To tackle climate change, you have to break the problem down into smaller parts. Some of these are straightforward, like phasing out power plants that burn coal, along with cars and trucks that burn gas. But have you ever thought about the impact digital products have on the climate?
By digital products, we mean everything from your phone to the physical infrastructure that stores the latest season of The Bear to the electrons that stream that savory content to your screen at home. Globally, this category accounts for more greenhouse gas emissions than air travel. And that problem is getting worse as energy-intensive AI technologies ramp up.
Now, the good news: This is a solvable problem. Every job can be a climate job, as we often say, and this is one for climate-oriented product managers, leaders, and others who work on digital technology. As organizations face pressure from customers, workers, and regulators to take action on climate change, there is a massive opportunity to develop and implement ways to cut these digital emissions.
Our Digital Product Decarbonization Course
How, though? That’s the subject of our upcoming four-week online course, Digital Product Decarbonization. The class looks at how digital product companies can measure their emissions, design and deliver less carbon-intensive products, and get buy-in from stakeholders.
The course instructor is François Burra, a product and UX strategist, consultant, mentor, and speaker who—after taking a year off to study climate change—pivoted his career to fight the climate crisis by helping organizations cut their digital emissions. Catch a replay here of a talk François recently gave overviewing the problem.
As you learn how to quantify the challenge at a given organization, and the techniques to reduce emissions, from reducing page weight and minimizing data transfer to promoting green user-behaviors, you’ll develop the skills to a pitch new decarbonization efforts to a company—perhaps your current workplace. You’ll learn the language of relevant metrics and mandates, and along the way you’ll build a network of interested peers.
Aaron Monro, a UX designer who took the class previously, put it this way: “Taking this course has truly shifted my perspective on the digital world and its physical impact… This knowledge and insight is invaluable and should be shared with the world.”
The deadline to sign up is close, so don’t wait!
Key Details
- The Digital Production Decarbonization class meets live online once a week for four weeks. Live sessions are from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Pacific. Classes are also recorded if you can’t make it and need to catch a replay.
- The time commitment, including asynchronous work, is around 4 hours weekly.
- Classes start on Thursday, September 5, 2024. (For U.S. folks, that’s the Thursday after Labor Day.)
- The deadline to enroll is September 4, 2024.
- Fellows who finish the program receive a completion certificate.
