The following is a list of material designed to support those wishing to influence others in the change process. No matter what your day job or official role is, the ability to communicate effectively is vital. Working through some of the material will build your confidence as a Practitioner, especially the material in Essentials. Completing the most of the material will put you on the path towards Expert.
There are many communities which are worth joining within the government and public sector which can increase your knowledge and expand your network.
GOV News. cross-government informal community space for the UK public sector. https://community.gov.news
X-GOV Slack. Digital space for civil servants to share and collaborate across government. There are several channels devoted to sustainability. https://ukgovernmentdigital.slack.com
Monthly X-gov climate show and tells. As the name suggests, this group meets monthly to share work being done across the public sector and wider. The format is 5 minutes to present, 5 minutes Q&A. See http://bit.ly/govclimateinfo and http://bit.ly/climatespeak
Civil Service Environment Network (CSEN). General-purpose group which publishes articles and organises occasional events. You must be a civil servant to join. https://www.civilserviceenvironmentnetwork.org/
Community 10,000. DWP-supported volunteering initiative. If you are not in DWP, then ask, your department or employer may offer something similar. Volunteering on nature-based activities is a great way to reconnect and engage with other like-minded people. https://dwpdigital.blog.gov.uk/2020/03/13/digging-wheelbarrows-and-picks-dwp-digital-volunteers-in-the-community/
Climate Fresk. Climate Fresk originated in France, but is now a global phenomenon. It’s a low-cost 3-hour workshop (in person or virtual) in which attendees collaborate to understand the interconnection of human activity and climate change. The word ‘fresk’ is short for ‘fresco’, as the workshop uses a visual collage to bring together the ideas. Once you have attended a Climate Fresk, there is the opportunity to take a short training course to become a facilitator. Find a Climate Fresk local to you at https://climatefresk.org/world/
Digital Collage. Similar to the Climate Fresk, but looking at the impact of digital activity. https://digitalcollage.org/index.html
Carbon Literacy. According to their website, ‘Learners who have completed a day’s worth of Carbon Literacy learning can be certified as ‘Carbon Literate’’ There are options for both individuals and organisations. https://carbonliteracy.com/individual/courses/
Giki Zero. There are quite a few online carbon calculators and apps, Giki has a free website and mobile app to help you calculate your own footprint, combined with education, nudges and challenges. Why not test it out on your own or with a few colleagues or friends? https://zero.giki.earth/
The Systems Iceberg Explained - A systems thinking model that is useful when considering approaches to addressing issues such as sustainability and the environment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6h2_EcOOcM
What does it all mean: Net-zero, carbon neutral, climate positive, carbon negative? by Asim Hussain - Good breakdown of some of the crucial terminology, focussed specifically on digital emissions. 20 minutes, broken into clear chapters. https://youtu.be/HXEnbi64TdQ?si=Ff4eGg2uo4OUxsQm
BBC News: AI Decoded Excellent report on the environmental impacts of AI with a panel of very knowledgable experts. Although it’s about AI, it covers many other important areas of digital sustainability. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjNacsyp28s
Clouded II: Does Cloud Cost the Earth? - Feature-length documentary on the environmental impacts of cloud computing. Engrossing, even for non-techies. https://www.clouded.tv/ (trailer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPLMyY71_eM)
The following 2 tools help calculate your online footprint. Sadly there is no reliable UK-based calculator (yet), soo these european ones will have to do for now.
https://myimpact.isit-europe.org/. Excellent tool for estimating the emissions from typical work and home digital activities. Unfortunately the calculator only has carbon intensity data for France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Belgium is the most similar to the UK for this (see https://app.electricitymaps.com to understand this further).
https://impactco2.fr/usagenumerique/. Related to the previous site, but with some very good calculations for things like sending emails and use of network (4G vs. Wifi). It’s in French and uses French emissions factors, which makes it less than ideal. But still an excellent tool and reference source. The French are certainly leading in this area.
