2023

NYX Marketing & Communication Awards (Marcom) Silver Winner Winner

Measuring & Mitigating Carbon Emissions from Digital Content

Entrant Company

Clarifying Complex Ideas, LLC

Category

Content Marketing Strategy - CSR

Client's Name

Country / Region

United States

Experience Level

Agency

The accelerating wave of digital content is increasing the energy demands on an already overextended planet. Every byte is energy, and energy has a carbon impact. The world has almost doubled its energy consumption since 1980, with digital content channels playing a significant role.

I have developed formulas to calculate the carbon impact of digital initiatives. These formulas can be applied to everything from websites and apps to podcasts and videos. In a pilot program, 20 conference session attendees provided anonymized data noting the impact of one small change in their corporate communications: reduced weight on a web page; fewer email blasts; reducing podcast frequency; using video only when truly relevant to the user.

The results were staggering: More than 300 tons of greenhouse gas emissions avoided just from the pilot projects.

Sustainable content — content that is created sustainably to have the smallest possible emissions impact — is a powerful CSR story. Communications can take the lead on this initiative, not simply in telling the sustainability story, but as a central part of the organization's reduction of Scope 3 emissions.

2023
silver
winner
Imara Counseling Services

Entrant Company

veJov Design, LLC

Category

Design - Business Card

Country / Region

United States

2023
silver
winner
RTI Health Solutions

Entrant Company

DesignHammer

Category

Website - Home Page / Landing Page

Country / Region

United States

2023
silver
winner

Entrant Company

Travel Manitoba

Category

Mobile App - Travel

Country / Region

Canada

2023
silver
winner

Entrant Company

Houston Safari Club Foundation

Category

Audio & Podcasts - Nonprofit

Country / Region

United States