| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Share your tips on sustainable work practices Thread poster: Tanya Quintieri
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Hi everyone,
I am sure that many of you are conscious about how we can keep our carbon footprint as small as possible. We are interested to hear your tips and recommendations to keeping your footprint minimal when it comes to work.
Here are some things that I do:
- We use kill-switches on our power outlets. Should be as good as unplugging my devices.
- When we do have to prin
... See more Hi everyone,
I am sure that many of you are conscious about how we can keep our carbon footprint as small as possible. We are interested to hear your tips and recommendations to keeping your footprint minimal when it comes to work.
Here are some things that I do:
- We use kill-switches on our power outlets. Should be as good as unplugging my devices.
- When we do have to print something, we try to use eco-friendly fonts to minimize toner usage. And we try to be conscious about the kind of paper we use (I did once read that recycled paper isn't necessarily better.
- I made sure that our websites and emails are hosted green.
These are just some of the things I do to keep my own footprint as small as possible. Now we'd love to hear your ideas.
[Subject edited by staff or moderator 2024-04-19 22:08 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Exhaling into a machine that chemically captures carbon? | Feb 28 |
If I used such a machine (provided that it exists), I'd probably have collected enough carbon to make a couple of artificial diamonds. Now on a serious note: does sustainability equal carbon rather than a whole lot of things we should be doing to help nature? I've always found this carbon craze strange to say the least. What's the content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere? Do we know of any studies that show it has increased dramatically due to human factor in the upper regions of the atmosphe... See more If I used such a machine (provided that it exists), I'd probably have collected enough carbon to make a couple of artificial diamonds. Now on a serious note: does sustainability equal carbon rather than a whole lot of things we should be doing to help nature? I've always found this carbon craze strange to say the least. What's the content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere? Do we know of any studies that show it has increased dramatically due to human factor in the upper regions of the atmosphere where it is supposed to form a greenhouse layer? Can it be said with certainty that if we capture enough carbon (which, as I recently heard, will cost quadrillions of taxpayer dollars—can't tell how true this is), the climate change will stop and freeze without a catastrophic readjustment of the equilibrium secured by the ocean? My take on sustainability includes separating waste and not buying a car but those are life practices rather than work practices; I can't think of any meaningful ways of organising my work for the environment's benefit. I might one day switch to off-grid living as many are doing today. A guy once offered me to join him and a bunch of others in settling down in Karelia's neck of the woods to live off the land, go to church, and build a boat to hit the lakes, but I chose to stay in the city and work for bloody capitalists. The only too late is never ▲ Collapse
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I recycle old laptops and PC components to reduce e-waste. If you're lucky and know where to look, you can even get a crazy deal. Saving our environment, saving my wallet. What is there to lose?
Straw Person wrote:
But you need the latest hardware to run Windows 11.
Sorry, I don't use low-quality products. 😎
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Flying less is one of the most significant changes you can make, especially if you currently fly a lot.
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Rachel Waddington wrote:
Flying less is one of the most significant changes you can make, especially if you currently fly a lot.
The carbon footprint of flying is actually much lower than you think. For example, Boeing 737-800 takes 160 passengers and consumes 2600 kg fuel per hour, flying at 840 km/h. Thus, per single passenger it consumes ~1.9 kg fuel per 100 km, producing ~5.7 kg CO2. For example, if you fly from the UK to Spain and back (~1400 km by air each way) as an airline passenger, the carbon footprint of your trip is ~160 kg CO2.
Let's compare that to cars. Even the most economical non-electric cars on the market in 2024 - I mean small ones that are very likely to be driven by one person, no passengers - consume about ~2.9 kg (3.4 L) diesel fuel per 100 km, producing ~8.7 kg CO2. A typical car on European roads produces at least 50% more, i.e. ~13 kg CO2 per 100 km. At an average driving distance of 12000 km/year, this translates to almost 1600 kg CO2 - ten trips to Spain!
