What to avoid

There are certain things to try and avoid while building any digital product.

Solutions in search of a problem

Be conscious of what you are making. It does have an impact in the world.

Crypto

Crypto requires a huge amount of energy, with relatively little proven use cases that cannot be achieved with more sustainable technology.

AI

AI can require a large amount of energy to train and run, and poses many ethical issues. It can be a very powerful tool, but should be used responsibly in order to improve the planet.

3rd party scripts

It’s very common practice to embed 3rd party scripts into websites, but they can severely affect performance, privacy and energy usage.

As with most other things, be aware of their impact and avoid them when possible.

Large media files

Excessively large images, autoplaying videos and complex animations are just some examples of media files which may involve large downloads, increasing emissions.

Try and use lightweight solutions like CSS and SVGs where possible, and always optimize your media.

Large JavaScript bundles

Though JavaScript powers a lot of the web, but it can come with large bundle sizes, complex build requirements and more energy intensive client side processing.

A general recommendation would be to use JavaScript lightly, and when it is needed rely on the native web platform first, before reaching for a framework.