Podcast “2040 j’y vais!” #18 – The responsible digital path

Digital technology is everywhere in our lives. And every click leaves an ecological footprint. So how can we better reconcile our computers, smartphones and data centers with the planet's limits? Boris Siegenthaler, founder of Infomaniak, and Stéphane Lecorney, associate professor at HEIG-VD, take us on a (more) responsible digital journey.


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Our use of digital goods has come a long way in recent years. In 1970, film-makers were inventing futuristic scenarios in which it was possible to see each other on the phone: it seemed incredible! But today, for any child, it seems an aberration to imagine a world without smartphones. Only fifty years have passed between these two mental universes….

Today, our use of digital technology is exponential. Every minute in the world:
– 188 million e-mails are sent
– there are 1 million connections on social networks
– there are 41 million chats
– finally, there are 30 billion connected objects on the planet, with an increase of 20% per year…

These growing uses of digital technology have a huge ecological impact, whether in terms of hardware manufacture, energy consumption or (lack of) recycling…

So…..How can we reduce our digital footprint? That’s what I invite you to discover in this new episode of the “2040 j’y vais!” podcast.

To find answers to this challenge, I went to meet two inspiring people from French-speaking Switzerland:

  • Boris Siegenthaler, founder and strategic director of Infomaniak, Switzerland’s ethical cloud. In Plan-les-Ouates, Infomaniak has created the first underground data center that recovers its heat to supply energy to 6,000 homes.
  • Stéphane Lecorney, associate professor at the Institute of Media Engineering at HEIG-VD, who is creating a board game based on responsible digital use.

So yes, (more) responsible digital is possible. And we’re showing you the way… to 2040.

Interview: Chantal Peyer
Production: Bastien Moeckli

Photos of the Infomaniak data center

To find out more
Infomaniak
Test your digital footprint
Institut du numérique responsable
Guide to responsible digital practices for organizations
MOOC Digital Responsibility
IT4future
Digital clean up day
– International network for the respect of human rights in the electronics industry: Goodelectronics

Support
The “2040, j’y vais!” podcast is made possible by the support of the Giovannini Foundation, the canton of Vaud, the canton of Geneva, HEKS Transform’Action Lab, One Planet Lab and Services Industriels de Genève. We would also like to thank our distribution partners: Impact Hub Lausanne-Geneva, the Swiss Business Federation and sanu.

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