Sustainability In Our Working Habits

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Clean code generally speaking, is greener code. Readability, maintainability and a bunch of other “ility” words that we all know and love all contribute to less time and effort spent looking after the code that we ship. Same goes for architecture. We’ve also seen in a previous post how certain design principles can lend themselves to building more sustainable digital landscapes.

But where else can we make an impact in our work lives?

In the periphery of the world of software, hardware, networks, and servers, there are other aspects of our day-to-day work lives where we can make a difference.

Here’s a quick list of pointers. These are fairly obvious to most, but it never hurts to remind ourselves every once in a while. With remote working becoming more prevalent if not the norm for a lot of people, these become fairly important and contribute towards being more sustainable.

Collaborative working

• Limit the use of video in meetings and calls. Turning off video in calls could cut your carbon emissions by 96%. With people that you interact with on a regular basis, do you really need video? You’ve seen me once, you’ve seen me.
• Avoid blurred or replaced backgrounds if you do need to use video in calls - there is a server (or multiple servers) working very, very hard somewhere, running code and transporting back information over a network for every frame of video that you put out. More often than not in high resolution.
• Collaboration is a great tool for reducing cognitive load. Think collectively, build collectively. In the field of software engineering, this is especially beneficial, as multiple viewpoints on how to solve a problem often lead to better, more robust design. Pair programming in particular however, doesn’t work for everyone; proceed with caution.

Device & cloud usage

• Switch off laptops and test devices when they are not used; They contain components that require energy just to remain turned on or in standby mode.. You’d be surprised by how much CO2e this adds up to over time. Multiply that by all the laptops and other devices owned by everyone in your company and you quickly get some pretty outrageous figures for carbon score.
• Close unnecessary tabs in your browser. We’ve all been there, especially when researching topics. Browsers are surprisingly memory intensive, and thus incur high carbon (energy) costs. The same goes for other memory-intensive applications.
• If it’s not a major inconvenience, opt for dark mode on all your apps. It really does conserve energy with devices that have OLED screens. External monitors, phones or tablets are safe bets. (There are browser plugins that convert everything to dark mode, but the benefits in terms of energy saving, readability and accuracy against the compute going into converting web pages to dark mode are unclear).
• Multiple screens might look cool, but don’t use them unless they serve a clear purpose or benefit.
• When writing code, always test locally first. Avoid running tests later and finding out that your code has issues. It’s a waste of time. And energy.
• Delete old and outdated files on your devices and online storage. Set up a schedule to look at this periodically
• Delete any unused repositories, data stores etc. Remember that even on the cloud, they take up space and therefore consume energy.
• Reduce or eliminate altogether your use of paper - If you prefer the feel of writing to typing, get a tablet. Preferably second-hand. You’d be spoiled for choice with the number of tablets and digital pen devices that are out there.

Your workspace & remote working

• Pay attention to your work station setup and your posture - this is particularly important when working from home, where you are responsible for setting up your own workspace. There’s lots of great articles out there on what to do and what not to do.
• If you do work from home a lot, maybe opt for a green energy provider? You’re in control, and you can make a huge difference with this one!
• Find a balance between going to the office and working from home, if your company allows it; if you’re driving that flagship SUV with a supercharged V8 for 10 miles back and forth to get to work everyday, you might do less harm to the environment working from home at least a couple of days a week.

Your health

• Take regular breaks - go for a walk, stand, stretch, walk the dog, have a chat over a coffee…do what works for you. But whatever you do, make sure you get off your chair and move. Aim for at least once for every 2 hours spent at your desk. Getting some movement when working at a desk for prolonged periods of time is essential to both physical and mental health and improving cognitive function.
• Watch out for burn-out. It’s a real thing. Be mindful of your mental health, seek help if you need it, and make sure to take time off work regularly.
• Treat days off as exactly that - days off. There should be no expectation for you to be working or supporting colleagues while you’re out. It is understandable that in certain roles this always isn’t possible, but interruptions should be avoided and definitely should not be the norm.

The list above isn’t exhaustive. There’s a lot more that can be done, and a lot of it boils down to personal choice.

What other steps are you taking towards being more sustainable in your work lives? Let us know!

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