Theme Networks® is now CO2 neutral
Those who use our social network now support climate projects worldwide.
Sunday (June 5) is Global Environment Day. World Environment Day, which was launched by the United Nations in 1972, is now celebrated in over 150 countries with campaigns for greater environmental protection. To mark its 50th anniversary, this year’s World Environment Day has the same theme as the first UN Conference on the Environment: ‘Only One Earth’.
Living in a more sustainable and environmentally friendly way is the demand of our time. International Environment Day is designed to provide inspiration for how many ways to live an environmentally conscious lifestyle. This year, we used the day of action as an opportunity to reduce the carbon footprint of our social network. After all, the Internet also causes greenhouse gas emissions.
If we cannot avoid greenhouse gas emissions through abatement or reduction, offsetting is the third option.
Large data centers around the world ensure that we can travel online and send data. A lot of electricity is needed to operate the servers; they also require energy-intensive cooling. Since global power generation is still largely based on fossil fuels, the use of the Internet releases CO2. However, in addition to the data centers, the communication networks in which data such as text messages are forwarded and the end devices themselves – i.e. smartphones, tablets, laptops and computers – also require energy, resulting in CO2 emissions.
Until all data centers are climate-neutral, the most environmentally friendly option would be to do without the Internet altogether or at least reduce its use. However, because the Internet has become an indispensable part of our private and professional lives, we can at least offset the greenhouse gas emissions it generates as a last resort. In voluntary carbon offsetting, emissions generated in one place are saved in another. For this purpose, the amount of CO2 emissions caused by a certain activity is calculated first. Finally, these greenhouse gas emissions are offset in the form of certified climate protection projects that are specifically designed to compensate for CO2 emissions.
We offset the carbon footprint of Themennetzwerke®.
Although avoiding and reducing emissions would always be the better options, voluntary offsetting is a supportive and easy-to-implement measure to address CO2 emissions from activities we cannot or do not want to do without. As of this month, we are offsetting the CO² emissions generated by the use of our social network with the help of the Danish organization co2neutralwebsite.de. Themennetzwerke® is therefore CO2-neutral from now on. Specifically, we are currently using it to support water well projects in Uganda and Zimbabwe, heating projects in Kenya and wind farms in Turkey. You can read more about the projects here: https://www.co2neutralwebsite.de/unsere-projekte
Environmental protection and sustainability are emphasized in two thematic network groups.
The thematic network group Environmental Communication and Waste Consulting is intended to be a virtual meeting place for waste consultants and those responsible for public communication in municipal enterprises from all over Germany, who will have to cope with even more tasks in the future due to the amendment of the Closed Substance Cycle Waste Management Act and the amended Packaging Act. They play a significant role in raising awareness of environmental and sustainability issues in our society.
Circular Economy is the new driver of an ecological further development of the circular economy. What challenges will arise with regard to the circular economy of tomorrow and what concepts can be target-oriented for this are central questions in the thematic network group ‘Green Deal and Circular Economy’.
But there is also room for discussion of environmental issues in the other thematic network groups ‘recycling centers’, ‘waste containers’, ‘urban cleanliness and winter services’, ‘municipal vehicles’ and ‘digitization’. Whether people from small, medium-sized or metropolitan companies, whether from practice or science – Themennetzwerke® serves the networking and professional exchange within the municipal sector. Our community now numbers around 400 people. Gradually, it’s time for Theme Networks® to get out of their infancy! That’s why we’d love for you to stop by and become part of our community. It goes without saying that we keep an eye on the CO2 emissions of Themennetzwerke® caused by ‘a growing shoe size’!
PS: Learn more about the ‘Green Deal and Circular Economy ‘ network group in this blog article: https://themennetzwerke.de/der-europaeische-gruene-deal-und-die-deutsche-kreislaufwirtschaft/
