A presentation at Toronto Web Performance by Michelle Barker
Building a greener web: A web developer’s role in climate action
@MicheBarks CSS { In Real Life css-irl.info } Senior Front End Developer at
3.7% of worldwide C02 emissions https://bbc.in/35mLuxM
2 MB Average web page size https://bit.ly/3rIfZWc
Renewable energy
Low-energy colour scheme
User journey
Development resources
“ If I was a better programmer, I’d write a script that shows you the cumulative CO₂ you’ve generated every time you type npm install . Eric Bailey https://bit.ly/3KH98VI
Budgeting
• WebPageTest • PageSpeed Insights • GTMetrix
Core Web Vitals LC P S D Largest Contentful Paint FI First Input Delay CL Cumulative Layout Shift
How do we measure?
Website Carbon Calculato r websitecarbon.com
Ecopin g ecoping.earth
Beaco n digitalbeacon.co
Why do our individual actions matter?
Amplify our voices
Lead by example
Regulation
“ Shaving off a single kilobyte in a le that is being loaded on 2 million websites reduces CO2 emissions by an estimated 2950 kg per month. Danny van Kooten fi https://bit.ly/3nX93Up
“ You will save more by not watching a season of a tv show on Net ix than optimising your website. If you really care – how about that? fl A person on the internet
5% https://bit.ly/3KLYb5A
Global National Collective Individual
“ In any society, individuals drive social norms that make up the collective culture. For instance, cultural revolutions don’t happen because of systems change; they happen when a group of people voice a compelling story that propagates across society and becomes a social norm. https://bit.ly/3nZs48x
Form a workplace action grou • Support each other to take climate action p • Push the climate agenda and greener practices within your organisation
Share your learnin • Write • Speak at events g • Share on social media
Recognising our power + privilege
https://bit.ly/35HxOxx
“ If you want strong healthy plants, you pay attention to the care of the roots. Hannah Smith https://bit.ly/3ufkRVI
1in5 for 1point 5 1in5for1point5.org
Sometimes less is more
“ No one is too small to make a difference Greta Thunberg
Examining the web developer’s role in climate action.
for free. You
can too.