Assessment 2 Green Our Digital Future Assignment Sample

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The purpose of the briefing paper is to emphasize the significance of greening our digital future to students, staff, and faculty of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. The current concern is how our growing reliance on digital technology could impact the environment (Going digital – good or bad for the climate?, 2022). The number of people using the internet has doubled globally in recent years, and internet traffic has increased significantly as well. Despite the fact that people frequently think of digital services as insignificant, the technology that supports them, such as data centers and electronic gadgets, really uses a lot of natural resources and emits CO2 (Salvi et al., 2022). As a result, energy use has significantly increased and electronic waste is becoming a bigger concern.

It is critical to understand that the impact of digital technologies is comparable to the aviation industry in terms of worldwide consumption of energy and glasshouse gas emissions. Despite the numerous benefits that digital technology has to offer, it is essential for people as well as organizations to understand the environmental effects and take action to lessen them. Individuals can take a number of measures to encourage a more ecologically friendly digital future, like cutting back on data usage, using energy-efficient technology, and supporting green manufacturing methods (Bafekry et al., 2020). In addition, it is crucial that corporations do their share and that legislative frameworks promote environmentally friendly digital practices.

Background What Is Happening At Vu

At Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU), the significance of "greening" our digital future cannot be stressed. There has been a significant environmental effect as a result of the quick development of digital technologies as well as its pervasive use on the university's premises, from office spaces to classrooms. This effect includes carbon emissions, resource use, and energy use. VU, like numerous other colleges and universities, depends on the internet for a variety of tasks, including administrative databases and online instructional platforms. The number of online resources supporting educational endeavors has increased dramatically as the number of people using the internet globally has doubled. This ease, though, has a price in terms of the environment (Wang and Zhang, 2023). UV carbon footprint is impacted by data centers, electronics, and the energy used to power them.

The case for why it is crucial for VU to deal with this issue is quite strong. In the beginning, it is consistent with the university's dedication to sustainability and prudent resource management. Everyone can show a real commitment to these ideals by minimizing digital environmental imprint. Solving this problem is both an ethical and a practical necessity. Students, employees, and collaborators of VU will anticipate the university setting a positive example for the rest of the world by minimizing the impact it has on the environment. Additionally, reducing the digital footprint leave is in line with more general social objectives and rules put in place by the government to control glasshouse gases and encourage sustainable lifestyles.

Key Considerations

The development in internet usage, defined by a doubled number of global users, has led to a rise in consumption of energy, use of resources and emissions of glasshouse gases. Data centers, which are necessary for providing digital services, use a lot of energy and have a big carbon impact (Growing Footprint of Digitalisation, 2022). Additionally, the manufacture and removal of electronic gadgets result in the generation of electronic waste and the use of precious resources. Digital technologies have an environmental and energy footprint that is similar to the aviation industry, according to scientific study. Managing the environmental effect of digital technology is crucial as our awareness of global warming and the environment grows (Green et al., 2019). VU may take practical measures to lessen its digital footprint by paying attention to these scientific facts, aligning its business practices with recognized environmental standards and promoting an environmentally friendly future.

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Possible Next Steps

At VU, addressing the environmental effects of our digital future includes significant ethical and moral issues. When reducing its carbon footprint, the university community as a whole must take into account the wider environmental effects on both the global and local environments. This goal underscores VU's moral obligation to do business in an environmentally friendly manner and goes beyond simply following the rules. Additionally, VU's strategy for a greener digital future serves as a blueprint for the larger academic community. As a pioneering organization, VU's dedication to environmentally friendly digital practices might encourage other colleges and businesses to pick up suit. It may help advance a global movement into better management of the use of digital technology in administration, research, and training (Ye et al., 2020). The next steps for VU should therefore include creating explicit rules and regulations for sustainable digital practices, teaching staff as well as students about their contributions to lowering the institution's digital footprint, and promoting an environment of responsible use of technology that is consistent with its ethical values and advances broader sustainability goals.

Conclusion And Recommendations

VU and the larger academic community are gravely concerned with the way our digital future will affect the environment. The research shows that whereas digital technologies have indisputable advantages, they also have a large negative impact on energy use, depletion of resources, and glasshouse gas emissions.

Recommendations

Create a sustainable digital practices policy: VU needs to create and execute a sustainable digital practices strategy that stipulates precise rules for appropriate digital usage all around the institution. This strategy should cover data usage reduction, energy-efficient practices, and the purchase of environmentally friendly equipment. The first step in connecting the institution with moral and environmental goals is to develop a policy. It demonstrates ethical online conduct and conveys VU's dedication to sustainability.

