8. April 2022
Franziska Krenz / Julia Kriegel
Since her start in the VAST Projectmanagement team at the beginning of 2020, Vanessa has become one of the drivers behind VAST GREEN. She gathered facts and introduced the whole team to the topic via our monthly Lunch & Learn.
For our first Lunch & Learn on the topic of sustainability in June 2020, Vanessa conducted an internal survey, focusing on the individual importance of each team member, as well as offering a personal sustainability check of everyone’s personal lifestyle. How do we define “sustainability” in the first place and which areas are particularly important to us?
“With VAST GREEN, the opportunity has arisen to address personal concerns also on a professional basis.” VANESSA
The results of the internal survey were hardly surprising, as a sustainable lifestyle is important to the whole VAST FORWARD team. We strive to act mindfully in many areas of our personal lives and also want to reflect our personal interests through the company.
With the help of Alyssa Jade McDonald-Baertl, Vanessa created a list containing “sustainability tips” for our everyday working life in our home office.
Tips for sustainable day to day work from Alyssa Jade McDonald Baertl for VAST FORWARD
Nutzung nachhaltiger Suchmaschinen (Ecosia.org, Gexsi.com), denn eine reguläre Google-Anfrage verursacht den gleichen Stromverbrauch, wie eine 4 Watt Energiesparlampe innerhalb von einer Stunde.
Netzteile verbrauchen auch im Leerbetrieb Strom (max. 0,0003 kW/Stunde). Das mag wenig klingen, summiert sich aber. Außerdem verlängerst Du die Lebenszeit der Netzteile und reduziert somit Elektroschrottaufkommen. Also nach Gebrauch Netzteile abstecken!
Nutze die voreingestellten Energiesparmodi Deiner Geräte.
Der dauerhafte Netzbetrieb belastet den Akku und treibt den Verschleiß erheblich voran. Gerade Akkus enthalten wertvolle Rohstoffe, die oft unter menschenunwürdigen und umweltschädlichen Bedingungen abgebaut werden.
Mit einem Video Call verbrauchst Du ca. 4 Mal so viele Daten, wie mit einem Audio Call, also kannst Du durch das ausschalten deiner Kamera sparst Du eine Menge Datentransfer – und somit Strom.
Based on the facts and background knowledge, Vanessa gave us an introduction to the topic of economic, ecological and social sustainability. Thereby she also introduced the team to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which has been providing scientific facts on the man-made increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and the associated climate change since the early 1990s. Since the beginning of the millennium, the Council has been warning about the effects of global warming and calling for urgent action to curb it.
Based on the reports of the IPCC, the United Nations established the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a universal call to action.
With the help of a small excursion into sociology, Vanessa provided food for thought: Does a sustainable lifestyle mean absolute renunciation? Is absolute renunciation even necessary and how meaningful is it? Are we ready to give up habits and leave our own comfort zones?
In which areas might it be easier for us to live our lives and do without certain things? Would it not be enough to rethink individual habits and adapt them if necessary?
These are questions that are debated in (German) politics and the whole society – and they’re important questions for organizations and companies on their way into a green(er) future.
Consequently, this also opens up the question of society as a whole and to what extent a sustainable lifestyle depends on the individual’s financial and social situation. Some of these questions we must answer not only for ourselves, but for a better future for our planet and all the people who live on it – first and foremost for the generations that will follow.
"The balance on our planet must be restored by conserving resources and using them responsibly."
The two Lunch & Learn concluded with the question of what we would like to see in the future on the topic of sustainability within VAST FORWARD.
With her presentations and thought-provoking ideas, Vanessa provided the bridge to our own commitment to sustainability and our VAST GREEN initiative, which will focus on concrete opportunities for a sustainable digital world in the coming months.
