What is the carbon footprint of AI? —?EcoSend Weekly #18
Hello!
Something you might not know but perhaps long suspected was that this newsletter was powered by coffee.?
Dear reader, I can confirm some truth to that as I undergo a caffeine detox. Any tips to be able to fathom the concept of adding words to other words during this time would be most appreciated.??
Not so fast with the 'get ChatGPT to write it for you!' suggestions either. As you're about to find out there is a carbon cost to AI that nobody is thinking about. The stats will shock you! ?? ??
In the meantime, don't forget if you need to chat about anything email related and your business, you can?book a demo?with us anytime.?
Until next week,
Rachael
9 WAYS TO MAKE MONEY WITH EMAIL?
Email boasts an average ROI of $42 for every $1 spent ?? ??
There are so many marketing tools and platforms these days that sometimes, it's easy to overlook what's right there in front of you (quite literally?if you're reading this!) ??
Email marketing is one such example. The number of email users has reached 4.26 billion and these figures climb each year.?
With email marketing predicted to generate?$17.9bn?in revenue by 2027 (Statista), there really never has been a better time to make money through email.?? We show you how in our aptly named post?9 Ways Make Money With Email Marketing In 2024.?
There is advice for everyone whether you are starting email marketing from scratch, or want to improve your existing techniques.
While you could choose any platform for your email marketing efforts,?EcoSend?is the only email platform which has a climate-friendly focus.
So if you like the sound of lowering your carbon emissions while sending incredible campaigns, we'd love to welcome you aboard!
Seeing as it's you... we'll even offer you?a free trial. ???
HOW MUCH ELECTRICITY DOES AI CONSUME?
We focus on what AI can do but not so much the carbon cost
"The generative AI revolution comes with a planetary cost that is completely unknown to us” writes James Vincent from The Verge, as he asks:?How much electricity does AI consume?
It's certainly true that much of the focus of AI is what it can do, from Homer Simpson singing nu-metal to kids using ChatGPT to do their homework.?
But nobody is really thinking about?what it takes to make AI happen?in terms of the energy, and ultimately the climate cost of artificial intelligence.??
In the above article, The Verge comes to the conclusion that in 2027 alone, the carbon footprint of AI is set to equal the?entire carbon consumption?of The Netherlands.
Combating the hidden carbon footprint of our digital activities including email marketing is?why we founded EcoSend?in the first place. As a result, our systems run on renewable energy and we're even regrowing forests just from our customers sending emails.??
But surprisingly, giants like Microsoft involved in the creation of AI tools said it could take almost a decade to become "carbon negative, water positive and zero waste." So what happens until then?
领英推荐
The above article is incredible food for thought on this topic, so we recommend giving it a read this weekend.?
WHAT HAPPENS TO STUFF AFTER THE END OF AN EVENT??
EcoSend Podcast S4E4: Creating Circular Economy in the Events Industry with Carina Jandt
We're very privileged on The EcoSend Podcast to be inspired by so many change-makers leading innovation and solving problems. Carina Jandt is high up on that list!
Carina co-founded?Event Cycle?after noticing the depressing amount of waste left over from events. This includes the likes of furniture, display stands, audio equipment, building materials and even food.
Event Cycle was formed to tackle the problem by repurposing as much event waste as possible. Instead of ending up in the bin, the items get redistributed to charities, schools, community groups and social enterprises instead.?
In this episode, James and Carina discuss:?
??- How a leftover set of IKEA furniture sparked the idea for Event Cycle.
?? - The importance of businesses working with communities and not seeing themselves as islands.
??- How ESG needs to change in the immediate future.
??- Her predictions for upcoming trends and changes in the Events industry.? ?? - Why we need to focus on incremental change and starting NOW! ...and much more! ?
INNOCENT DRINKS AND THE LIFECYCLE OF PACKAGING
Part of the problem with packaging is that we tend to only think of its lifecycle in terms of when?we are?finished using it. In reality, that bottle, can or container will continue to exist somehow and somewhere.?
Repurposing or recycling packaging wherever possible can make a huge difference in terms of less reliance on raw materials and overall waste, not least when it comes to plastic waste which doesn't break down and usually ends up in landfill or our oceans.?
One drinks company looking to change things for the better is Innocent Drinks, who have so far?cut out 2,500 tonnes of plastic in the last three years alone. This has resulted in the development of their 'greenest bottle yet'.?
(If you?do click?the above link... scroll down to the footer at the end of the page you won't regret it.) ??
Holding B Corp status, Innocent Drinks currently makes all of its bottles out of 100% recycled or renewable plastic materials.?
Just like their drinks, it's certainly refreshing to see companies openly discuss their sustainability efforts, while admitting there is still more they are working on to go even further.?
Remember, we're all still figuring things out here when it comes to sustainability but every effort counts!??
#EcoSendQuote
“Success isn’t overnight. It’s when every day you get a little better than the day before. It all adds up.”
— Dwayne Johnson