Deleting your useless emails is good for the planet 🌱

The data centers that store your emails consume fossil fuels and generate CO2.

There’s an intersection with untapped potential between ideas that are good for the world, good for you, and can be done in 10 minutes or less. Different iterations of this concept had been circling my head for a while, until two weeks ago when the coin dropped (la locha!) and I sketched this scruffy venn diagram before clocking out from my home office in Buenos Aires, Argentina: 

Why 10 minutes or less? Because there are lots of motivated people out there who cannot engage in traditional activism due to the time commitment that it involves. 

I'm looking out for the low-hanging fruit of global collaboration: the scalable, accessible, compelling, and evidence-based things we can do in 10 minutes or less. 

I discussed the idea on social media and in coffee conversations with several people, until I found my co-conspirators: young journalists Maria Paola, Leoner and Valen, and designer Gaby. With a scientific approach we came up with our first challenge—which paired beautifully with the launch of COP27 and is useful to easily transmit the broader points of our project. So, here it goes:

Erase as many useless emails as you can in 10 minutes or less. 

Why? 

In short, the data centers that store your emails consume fossil fuels and generate CO2. Our Internet activity has an impact on the environment. The use of electronic devices, streaming platforms, email, and other types of digital activity generates CO2 emissions. Digital pollution is real, even if we don't see it. The good news is that we can reduce our digital carbon footprint (a part of our total carbon footprint) without depriving ourselves of the things that bring us value and fun online. 

Let’s try the model with our first #10minchallenge: Is it good for you, good for the world and can be done in 10 minutes or less? 

How? 

By 2022, Gmail has amassed over 1.8 billion active users, and the average email account has 17,000 emails. Crazy, right? This fact makes Gmail the perfect example for our pilot challenge: 

1. Go to Gmail (on your computer)

2. Go to the “promotions” and/or  “social” categories. “Promotions” usually contains generic emails that are not exclusively addressed to you. “Social” accumulates a cemetery of notifications, stale newsletters, and offers you never took advantage of. 

3. At the top left, check the box to select all conversations on the page 

4. You will probably have over one hundred pages. At the top right, click “Select all conversations.” 

5. At the top, click Delete .

And just in case, here is a step-by-step video tutorial. 

This #10minchallenge is a learning experience: it’s an opportunity to understand and communicate what the digital carbon footprint and digital pollution are. The best thing about it is that it might be the start of a behavioral change; perhaps cleaning your inbox more often or subscribing only to newsletters or email marketing lists that bring value to you. 

If you’re excited about this project and want to help us commit serious time to it, consider supporting us (a.k.a. becoming a paid subscriber to this newsletter).

Join the discussion, refinement and sharing of #10minchallenges on Twitter, Instagram or TikTok. 

♻️ How many tons of carbon were we able to reduce overall? We intend to estimate the impact of this initiative: If you did the challenge, let us know and share it with your friends and family. 

And now… you can safely erase this email :)

Dariela