Declutter Your Data: How Cleaning Up Your Digital Life Can Shrink Your Carbon Footprint

Have you ever considered the environmental cost of your digital life?

Every photo you store, every email you send, and every file you keep in the cloud contributes to your digital carbon footprint. While the internet may feel ethereal, it relies on vast data centres, each consuming significant amounts of energy to store, process, and transmit your data.

At Web Goddess, we are passionate about raising awareness of the impact our digital lives have on our physical planet, so in this post, we’ll explore five actionable ways to declutter your digital world and help the planet in the process.

Why Does Digital Decluttering Matter?

Data centres, the heart of the internet, are massive energy consumers. They run 24/7, require air conditioning to prevent overheating, and rely on a continuous supply of electricity.

According to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), data centres accounted for about 1% of global electricity consumption in 2022, with demand growing as we store more data online. Moreover, the carbon emissions linked to energy-intensive cloud storage aren’t negligible. For instance, the energy used for one year of email storage for a typical user equates to driving a small car 200 miles.

The environmental impact doesn’t stop at electricity consumption. Data centres also contribute to water use and electronic waste. Many facilities rely on water cooling systems, which can strain local water supplies, particularly in areas already grappling with drought. Additionally, as equipment becomes outdated, it’s often replaced rather than recycled, further adding to the global e-waste problem.

The global data landscape is expanding at an unprecedented rate. In 2024, the total amount of data created, captured, copied, and consumed worldwide reached approximately 149 zettabytes, with projections estimating this figure will rise to 181 zettabytes by 2025.

To put this into perspective, one zettabyte equals one trillion gigabytes. This exponential growth underscores the increasing reliance on digital technologies across all sectors of society.

However, it's important to note that not all of this data is stored long-term. In 2020, the installed base of storage capacity was 6.7 zettabytes, and it's projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 19.2% from 2020 to 2025.

This means that while data creation is skyrocketing, storage solutions are also rapidly evolving to keep pace with the demand.

Understanding these figures highlights the importance of efficient data storage solutions and the role they play in our digital ecosystem. As individuals and organisations, adopting data decluttering habits can contribute to reducing the strain on storage infrastructures and, by extension, the environment.

So, reducing your digital clutter not only helps cut your personal carbon footprint but also alleviates pressure on these resource-heavy facilities. Plus, a leaner digital life often leads to improved productivity and peace of mind.

1. Marie Kondo Your Cloud Storage

Much like a cluttered wardrobe, a disorganised cloud account can accumulate years of unnecessary files. As a fan of a Marie Kondo approach, here’s how you can tidy up:

• Review Old Photos and Videos: Do you really need all 35 photos of your lunch from 2015? Tools like Google Photos and iCloud make it easy to sort and delete duplicates or less meaningful shots. Use features like "Favourites" to highlight the memories that truly matter.
  

• Archive or Delete Large Files: Videos, PDFs, and high-resolution images take up significant storage. If you don’t need them, consider deleting them or moving them to an external drive (which doesn’t impact online storage). Platforms like Dropbox and Google Drive offer storage analytics to identify the largest files in your account.
  

• Organise by Folders: Create meaningful folders and categorise your content. This step makes it easier to locate files and identify what you can eliminate. A little organisation now saves time and energy later.
  

Impact: If everyone deleted just 50MB of data—about 10 photos—from their cloud accounts, the energy savings could power over 100,000 homes for a day. Consider this: every megabyte counts when multiplied across billions of users worldwide.

2. Audit Your Email Inbox

Email might feel lightweight, but it’s deceptively energy-intensive. Every email is stored on a server, consuming power whether it’s opened or not. According to Science Focus, a single email with a large attachment can produce up to 50 grams of CO2—equivalent to boiling water for five cups of tea.

Steps to Declutter:

• Unsubscribe Ruthlessly: Use tools like Unroll.me to mass unsubscribe from newsletters and promotional emails you never read. This cuts down on unnecessary email traffic and server load.
  

• Delete Old Emails: Start with the junk folder, then move on to sent and archived emails. Prioritise those with large attachments. For Gmail users, search terms like "has:attachment larger:10MB" can help identify the biggest culprits.
  