Electricity Maps - the leading tool for understanding carbon intensity. https://app.electricitymaps.com/map
UK National Grid maps - there are many sites and APIs offering this, here are some good ones. https://www.carbonintensity.org.uk/, https://www.energydashboard.co.uk/live and https://electricityproduction.uk/
Branch Magazine - online magazine for green digital enthusiasts. The website design responds to the carbon intensity of the UK grid, which is pretty cool. https://branch.climateaction.tech/
CarbonAware - another very good example of a carbon aware website, with the site responding to the grid intensity from a wide range of countries. https://carbon-aware-website.fly.dev/
Ecograder - online tool (one of many) which creates a report on how well a web page performs from an environmental perspective. There are many similar tools out there, but Ecograder produces some of the clearest and most actionable reports. https://ecograder.com/
Reslio IT hardware database - amazing list of hardware and its environmental impact. https://db.resilio.tech/
NASA Global Climate Change Interactives - wide range of interactive visualisations related to climate and environment. https://climate.nasa.gov/explore/interactives/
The following are recommended for anyone wishing to discuss climate and environmental issues, which is often challenging. For books related to digital sustainability, check the technologists learning pathway
Britain Talks Climate Free, in-depth resource by the group Climate Outreach. The report segments the British public into 7 broad groups and suggests strategies for engagement based on values. https://climateoutreach.org/reports/britain-talks-climate/
Climate Changemaker Playbook This palybook is based on 3 simple strategies supported by 9 tactics. The overall approach is research-based and is supported by case studies. Succinct and practical, this is a great way to get started. Free 36 page PDF. https://www.ashoka.org/en-ch/climate-changemaking-playbook
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Talking Climate: From Research to Practice in Public Engagement This books challenges assumptions around climate communications – for example myths around what motivates people. Available from the DWP Library for free at https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/dwp/detail.action?docID=4732575 or on Climate Outreach at https://climateoutreach.org/reports/book-talking-climate-from-research-to-practice-in-public-engagement/ (first chapter is free)
How Bad Are Bananas? The definitive book on the carbon cost of everything. Very easy to read a pick up in small chunks. Answers some hard questions and makes some excellent comparisons between different products and activities. https://howbadarebananas.com/
How to Talk About Climate Change in a Way That Makes a Difference Highly recommended if you are interested in how to discuss climate change with those perhaps less engaged than you. The author takes a psychological approach, considering the roles of different emotions and how they affect our willingness to engage or act. https://www.amazon.co.uk/About-Climate-Change-Makes-Difference/dp/1911632760 or https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/How-to-Talk-About-Climate-Change-Audiobook/100403055X
It’s Not Just You Recent book on the topic of eco-anxiety. Tsui sees climate ‘anxiety’ as something which is experienced very differently in the Global South as compared to those in the affluent West. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Its-Not-Just-Tori-Tsui-ebook/dp/B099SGJ6F6
Not the End of the World If you are looking for an optimistic read, this is worth checking out. Hannah Ritchie from Our World in Data, goes pretty deep to take apart some of the more common misunderstandings around the wider questions of sustainability (nt just climate change). A very hopeful read, but also challenging in many places, as she takes apart many of the myths of eco-doomerism. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Not-End-World-Generation-Sustainable/dp/1784745006
Communication Design Resources from the Climate Designers Resource Library - Repository of useful resources related to communicating for sustainability through design. https://climatedesigners.notion.site/Communication-Design-Resources-b4cc50460e00426fad18c62c1470dd41
There are hundreds of recent articles on these topics, here is a sampling of a few which are of interest.
