Digital cleanup organizer: People unaware of digital world's carbon footprint

Monday marked the start of Digital Cleanup Week, urging people to clear clutter from their digital devices. Liina Vakrööm, the Digital Cleanup Week coordinator for Estonia's Eco-School program, said many people are still surprised to learn that the digital world has a carbon footprint.
This year marks the fifth in a row that the Eco-School program is organizing Digital Cleanup Week. A record 230 educational institutions across the country are participating this year, from kindergartens to universities.
"Over the course of the week, we go over our digital habits: where we tend to accumulate digital clutter and how to reduce it," Vakrööm said. "We also discuss the environmental and mental health impacts."
Digital clutter is quick to accumulate, because unnecessary files end up piling up in cloud services.
"The cloud is a huge issue, because all the data stored there is backed up," the coordinator noted. "It needs to be secured and cooled using vast amounts of energy and water. We treat it not like a treasure chest, but an attic or basement dumping ground for junk. This consumes an endless amount of energy.
According to Vakrööm, the fact that the digital world itself has a carbon footprint comes as a surprise to many.
"The cloud seems light, and weightless, because we don't see where those 10,000 massive data centers are located," she explained. "The information and communications technology (ICT) footprint is reportedly already on par with civil aviation emissions."
A key aspect of digital cleanup is the ability to organize one's files in order to get an overview of what's necessary and what isn't. It's also important to reassess one's digital habits.
"We have 30 apps on our phones, but we only use ten," noted Karli Joorits, a participant in this week's cleanup. "Do we really need them all?"
"You can participate on social media across all platforms, and watch videos of all the tasks," Vakrööm highlighted, adding that educational institutions can still register for the ongoing Digital Cleanup Week on Estonia's Eco-School site.
"Six days is quite a lot — I recommend dedicating one full day to thoroughly go through your problem areas," she suggested.
The Estonian initiative has inspired Norwegians to follow suit as well.
"Fifty Norwegian schools are cleaning up alongside Estonia," the coordinator noted.
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Editor: Rasmus Kuningas, Aili Vahtla