• Turn Off Email Notifications: Reduce unnecessary data usage by minimising real-time email alerts on your devices. For example, checking your email twice a day instead of keeping it constantly open can make a noticeable difference and can help you be more productive too!
  

Pro Tip: Set up an auto-delete rule for emails older than one year. Many email platforms allow you to automate this process, saving time and reducing clutter without ongoing effort.

3. Say Goodbye to Apps You Don’t Use

Unused apps aren’t just cluttering your phone or computer—they often continue to consume resources through background updates and data syncing. These "phantom" apps not only take up space but also contribute to unnecessary energy use.

Steps to Streamline:

• Delete Unnecessary Apps: Review your apps and uninstall those you haven’t used in months. Many devices provide usage statistics to show which apps are rarely opened.
  

• Disable Background Activity: For apps you’re keeping, turn off automatic updates and syncing for non-essential features. On most smartphones, you can manage this under "Battery" or "Data Usage" settings.
  

• Consider Web Apps: Instead of downloading apps, use web-based versions when possible. Web apps consume less storage and don’t require regular updates.
  

Impact: Beyond storage savings, fewer apps running in the background means longer device battery life, which reduces the energy needed for recharging. Additionally, a less cluttered home screen can improve focus and productivity.

4. Stream Smarter

Streaming accounts for a significant portion of internet traffic, with platforms like Netflix and YouTube consuming enormous amounts of bandwidth. High-definition (HD) video streaming is particularly energy-intensive, as it requires more data to transmit.

Tips for Sustainable Streaming:

• Reduce Streaming Quality: Switch to standard definition (SD) for casual viewing—you’ll save data and likely won’t notice the difference on smaller screens. Many platforms allow you to set this as a default.
  

• Download Content: For shows you watch repeatedly, download them instead of streaming each time. This is especially useful for educational content or children’s shows.
  

• Turn Off Autoplay: Prevent endless streams of videos from playing automatically. Platforms like YouTube and Netflix have settings to disable this feature.
  

Impact: Watching an hour of video in SD instead of HD can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 86% per hour, according to the Shift Project. Multiply this by billions of users, and the savings are monumental.

5. Optimise Your Backup Practices

Backing up your files is essential, but excessive duplication wastes storage space and energy.

How to Back Up Efficiently:

• Consolidate Backups: Use a single, reliable platform rather than duplicating backups across multiple services. This approach simplifies file management and reduces redundancy.
  

• Schedule Incremental Backups: Instead of full backups every time, opt for incremental backups that update only the changes. Many tools, such as Time Machine for Mac or Windows Backup, offer this functionality.
  

• Delete Outdated Backups: Regularly review your backup history and remove obsolete files. For example, do you really need 10 versions of the same presentation?
  

Eco Tip: External hard drives are a greener alternative to continuous cloud backups for non-essential files. They’re energy-efficient and give you greater control over your data.

Measuring Your Digital Carbon Footprint

If you’re curious about the specific impact of your digital habits, tools like Carbonalyser https://www.thegreenwebfoundation.org/carbonalyser/  can estimate the carbon footprint of your browsing and data usage. It’s a simple browser extension that provides eye-opening insights.

For a more comprehensive analysis, consider platforms like MyClimate, which calculates the emissions tied to your digital behaviour, including streaming, cloud storage, and device usage. These tools not only help you understand your footprint but also motivate you to take meaningful action.

We would also recommend looking for local organisations that provide training and support for businesses such as the Staffordshire Business & Environment Network (sben) which Web Goddess are proud members of.

The Ripple Effect

While these steps may seem small, collectively, they can make a significant difference. If just 1% of global internet users adopted these practices, we’d see a massive reduction in energy demand. More importantly, these actions raise awareness about the hidden environmental costs of our digital lives.

Start your decluttering journey today, and don’t forget Web Goddess is here to support you with our own sustainable practices when it comes to web design and we’re happy to share our vision with you.

And why not join us on Saturday, 15th March 2025 for Digital Cleanup Day and commit to making a change to your digital habits?

Together, we can build a cleaner, greener internet! Every byte counts.