Software and Third-Party Services
Hosting
We rely on various digital offerings and online services in our everyday lives – programs and apps, streaming platforms, social media platforms, e-mail providers, web hosting etc. Both the provider and the data traffic induced by these services cause emissions that count as so-called scope 3 emissions.[1] These emissions often escape an institution’s or organisation’s direct control, making them difficult to trace and reduce. Scope 3 emissions comprise a large part of the total emissions of an institution or organisation, in some cases more than 90 per cent.[2]
As cultural institutions and initiatives, we cannot host everything ourselves. First, not every institution has such expertise in-house, and second, hosting yourself is not necessarily the more energy-efficient choice. Nevertheless, as customers we should be mindful of which third-party services we want to use.
Tips:
- Think about which third-party services you really need. Delete any unnecessary or unused apps, software, embedments and connections.
- Optimise and minimise third-party scripts so that you only load the parts you really need.
- When selecting new third-party tools or services, make sure that they prioritise renewable energy sources and other sustainable initiatives.
In 2017 Greenpeace published a study "Clicking Clean" in which they used a scoring system to compare the sustainability practices at the largest tech companies. The review has not been updated since. What is more, the study is problematic since companies are not obligated to be transparent about their energy and resource consumption.
Open Source
In this case, open source options offer a reasonable alternative. Open source software means that the source code is open; it can be copied, changed and reviewed. However, open source does not mean that the software is free of charge – a common misconception. If you need customer support or maintenance work, you will either have to charge your own developers with the task or resort to a paid offer from the provider. Sometimes the basic functions of an app are free of charge und publicly accessible while more specialised functions are available for larger companies that have purchased a paid licence. The further development of relevant open source projects is often driven by companies such as IBM, Redhat and Suse Linux, whose revenue stems in large part from the support and maintenance of open source software.[3] If we enjoy using our programs yet do not need to pay a licence fee, we should still consider whether we can support the respective community or developers.
An important thing to note about open source is that it uses open formats. This means that we can open and edit our files in other programs as well. “A short guide on digital self-defense” offers an overview of open source software alternatives.