Staring at the Blank Page | Sustainable Content #27


Distractions from the news

How's everyone doing this week?

* checks email *

* checks Slack *

* checks the news *

Right. So, uh... this just doesn't feel like the time to do much aside from curling up under a blanket and hiding from the world. And that's ok. We'll get back at it next week.

But until then, I'll share a quick story.

Today, I donated blood at a Red Cross drive hosted at a local high school. In the past — and I mean several lifetimes ago when I worked at Juniper Networks — I donated blood through the Stanford Bloodmobile that showed up on campus every few months. Because that is apparently what it takes for me to donate: maximum convenience.

Today's experience wasn't a tiny little facility in a bus. This was a high school gym converted into a donation center that could accommodate 50 or more donations over the course of the morning.

Of course I got talking with people about locations and processes, because I'm a nerd.

"Oh, we always get good turnout at high schools. Basically teens will do anything to be excused from class while also getting a free t-shirt and some cookies."

It was not lost on me that I was eating Oreos at 9:00 AM as she said that. And also clutching a t-shirt in my hand. And that I had opted out of a meeting to be there.

Maybe it's more than just teens.

"I want to curl up in bed, pull the covers over my head, and just ignore everything. The deep dive into the research for this book was overwhelming, but as terrible as everything seems, I still have hope. And I know I’m not alone."

 

Alisa Bonsignore
Sustainable Content: How to Measure and Mitigate the Carbon Footprint of Digital Data
Now available

What I've been reading

Institutional investors expect sustainable investing to grow. I wonder if that still holds true after this week's economic chaos.

In spite of the odds, the kids are all right. Youth climate lawsuits have gotten more traction than we would have expected.

If you've read my work about sustainable content — and why would you be here if you hadn't? — you'd know that digital video has a significant Scope 3 carbon footprint. So I found it interesting that rather than working on minimizing their carbon footprint, TikTok is looking at carbon offsets and carbon removal technology. Which is better than nothing, but also is only offsetting their Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions.

It's the worst allergy season ever. Again. Sorry.

Shameless and unsolicited cross-promotion of good stuff!

In May, I'll be speaking at the GreenIO conference in New York City. While that should qualify as shameless self-promotion, I wanted to give a shout out to all of the other speakers who are operating in this small but growing space.

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Sustainable Content

Buy the book

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Speaking Engagements

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Consulting

Reduce your Scope 3 emissions

People are saying good things about Sustainable Content

"There's been a huge gap for expertise about sustainability and content for a long time. Which is why I'm so excited about Alisa Bonsignore's new book Sustainable Content: How to Measure and Mitigate the Carbon Footprint of Digital Data. We need this book so much right now."

Alisa Bonsignore

Founder, Strategist, and Author

Clarifying Complex Ideas, LLC

Talking about sustainable content: how to measure and mitigate the carbon footprint of digital data.

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