Sustainability

Climate change, fossil fuels running out, more food needed than the earth can produce...... Just a few signals that we really need to start working in a different way.

ICT may seem like a reasonably sustainable discipline, but is it really? Datacenters use enormous amounts of energy, we want to keep up with the latest technologies....Hence, the latest computers with the latest chips. But what happens with the old stuff? Only a small amount really gets recycled.

There really is a lot to gain in ICT on sustainability and fortunately more and more organisations are aware of this and act on it. In some new datacenters for instance, the energy use is extremely decreased and the electricity still needed is generated in a sustainable way.

As a small entrepreneur with just one person, I obviously can't make an impact as big as those large companies. But all changes start with yourself, so I still try do my share. No matter how small it is.

Energy neutral workplace

My house is mostly energy neutral. By adding additional solar panels, the energy needed to do my work is generated by t he sun as much as possible. I also work with modern, energy-efficient equipment to keep the energy I need for my business as low as possible. Nevertheless I only replace this equipment when really needed, not because it's financially written off or because there's a new version.

When I stop working, I'll always put my equipment in stand-by and fully turn all equipment off at the end of the day using a physical switch. Hence, no standby consumption either.

Work from home as much as possible

Working from home as much as possible has these sustainability advantages:

1. No fossil fuel or additional electricity is needed to reach the work location.
2. The energy needed for the activities is generated in a sustainable way, see paragraph "Energy neutral workplace".
3. I do not contribute to the ever-increasing traffic jam problem, which locally leads to high CO2, NOx and particulate matter concentrations.
4. Fewer traffic movements may mean that existing roads do not have to be expanded, for the benefit of existing nature.

Sustainable promotional materials

Based on information provided by the hosting company, this website is hosted 100% climate neutral.

My business cards are printed on paper that is made from agricultural waste, which otherwise would be burnt or composted. Additionally, this paper is produced in a 100% CO2 neutral way. According to producer PaperWise, the environmental impact is  47% lower than paper that comes from trees and 29% lower than gerecycled papier. The printer also guarantees that sustainable ink is used for the printing. You can further increase sustainability by putting my business card in the bin for recyclable waste paper if you no longer want to keep it.

The rest of my promotion is completely done online, so the environmental impact is limited to power consumption. 

Sustainable transport

I strive to work from home as much as possible, which limits the number of transport movements.

However, there still are moments where it works better and/or more efficiently to visit the client. On an incidental basis or on a more structural basis.

Public transport

The location of my customers is generally not directly accessible by train, this also applies to my place of residence. This makes public transport unworkable most of the time. As much as I want to work sustainably, it must remain workable

Own transport

Whenever possible I go by bike. Since the practical range of the normal bicycle is quite limited, I cannot avoid taking the car. In that case, I strive to plan the appointment in such a way that I can drive completely outside rush hour. As a car runs much more economically at a constant speed than when driving or standing still, avoiding traffic jams contributes to more sustainable travel.

Unlike many other IT professionals, I drive a 14-year-old car that still works fine. Even though this car uses fossil fuel and is less efficient than new cars, I think this is still a very sustainable choice.

Old car durable as well!

Making a new car takes a lot of energy and produces a lot of CO2 emissions. Several of the materials needed still come from fossil oil, while other materials require digging deep in the ground at the costs if large forests. The negative environmental impact here is much immense. And I didn't even start about how the people that in the mines.

Although the researches on this matter is conflicting, they end up to be much less conflicting when we include the environmental impact of mining metals like Lithium, Cobalt and Manganese. These are needed for the production an electric or hybrid car. Unfortunately mining these metals involves cutting down large forests, only to mine these metals. 

In IT however,  it is fairly common to lease a car, which usually is replaced every 4 - 5 years while they are still fine. With my 14 year old car I have now even saved the production of 2 to 3 cars and still going. The total environmental impact saved by not buying new cares seems to me like a lot less than what my car produces while driving.

Hence, the way I see it, the most sustainable choice is to not throw away a good and reliable car. When combined with working from home as much as possible, that is.