Description:

Over half the world's population is now online as consumers continue to embrace the Internet of Things, virtual reality, and other emerging technologies. There are currently 2 billion smartphones in use around the globe; by 2020, it is estimated that there will be at least seven devices per person on the planet. Meanwhile, companies continue to migrate business processes online at breakneck speed. In fact, 90 percent of all data was created within the last 12 months.

Knowing these things, we have to ask, "What is the impact of our data?" With electricity needs that rival a country the size of Germany, the Internet has a larger environmental footprint than that of the global airline industry and will continue to grow as more of the world's population gets online. What's more, the materials used to create our devices are embroiled in conflict: slavery, smuggling, and massive environmental damage from mining conflict minerals perpetuate major problems around the globe. Plus, the "built-in obsolescence" of those devices produces staggering amounts of e-waste.

What can we do about this? When it comes to the Internet, people-friendly is also typically planet-friendly. 560,000 agencies around the world make hosting, UX, and design decisions on behalf of their clients every day. These decisions directly impact Internet sustainability. Tim Frick outlines a design framework for creating more sustainable digital products and services while still meeting business and marketing goals.

Tim explains why sustainable practices will be increasingly important as the Internet continues its rapid growth and explores how organizations large and small are already taking steps toward building a cleaner, greener Internet. You'll walk away with simple tactics you can use to make your own digital products and services more sustainable.

About Tim Frick

Tim Frick is the founder of Mightybytes, an Illinois-based certified B Corp that designs creative digital products for conscious companies. Mightybytes is committed to solving social and environmental problems with its work and is a leader in sustainable web design. Tim is the author of four books on media and marketing, including the forthcoming Designing for Sustainability: A Guide to Building Greener Digital Productsand Services (O'Reilly Media), two editions of Return on Engagement: Content Strategy and Web Design Techniques for Digital Marketing (Focal Press), and the interactive media process guide Managing Interactive Media Projects (Delmar-Cengage Learning). Tim's books are used at higher learning institutions across the US, including Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, Full Sail University, Boston University, and the Art Institutes, among others. Tim is the board president of Climate Ride, a nonprofit offering charity endurance events to raise money for environmental causes that to date has raised over $3.2 million for nonprofits across the United States. Tim also regularly presents at conferences and offers workshops on various aspects of marketing, design, sustainability, and entrepreneurship.