Downsize your digital use to help save the planet, researchers say

Do you hate keeping your camera on during virtual meetings?

You now have an excuse to turn it off: Saving the planet!

Your webcam and streaming services use resources because of how internet data is stored and transferred around the world, so remote work and more at-home entertainment present an environmental impact, according to researchers from Purdue, Yale and MIT.

They say just one hour of video conferencing or streaming emits up to 1,000 grams of carbon dioxide – or a fraction of a gallon of gas burned by a car.

It also requires 2 to 12 liters of water and needs a land area adding up to about the size of an iPad Mini.

Researchers added that leaving your camera off during a web call can reduce your carbon footprint by 96%, and streaming in standard definition rather than HD can reduce it 86%.

Click here to read the study.