Environmental tip 4: Digitalization and sustainability

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The increasing use of digital technologies has an impact on the environment: servers, networks, and end devices require a continuous supply of energy and increase global CO2 emissions. Here are some tips to help you reduce the ecological footprint of your daily digital activities – without compromising the efficiency or quality of your work.

1. AI vs. Google

When searching for information, we are increasingly relying on large language models such as ChatGPT or Gemini. Energy consumption varies dramatically. ChatGPT performs significantly worse than a classic Google search and requires about ten times as much energy. However, ChatGPT alone consumes only half the energy compared to an AI-supported Google search. By adding “-ai” at the end of the search term, the AI summary can be suppressed.

2. Sustainable AI usage

The following tips can help you use ChatGPT & Co. in a more sustainable way:

  • Avoid prompts such as “Hello” or “Thank you”
  • Ask clear and specific questions
  • Ask several questions together instead of individually
  • Only request detailed answers when necessary
  • Do not re-request content that has already been generated
  • Combine AI and traditional research in a meaningful way (see also AI vs. Google)

3. Email usage

An employee receives an average of 117 emails per working day. The CO2 emissions per email vary significantly.

How to email more sustainably:

  • Avoid large attachments and share files via links instead – large attachment causes several times more CO2 emissions than an email without an attachment.
  • Only CC necessary people and write emails clearly.
  • Deactivate automatic notifications if possible.
  • Unsubscribe from unwanted newsletters.

4. Digital spaces also need to be cleaned

Emails, files, and photos are stored in server rooms and data centers – and these consume electricity and cooling water. In Switzerland, these centers account for over 3.5% of the country’s total electricity consumption. Regularly deleting emails, outdated files, and photos helps to save energy and water.

Therefore:

  • Set fixed dates for digital clean-ups
  • Empty the recycle bin regularly
  • Empty the downloads folder regularly
  • Check shared files in cloud folders and remove outdated content