From Guest Blogger Jenny Richards: Saving the Planet from Right Where You Are–How You Can Be a ‘Green’ Web Designer

It is safe to say that global warming has moved from a myth to a reality. Things are getting serious and it is the responsibility of all people to do what they can, where they are to mitigate the full effects of global warming as much as possible.

Eco-friendly web designers

So we reduce, re-use and recycle, we switch off our TVs to reduce the carbon footprints, we walk and bike as much as we can to avoid driving, but how can we ‘save the planet’ as web designers? Well, we can borrow a few things from what we do at home and then there are others specific to a web designer. Let us take a look:

1. Universal ‘green’ habits

If you are working at an office, you could find an eco-friendly means of transport. At work, switching off the monitors when you are not using them will go a long way in reducing the energy consumption. This along with switching off the lights, using energy saving bulbs and turning down the air conditioning will be helpful.

2. Offset web server use

Studies suggest that one Google search uses as much energy as it would take to boil a cup of water. Now, as a web designer, you may not be able to cut down on the web server usage but you can offset with tree planting or some other eco-friendly practice. Your web hosting provider should have links to these services.

3. Streamline your sites

The ‘bigger’ your website, the longer it will take to load and the more energy it will use. You can mitigate this by reducing the size of the websites you develop. Choose better image formats and streamline your site as much as possible.

4. Responsive web design

According to several eco web development reviews, by developing websites that can be viewed across several different platforms, you are not only making things better for your users but also for the environment. Responsive websites are lighter and load faster which saves energy and minimizes carbon emissions. It is a win-win situation.

5. Choose ‘green’ colors

No, this does not mean that all your websites must be green in color. You simply need to choose energy saving colors for your websites. Since your clients may require certain colors to represent their brands, put in as much white space as you can to save on the energy used.

6. Printer-friendly pages

You know how you print a web page and find that you have used more pages than intended, with some of the pages not well utilized. Well as a web designer, you can create a printer friendly website that makes efficient use of paper and ink. Also, encourage your users to print responsibly.

7. Go digital

While encouraging your users to print responsibly, you can reduce the necessity to print altogether. For instance, you could facilitate signing of documents online so that they do not have to print them. On your end, do all your marketing digitally. Cutting off print advertising is both great for the environment and could prove to be more affordable in the long run.

When it comes to eco-friendly web design, the small things count so make them count.