The EWWW (European Week for Waste Reduction) 2020 edition, which has just ended, this year focused on a particularly complex but very interesting topic: "invisible" waste. In other words, these are waste which, although not actually tangible to consumers, weighs heavily on our shopping and our daily actions. For example, to produce a pair of jeans worth a few euros, over 23 kg of waste are produced (not counting the impact on air quality and water consumption, which is very significant). Among the most interesting initiatives we would like to point out that of the University of Turin which with its UniToGO team (dedicated to sustainability) participated in the event "Spazzino digitale. Un byte alla volta contro i rifiuti invisibili" ("Digital sweeper. One byte at a time against invisible waste"). In the period 21- 29 November UniToGO sent information and useful advice to the entire university community to free their devices from the best known invisible waste, those produced by the Web and beyond. In fact, even if perceived as immaterial, the Internet is equipped with a physical structure (cable networks, data centers, servers) that consumes energy and generates CO2 emissions: just think that the communication and information technology industry annually produces over 830 million tons of carbon dioxide, about 2% of global CO2 emissions. So, to try to reduce the impact generated daily by our digital consumption, UniToGO has compiled a list of tips to put into practice. A few examples? Avoid unnecessary online searches, manage e-mail boxes (for example by deleting everything you do not need), always turn off the computer by unplugging the charger, delete the apps you are not using from your smartphone etc ... etc ... Now it is also your turn to us: let us rely on the “digital sweeper”!
Source: Università degli Studi di Torino