Saudi Arabia’s dream smart city of Neom. It is the planet’s current role model in sustainable megacities, and despite accusations of greenwashing, the city plan could inspire a medley of sustainable tech incorporations worldwide.

Keeping Green Tech Alive With Daily Use

From turning the lights off to carbon offsetting, green technologies are diverse and versatile, finding ways to make every activity more eco-friendly. Though some are behind excessive paywalls, there are options for everyone on the planet to maximize green technology to live more considerately. Every move — big and small — can change the world if enough people consciously try to use technology for good.