Now, let's compare that to the carbon footprint of our food. An average Brit consumes ~4.5 kg beef per year, which accounts for greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to ~450 kg CO2, almost three trips to Spain. However, if you switch from beef to chicken, that would only be ~45 kg instead of 450.
Finally, our own bodies oxidise the food and exhale CO2. An average person exhales ~380 kg CO2 annually just by living on this planet.
Bottom line: drive less and eat less carbon-intensive food. Flying contributes only about 2.5% to worldwide greenhouse gas emissions.
[Edited at 2024-04-19 08:56 GMT]
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I don't block highways. Don't throw soup at paintings. Don't turn myself into a sack of potatoes as two cops are carrying me away from a protest scene. Don't dye my hair red, green, blue or any other sick color even though some people swear this will give me the superpower of annihilating opposing thinkers with vitriolic rage. Something tells me these "don'ts" are good for the planet
[Редактировалось 2024-04-19 09:09 GMT]
| | | | Tony Keily
Local time: 11:02
Italian to English
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| 'Carbon footprint' is a concept popularised by the fosil fuel corporations... | Apr 19 |
... to shift focus away from the mayhem they're unleashing and onto your personal lifestyle choices. Alone it's also not even a good indicator of your environmental impact.
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Anton Konashenok wrote: Rachel Waddington wrote:
Flying less is one of the most significant changes you can make, especially if you currently fly a lot. The carbon footprint of flying is actually much lower than you think. For example, Boeing 737-800 takes 160 passengers and consumes 2600 kg fuel per hour, flying at 840 km/h. Thus, per single passenger it consumes ~1.9 kg fuel per 100 km, producing ~5.7 kg CO2. For example, if you fly from the UK to Spain and back (~1400 km by air each way) as an airline passenger, the carbon footprint of your trip is ~160 kg CO2. Let's compare that to cars. Even the most economical non-electric cars on the market in 2024 - I mean small ones that are very likely to be driven by one person, no passengers - consume about ~2.9 kg (3.4 L) diesel fuel per 100 km, producing ~8.7 kg CO2. A typical car on European roads produces at least 50% more, i.e. ~13 kg CO2 per 100 km. At an average driving distance of 12000 km/year, this translates to almost 1600 kg CO2 - ten trips to Spain! Now, let's compare that to the carbon footprint of our food. An average Brit consumes ~4.5 kg beef per year, which accounts for greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to ~450 kg CO2, almost three trips to Spain. However, if you switch from beef to chicken, that would only be ~45 kg instead of 450. Finally, our own bodies oxidise the food and exhale CO2. An average person exhales ~380 kg CO2 annually just by living on this planet. Bottom line: drive less and eat less carbon-intensive food. Flying contributes only about 2.5% to worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. [Edited at 2024-04-19 08:56 GMT]
Eating a less carbon-intensive food is massively important, but not really related to work, which is why I didn't mention it.
Flying contributes a relatively low amount to global emissions because the majority of the world's population never fly and most of those that do, fly only rarely. For those that do fly regularly, it's a huge part of their carbon footprint.
You can find some stats on emissions here: https://flightfree.co.uk/post/what-has-aviation-got-to-do-with-climate-change/
For example:
"Heating your home for a year: 2.7 tonnes CO2 = a return flight to LA (2.69 tonnes CO2)
Eating meat for a year: 2.06 tonnes CO2 = a return flight to Mumbai (2 tonnes CO2)
Driving a car for a year: 1.73 tonnes CO2 = a return flight to New York (1.75 tonnes CO2)"
For context, the annual sustainable footprint as recommended by the IPCC is 2.3 tonnes per year.
| | | | | Translation associations | Apr 19 |
Also: if you are a member of a translation association, push them to do more.
Individual actions don't amount to much, but if we come together as a community we can make a much bigger difference.
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Rachel Waddington wrote:
Also: if you are a member of a translation association, push them to do more.
Individual actions don't amount to much, but if we come together as a community we can make a much bigger difference.
How? By mandating fonts that use a minuscule amount less toner?
I don’t think translators can make much more of a difference. Working from home, we generate sod all carbon anyway.
