[Foundation-l] WMF-projects: Carbon neutral/low/aware website?

[Walter Vermeir]

Hi all,

I noticed a logo for "Carbon Neutral website" on a wiki;
http://www.wikihow.com/wikiHow:Carbon-Neutral

The concept is to be aware of the carbon production related to the
operation of a website/organization and to try to keep the production
as low as possible by using energy efficient computers and
environmental awareness by people working for the organisation.

And further compensate the produced greenhouse gasses by investing in
projects to reduce emissions.

Why doing this:
There is a climate problem on earth caused by the human activity's
like the release of greenhouse gasses.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming

If there are people who find this is not correct go to
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Scientific_opinion_on_climate_change
and voice your beliefs there.

Because a picture says more then thousend words maybe this short
picture can made clear what this is about;
http://sol3.info/2007/05/no-need-for-words.html

Back to carbon neutral website;

The impact of doing things like this can not be anything else for the
environment then symbolic. But I do not think that is an valid excuse
for not (trying) to do it. Symbolic actions have also there value.

If some small website does something like this then that is nice but
that is all (*). But if a Top 10 Internet website does it then that is an
important symbolic signal. And if it would come form a American
organization it would be matter even more. Like it or not America has the
image in large parts of the world as the largest polluter in world who
does not want do anything serious about it.

I would like to raise this topic to the global Wikimedia community and
if there is support for (maybe a vote?) the Wikimedia Foundation to
take this topic in to account.

And explore if, how and when it could be possible to reduce the
environmental footprint of the Wikimedia Foundation projects and maybe
get to the point to be
become a carbon neutral website.

The vision statement of the WMF is;
"Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in
the sum of all knowledge. That's our commitment."

In a future with increased global temperature of more then 2 degrees
Celsius the change of that vision getting reality is strongly reduced.

I think it would fit the mission of the WMF to try to at least try to
become a carbon neutral website/organisation.

And it would also not hurt from a public relations point of view.

Some people could be concerned about the NPOV attitude of Wikipedia.
This is not about advertisements, this is about the future. To stay
hard core neutral by doing nothing is saying NOP (Not Our Problem).
That is also a POV, a irresponsible one.

Thoughts?

Greetings,
Walter

(*) A cleaner environment starts with yourself. Being small is no
excuse for not doing anything yourself. I operate the websites
wikizine.org and sol3.info . These are Carbon neutral websites because
of investments in green power installations by myself.

-- 
Contact: walter AT wikizine DOT org
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