On Earth Day, a group of passionate futurists and educators from around the world gathered virtually for the first edition of Umar's "Sharing is Caring" workshop in collaboration with Teach the Future Hubs. The timely topic? Exploring the often overlooked environmental impacts of our digital devices and connectivity.
As Umar kicked off the interactive session by wishing attendees a warm "good morning, good afternoon, good evening" from their respective time zones, he highlighted how videoconferencing symbolizes both the amazing global interconnectivity but also the hidden sustainability costs of our digital lives. This thought-provoking dichotomy set the tone for a lively discussion filled with surprising statistics, personal anecdotes, and insights on how to have more conscious technology usage.
The Invisible Digital Mountain
To begin grounding the group in the scale of the issue, Umar asked everyone to estimate how many digital devices they own personally. The responses varied widely - from minimalists with just one smartphone to self-admitted device junkies surrounded by multiple laptops, tablets, wireless headphones and smart home accessories.
Umar then shared a startling fact - current estimates put the total number of digital devices worldwide at a staggering 34 billion as of 2023. And this ungodly figure doesn't even account for the other half of the world's population still lacking internet access. To illustrate the enormity further, he displayed the Internet's sprawling undersea cable network spanning thousands of miles. Every digital interaction, including our workshop, flows through this vast infrastructure.
But the real environmental impacts lie in the manufacturing processes before our devices even reach our hands. Through interactive polling, Umar revealed that a single smartphone contains around 50 different minerals and metals that require extractive mining under often unethical conditions across the globe. Laptops are even more resource-intensive, consuming the equivalent of hundreds of kilograms of processed minerals.
Participants discussed the difficulties of having ethical dialogues with youth who have been born into a world of ubiquitous digital technology. Bernadette from Hungary shared her observation of kids at a summer camp who struggled to socialize face-to-face, preferring to chat with their home country friends on their phones. Kazimir from Romania noted how gamers develop entire virtual social circles and even professions around games like Counter-Strike that parents initially didn't understand.
The Insatiable Upgrade Cycle
Moving to the consumption side, Umar polled the group on why they last purchased a new smartphone. Peer pressure and lifestyle rat-races were cited as key drivers, especially among younger demographics who treat the latest devices as status symbols. This feeds into the planned obsolescence that has shrunk modern device lifespans to just 2-3 years for many users, in stark contrast to the 8-10 year computer refresh cycles of the 1990s.
The constant drain of new device manufacturing has translated to immense energy demands. A sobering 80% of the electricity powering our digital lifestyles still originates from fossil fuels, contributing around 4% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions - similar to the aviation industry.
"There are no easy solutions," Umar acknowledged, "We're so entangled and addicted to this technology that leaving it behind feels impossibly difficult for most." Polling revealed many attendees were spending 6-7 hours daily glued to their devices, with some upwards of 14-19 hours. Physical and mental health impacts from overuse were noted as additional sustainability concerns.
Light at the End of the Fiber Optic Cable
While the depth of the digital footprint can feel overwhelming, the engaged group did actively shared tips and philosophies for making meaningful positive changes:
- Setting deliberate device-free periods to read physical books, spend time outdoors, and allow creative thinking to flow. As Viva noted from experience, "I use phones/laptops very rarely for entertainment - I prefer reading or gardening instead."
- Utilizing productivity apps and parental controls to monitor and limit device addictions, especially for younger users. Getting youths to voluntarily "unplug" for a set period can have profound benefits as well.
- Pushing corporations and governments for greater transparency around material sourcing, mining ethics, and life cycle impacts. Public awareness campaigns have driven reform for conflict minerals and fossil fuels before.
- Exploring new digitally sustainable technologies like refurbished devices, renewable chargers, improved recycling programs and incentives to keep products in use longer.
- Approaching the issue with open inter-generational dialogues and model learning behaviors, as Kazimir did by immersing himself in video games to connect with his son.
The Teach the Future Ripple Effect
More than anything, the workshop highlighted how Teach the Future serves as a pivotal platform for raising awareness and changing mindsets around futures thinking - including overlooked areas like environmental sustainability.
As Umar opened the session, "For some time, I've been trying to start this humble initiative called 'Sharing is Caring'...if I have something to share, why don't I share it with my fellow people who are trying to influence youth through Teach the Future?" By fostering open exchanges between diverse futurists and educators across its global hub network, Teach the Future enables powerful mutually-informing dialogues.
Pamela synthesized one key takeaway neatly: "There was a study that our brain actually works better when we put [devices] aside during showers, outdoors, talking - that's when our creativity flows...Setting that device-free time is huge for thinking and reflection."
With a renewed perspective on our digital dependencies, each attendee left the workshop carrying a new "share" to spread through their own communities. Some felt inspired to facilitate Umar's digital collage game exploring cause-and-effect scenarios. Others were excited about Teach the Future's broader "Sharing is Caring" initiative through which experts can cross-pollinate skills and knowledge.
But most importantly, every participant saw new ways to thoughtfully re-evaluate their personal tech habits while gaining tools for sparking mindful technology dialogues with younger generations. As Lisa summarized, "There are many schools trying different techniques with phones allowed/not allowed policies... And now with AI amongst us all, it will be an ongoing journey to navigate this critical situation we find ourselves together."
The sustainable futures we hope to inhabit require developing holistic eco-literacies - including deeper consciousness around the environmental impacts of humanity's latest disruptive innovations like the digital age. With over a decade of trailblazing work empowering futures-minded youth, Teach the Future along with the Young Voices Network is strategically positioned to keep expanding this vital conversation, including our youth in these conversations.
#Futures #Futuresthinking #teachthefuture #sharingiscaring #earthday #teachthefutureHubs #TTFPakistanHub #teachfutures
This blog post was a collaborative effort by Lisa Giuliani from Teach the Future Global and Umar Sheraz, the co-author and facilitator of the event from Teach the Future Pakistan Hub.