The main problem is that most people simply don’t give a shit.
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Christopher Schröder wrote: Rachel Waddington wrote:
Also: if you are a member of a translation association, push them to do more.
Individual actions don't amount to much, but if we come together as a community we can make a much bigger difference.
How? By mandating fonts that use a minuscule amount less toner? I don’t think translators can make much more of a difference. Working from home, we generate sod all carbon anyway. The main problem is that most people simply don’t give a shit.
For example:
Plant-based catering at translator events
Encouraging translators to travel to conferences by rail
Running climate literacy courses
A lot of people do care actually. Studies have shown that we tend to underestimate how concerned other people are.
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| A totally different shade of green | Apr 19 |
Rachel Waddington wrote:
Plant-based catering at translator events
Encouraging translators to travel to conferences by rail
Running climate literacy courses
Why do you need translator events at all?
Why should a translator travel to conferences rather than connect remotely?
Climate literacy is a good thing, but it should also include fact checking. For example, the transoceanic fuel consumption figures in the reference you quoted are all wrong by a factor of 2 to 4 (depending on calculation methodology).
A lot of people do care actually. Studies have shown that we tend to underestimate how concerned other people are.
This is probably true. Unfortunately, people's willingness to be concerned is also widely exploited by politicians and activists of all persuasions, from the most conservative to the most radical.
[Edited at 2024-04-19 23:47 GMT]
| | | | IrinaN
United States
Local time: 04:02
English to Russian
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| Fly less... Whaaat??? | Apr 20 |
Rachel Waddington wrote:
Encouraging translators to travel to conferences by rail
Rachel, please explain just how exactly could I have reached Mount Fuji, Chechen Itza, The Cape of Good Hope, Pyramids, Louvre and Prado by rail from Houston, TX? You may be content to live without it but I'm not.
The world is bigger than a tight conglomerate of neighboring European countries, it's much, much bigger. Or is it just "the jungle" not worth mentioning or seeing by the 1st world dwellers? What is there to be passionate about if you haven't seen anything?
I made a huge personal contribution in diminishing carbon print - I quit commercial translation altogether and, consequently, stopped hitting monstrous data center servers hundreds of times a day on top of usual daily browsing. Incidentally, those servers happen to run on fuel-based electricity. Can you beat me?
PS. I am curious - how do planet lovers plan to feed and clothe 8 billion humans strictly on a plant-based existence? Where do we plan to get all that cultivated land to grow all we need, and who'll be working on it? Or 3-D print, worms and crickets from labs, processing our own dead? Shall we strip the planet naked? Just one example - are you aware of the scale of deforestation and wildlife loss in Mexico simply because everyone wants a profitable avocado plantation instead? Are you comfortable eating avocados now? Organic life on this planet runs on eating each other day in, day out, self-controlling and balancing numbers with available food sources (pink elephants excluded), never reaching the extermination point until, of course, humans introduce some invasive alien species other than themselves:-). Or we'd be risking death by suffocation from the fumes of dead corpses before CO2 gets us:-). We are born with both molars and canines, listen to the nature. I have no doubt that this planet will get a break only after humans will finally self-destruct. Get curious about Chernobyl wildlife today. It's thriving. No humans for 50 years was all it took to recover and bloom again after the most horrific tragedy.
[Edited at 2024-04-20 11:30 GMT]
[Edited at 2024-04-20 18:39 GMT]
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Rachel Waddington wrote:
For example:
Plant-based catering at translator events
Encouraging translators to travel to conferences by rail
Running climate literacy courses
A lot of people do care actually. Studies have shown that we tend to underestimate how concerned other people are.
I despair about most people’s willingness to change. Get a bus to work, walk to the shops, give up meat, wear clothes in town twice, no chance.
I used to live in an eco-friendly bubble so the real world came as quite a shock.
The occasional vegan buffet is a drop in the ocean. And I always feel “extreme” measures like that alienate the majority.
We could do more by not coming n this forum.
What we need in the UK at least is for the press to get behind it rather than stirring up resentment the whole time.
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