Google and Amazon are top PPA buyers, but their net-zero claims are greenwash - unsure about about the claims by Big Tech on renewable energy? There is a lot out there on this, and Data Center Dynamics has put together a good summmary. https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/google-and-amazon-are-top-ppa-buyers-but-their-net-zero-claims-are-greenwash/
Our Digital Greenwashing Guide - good summary of issues related to digital greenwashing. https://www.mightybytes.com/blog/digital-greenwashing-guide/
What is greenwashing (and how can you spot it)? - a more general article on greenwashing in business. https://www.ucem.ac.uk/whats-happening/articles/greenwashing/
Amazon, Google, Microsoft: Here’s Who Has the Greenest Cloud - https://www.wired.com/story/amazon-google-microsoft-green-clouds-and-hyperscale-data-centers/
Why Cloud Zombies Are Destroying the Planet and How You Can Stop Them - https://www.infoq.com/news/2023/03/stop-cloud-zombies-qcon/
The Staggering Ecological Impacts of Computation and the Cloud - shorter version of the article above. https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-staggering-ecological-impacts-of-computation-and-the-cloud/
Your old phone is full of precious metals - https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20161017-your-old-phone-is-full-of-precious-metals
UK generated 2nd largest amount of e-waste as a country in 2022 - eye-opening summary of the UK’s e-waste problem. https://www.circularonline.co.uk/news/uk-generated-2nd-largest-amount-of-e-waste-as-a-country-in-2022/
How and Why I Stopped Buying New Laptops - informative, fun and practical article about keeping your laptop for longer, the why and the how. https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2020/12/how-and-why-i-stopped-buying-new-laptops/
Facing Change: Gender and Climate Change Attitudes Worldwide - very interesting research into the intersections of climate, gender and wealth. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/facing-change-gender-and-climate-change-attitudes-worldwide/38688C0CA6DF889475FDB52C06DD7FF9
Do men and women think about climate change differently? - condensed version of the research discussed above. https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/07/22/do-men-and-women-think-about-climate-change-differently
Globally representative evidence on the actual and perceived support for climate action - global survey results from 130,000 people on attitudes towards climate change. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-024-01925-3
Sustainability, a surprisingly successful KPI: GreenOps survey results - survey results, indicating that tech workers care more about carbon than cost, and the benefits of a GreenOps approach. https://climateaction.tech/blog/sustainability-kpi-greenops-survey-results/
Environment variables: weekly podcast by the Green Web Foundation. Often technical, covers a wide range of topics. Recommended. https://podcast.greensoftware.foundation
Green IO: weekly podcast hosted by Gaël Duez on green software and ICT. Recommended. https://greenio.gaelduez.com/
Outrage + Optimism. Not a tech podcast, but worth listening to as a leading climate change resource. https://www.outrageandoptimism.org/ or https://open.spotify.com/show/5Rbif0NfMJDT2zVaadZBBq
Civil Service Climate + Environment Network. Not a tech podcast either. But relevant to civil servants. https://www.civilserviceenvironmentnetwork.org/environment-deep-dive
The Anti-Dread Climate Podcast. US-based podcast with short, punchy episodes which help answer a myriad of sustainability questions. https://www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/the-anti-dread-climate-podcast
LinkedIn is a very useful tool for engaging with the Green IT movement. The following individuals have made some outstanding contributions to digital sustainability and are worth following.
Anne Currie - co-author of Building Green Software, green software trainer and advocate. https://www.linkedin.com/in/annecurrie/
Asim Hussain - Executive Director of the Green Software Foundation. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jawache/
Professor Ed Hawkins MBE - Professor of Climate Science, creator of Warming Stripes. https://www.linkedin.com/in/edhawkinsclimate/
Eric Zie - CEO and Founder GoCodeGreen, author of Decarbonise Digital. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericzie/
Gael Duez - Podcast host of Green.io. https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaelduez/
Gerry McGovern - digital sustainability industry gadfly, author of World Wide Waste. https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerry-mcgovern-07876469/
Hannah Smith - Director of Operations at the Green Web Foundation. https://www.linkedin.com/in/hanopcan/
Mark Butcher - outspoken GreenOps advocate abd Big Tech critic. https://www.linkedin.com/in/markbutcher/
Maxime Blondeau - Photographer, map-maker and storyteller. Posts are in French,, but his photos and maps are amazing. https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxime-blondeau-%F0%9F%8C%B1-%E2%99%BE-a71b6521/
Oliver Cronk - Sustainable Tech Director at Scott Logic. Leads on the Technology Carbon Standard initiative. https://www.linkedin.com/in/cronky/
Peter Campbell - Director of Green Software at Kainos and author of Digital Sustainability: The Need for Greener Software. https://www.linkedin.com/in/petercampell/
Sara Bergman - co-author of Building Green Software. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-bergman1/
Tim Frick - founder of Mightybytes and author of Designing for Sustainability. https://www.linkedin.com/in/timfrick/
Tom Greenwood - co-founder of Wholegrain Digital, author of Sustainable Web Design. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomgreenwood/
Nate Hagens - host of the Great Simplification podcast. https://www.linkedin.com/in/nate-hagens-004810b/
Are you new to terms like Scope 3, GHGs, the Rebound Effect SDGs? If so, please make use of the glossary to get familiar with the relevant concepts and terminology. Digital sustainability glossary.