Carbon footprint of the internet drives energy-efficiency movement

Researchers estimate that every second you spend browsing a website creates about 20 milligrams of CO2. That's certainly not a lot, but when you consider that there are millions of people using the internet every second, it really adds up fast. In fact, the carbon footprint from internet usage alone is as much as the carbon footprint of the entire aviation industry.

So, what's being done to mitigate this issue? A lot of work is already being done to make electronics more energy-efficient, from the personal computer level all the way up to the data center level. Many large companies are switching to green hosting providers that use solar-powered data centers. On the PC level, some companies boast creating computers and monitors that are better than current energy-efficiency standards (which, quite honestly, are not very strict).

On a personal level, we can support the energy-efficiency movement by buying electronics that meet or exceed Energy Star standards. Also, remember to do the little things, such as powering down your computer at night as well as setting it to run at lower power levels when you are using it. A little bit goes a long way.