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Sustainable Practices for Google Workspace at UCD

Digital Declutter: green your Google Workspace

Did you know that digital pollution contributes almost (opens in a new window)4% of the world’s global greenhouse emissions – double that of the global aviation industry? At UCD, Gmail and Google Drive account for a significant portion of our digital carbon footprint.

Last month alone, our collective carbon footprint from these tools exceeded 11 metric tons of CO2 emissions, up 4% from the previous month.


Screenshot of a one month snapshot Apr May 2024 showing the carbon footprint per service in the UCD Google admin console: Gmail is the blue bar and Drive is the green.

UCD aims to be a thought and action leader in sustainability, ranking No.1 in Ireland in the QS Sustainability Rankings 2024. We aim to reduce our environmental impact, improve productivity, and lower costs. Thus, sustainability is a top priority for our digital footprint too.

Here are some practical suggestions to maximise your efficiency on Gmail and Google Drive, while minimising the environmental impact. By following these simple tips, you can enhance your productivity, optimise storage, and help reduce UCD’s environmental footprint. Even small steps can make a big difference in the long run, both to your work and the planet.

Gmail

  1. Regularly declutter your email inbox by unsubscribing from newsletters and promotional emails you no longer read.

  2. Think before you hit Reply all - does everyone need your response?

  3. Delete: Don't hesitate to delete emails you know will never be needed again, especially those with large attachments.
     
  4. Share Links: Instead of attaching large files to emails, share links from Drive to conserve storage and bandwidth.

  5. Enable Confidential Mode in Gmail, where appropriate: this allows you to set an expiration date for your emails, which can help to reduce the amount of data stored on servers and minimise the risk of data breaches.

Google Drive

  1. Organise: create a clear folder structure for your files and documents to facilitate easy access and retrieval.

  2. Use Shared Drives instead of individual Drives: Shared Drives allow teams to store, search, and access their files in a centralised location, which can reduce the amount of data stored on servers and minimise the risk of data loss.

  3. Regularly review your Drive and delete duplicate or outdated files. Similar to email, regularly deleting unnecessary files can help to reduce the amount of data stored on servers and minimise the risk of data breaches.

  4. Use Google Drive's Comment feature to collaborate efficiently: instead of sending multiple emails back and forth: have a conversation with your colleagues directly in the document.

UCD IT Services

Computer Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.

Contact us via the UCD IT Support Hub: www.ucd.ie/ithelp