A website and the internet more broadly might seem unrelated to sustainability, but every time we load a webpage, refresh our social media feed, or send an enquiry form, we use energy. This has implications on key sustainability themes such as energy sources, energy efficiency, and carbon emissions to name a few.
To create a healthier, safer, sustainable future, we need to transition away from fossil fuels, reduce wastage, and cut global carbon emissions in half by 2030. So, when I set out building my new website, I wanted to ensure it delivered on these things.
You can’t be a sustainability guide without a sustainable website, can you?!
What did I do?
I’ve been down that rabbit hole of reading and researching into ‘internet carbon’ a few times - I’m sure many of you can relate! I discovered ‘Wholegrain Digital’, an amazing company specialising in digital sustainability - that is, quantifying the impact of a person’s digital services and delivering improvements. They’ve made a quirky little tool, the 'Website Carbon Calculator', which lets you see how a website’s carbon footprint stacks up compared to the global average. The insights from this, plus some extra free resources, helps paint a picture of some of those key considerations.
So I knew a bit about what a sustainable website looks like, but not loads. That’s why I enlisted the help of my good friend Richard of ‘Richardesigns’ - a real website whizz, and fellow green bean. With Richard’s help, jakecausley.eco has some pretty neat features that not only reduce its impact, but also improve speed and performance and place accessibility at the heart.
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What are the highlights of my low-carbon website?
- ‘Lazy loading’ programming - images do not load until you scroll to them which, in combination with choosing low-resolution ones, reduces the energy needed to view each page.
- A renewable energy-powered server - this means the energy the website does use is powered by cleaner, greener sources.
- A ' .eco domain' - actively promoting community, trust and transparency across a global environmental network.
- Avoiding JavaScript and CSS dependencies - these are energy expensive to load, so avoiding them reduces the energy demand per page view.
- Use of a lightweight and privacy-first analytics tool - this reduces page load times, and does not track visitors' personal data.
- Use of a purpose-built, efficient content management system - rather than relying on a plug-in ecosystem, this choice further reduces the website's energy demands
What can anyone take away from this?
In my opinion, being more sustainable is ultimately about critical thinking - questioning everyday processes, ways of doing and decisions, and asking yourself “is there a better way of doing things?”. Creating a website is a great example of that - an action so simple and commonplace in today’s world, yet, there are impacts, and there are alternate ways of doing this that are better for people and planet.
Oh, and get Richard to build your website - he's the best.
Get in touch with Richard and see more of his work on his very own website (which, unsurprisingly, is also super sustainable!).
Thanks for reading my blog. If you enjoyed reading and would like to reach out I would love to hear from you:
Working Endorsements
The week has been thought-provoking, messy, creative and exciting.
Attendee - Falmouth University’s ‘Sustainability Bootcamp’
A fantastic coach who brings understanding of his client's business requirements and integrates this with stringent external frameworks.
Hugh St Aubyn - St Aubyn Estates Sustainability Lead
I’ve really enjoyed the warmth and calmness you have while talking about a heavy topic like eco-anxiety.
Attendee - Force of Nature CIC’s ‘Becoming a Force of Nature’ programme