Establish a task force for digital sustainability: VU should create a Digital Practices Sustainability Task Force made up of employees, students, and subject-matter experts to guarantee the effective execution of the Green Digital Practices Policy. The task force should supervise the use of environmentally friendly practices, keep an eye on compliance, and continuously evaluate the efficiency of the policy. Engaging a variety of parties will increase the policy's applicability and promote active involvement within the university.

Support digital literacy and understanding: VU should fund initiatives that seek to raise awareness of digital literacy. These programmes should inform staff and students of the way their digital activities affect the environment and provide them the information and resources they need to make environmentally friendly choices. Improved digital literacy encourages ethical usage while also enabling people to take part in larger environmental initiatives.

Priorities energy efficiency: VU should give top priority to the usage of energy-efficient technology and data center infrastructure as a quick and effective step. By doing this, digital technology' energy use and carbon emissions will be greatly reduced. VU can work with technology companies that have an emphasis on sustainability and follow guidelines for conserving energy.

Expand digital sustainability research: VU should increase its investment in research in this area. This study can add to the body of information on digital technologies that are ecologically friendly and provide beneficial insights regarding the university's current digital practices. Findings from the research can also help guide continuing policy updates and strengthen VU's standing as a pioneer in environmentally friendly digital practices.

A fundamental step that establishes an explicit framework for ethical digital behavior is the creation of a sustainability digital practices policy. It offers a comprehensive plan that touches on several facets of digital sustainability. Creating a task force with a variety of stakeholders assures their participation and representation. It encourages teamwork among faculty, students, and specialists, increasing the likelihood that the rules will be applied and upheld successfully. An important long-term approach is to increase digital literacy. Individuals are given the capacity to make educated choices, and users who are informed are a higher probability to voluntarily embrace sustainable practices. This strategy encourages community-wide behavior change. Reducing the glasshouse gas emissions of digital devices is directly and immediately impacted by prioritizing energy-efficient hardware and sustainable purchasing. It is a practical answer that supports VU's sustainability objectives.

Personal Reflection

According to Gibbs Reflective I am inspired and informed as I think about the research results discussed in this debate about greening the future of technology. Digital technologies have an adverse effect on the environment, and this is well supported by the facts. The size of our carbon footprint caused by our digital actions and the requirement for a thorough strategy to reduce it are the most startling. My main takeaway from this conversation is the knowledge that every one of us has a big part to play in lessening the environmental effect of our use of digital technology. This newly acquired understanding motivates me for making more thoughtful decisions about how I use technology. I want to start "greening" our digital future by using energy-efficient technology, cutting back on data usage and unsubscribing from unused digital clutter. I will also promote responsible digital practices among my professional and academic networks, inspiring others to follow the same guidelines (Adeani et al., 2020). I personally want to lessen my digital footprint through being selective about the information I post online and buying energy-efficient items. In the end, these adjustments can seem little, but taken together, they can help create a more environmentally friendly and ethical digital future.

References

Books and Journals

• Adeani, I. S., Febriani, R. B., & Syafryadin, S. (2020). Using GIBBS’reflective cycle in making reflections of literary analysis. Indonesian EFL Journal, 6(2), 139-148.
• Bafekry, A., Stampfl, C., Ghergherehchi, M., & Shayesteh, S. F. (2020). A first-principles study of the effects of atom impurities, defects, strain, electric field and layer thickness on the electronic and magnetic properties of the C2N nanosheet. Carbon, 157, 371-384.
• Green, C., Verhagen, P., McKeague, P., Van'T Veer, R., Huvila, I., Moreau, A., ... & Van Manen, N. (2019). Mapping our heritage: Towards a sustainable future for digital spatial information and technologies in European archaeological heritage management. Journal of Computer Applications in Archaeology, 2(1).
• SALVI, M., JENSEN, K., STOERMER, E., SCAPOLO, F., ASIKAINEN, T., & MUENCH, S. (2022). Towards a green & digital future.
• Wang, B., & Zhang, K. (2023). Impact of green digital finance on green economic recovery and green agricultural development: implications for green environment. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 1-13.
• Ye, Q., Zhou, R., Anwar, M. A., Siddiquei, A. N., & Asmi, F. (2020). Entrepreneurs and environmental sustainability in the digital era: Regional and institutional perspectives. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(4), 1355.

Online

• Going digital – good or bad for the climate?, 2022. Online. Available through. :<https://climate-pact.europa.eu/news-and-events/news/going-digital-good-or-bad-climate-2022-11-29_en>
• Growing Footprint of Digitalisation, 2022. Online. Available through. :<https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/37439;jsessionid=A7780EDD4100591A50854C3728F2179F>