Some solutions to streaming media's carbon footprint
15/02/20 11:20
Things we can do individually:
Stream less media!
Enjoy non-streaming solutions like:
When you do stream:
Things we can do collectively:
A later post will address what IT engineers can do.
Stream less media!
Enjoy non-streaming solutions like:
- going to the movies!
- embracing older technologies
- watching actual television, listening to actual radio
- taking the bus to the video store, like Vancouver's Black Dog Video
- buying DVDs or borrowing them from the library
- sharing files on USB
- getting together with folks to watch movies, for example through Hoovie (thanks Yani Kong) This also handles another problem of device media, the loneliness epidemic
When you do stream:
- stream at lowest resolution and trip out on those compression halos
- skeptically follow Greenpeace's report card for streaming media companies (Netflix gets a D, YouTube an A, because Google, which owns YouTube, is relatively greener—still not very impressive in my opinion)
- be willing to pay more for fast, high-resolution media
- enjoy the elegance of streamlined media consumption. Bloated high-res files are so last decade!
Things we can do collectively:
- demand regulation. As Greenpeace's report points out, telecoms, media providers, and other companies in the streaming-media economy actually want governments to force them to be more energy efficient. Yes, it will mean raising prices.
- demand our governments speed the conversion from fossil fuels to renewable energy
A later post will address what IT engineers can do.
