We are the Ecological Citizen(s) Network+. Our mission is to explore and catalyse Ecological Citizenship for positive climate action in a sustainable digital society.
What is the Ecological Citizen(s) Network+?
The Ecological Citizen(s) Network+ is a four-year research network based at the Royal College of Art in collaboration with Wrexham University and the Stockholm Environment Institute at University of York. Our mission is to catalyse, amplify and enable Ecological Citizenship in a sustainable digital society for positive climate action.
The urgency of the climate and ecological crises serve as a constant reminder about the importance of sharing and learning from others (human and nonhuman) and the wider natural world. Through our work, we want to explore (and develop) ways real people can turn ideas into real action, to foster ecological awareness and sustainable practices within their communities and environments.
This work is not something we can do alone, nor within the confines of traditional discipline-based or academic silos. This is why we are building the Ecological Citizen(s) Network+, which aims to bring together people with a diverse range of knowledge – from different disciplines, backgrounds and geographies – to explore how we might work collectively towards a preferable future for all.
The Ecological Citizen(s) transdisciplinary team sits across multiple disciplines, including design, arts practice, citizen science, environmental science, engineering, technology, education and social innovation. Within our funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) we, as a research team, are defining, exploring and enacting Ecological Citizenship for a sustainable digital society through the following activities:
- Through the research we conduct, the things we do.
- Through the network we grow, the collaborations we set-up, the connections we enable and the things we do or facilitate.
- Through the funding schemes we offer.
- Through the events and activities we host and share.
Why does the website look like this?
The internet consumes a lot of electricity
As so much of its infrastructure is hidden from us, it can be easy to overlook the considerable resources required to store, process, and transmit information. Everything from data centres to transmission networks, to the billions of connected devices that we hold in our hands – all are consuming electricity and, in turn, producing carbon emissions. According to the website carbon calculator, the internet uses more than 1021 TWh of energy per year which is more than the entire United Kingdom, producing carbon emissions estimated to be equal to, or greater than, the global aviation industry.
Our Ecological Citizen(s) website was designed with Max Ryan using low-carbon digital design approaches for minimal impact. It has a carbon rating of A+, making it ‘cleaner’ than 97% of all web pages globally (according to website carbon calculator).
We have tried to limit the amount of energy used for downloads all over the site through a few simple methods:
Compressed images
All our images are radically reduced in size by using an embedded pixelation process. This keeps file size and download to a minimum. To view them in full colour, simply click on the image. The file size of every image (in its minimal format and in full colour) can be viewed in hover state.
System fonts
We have only used system fonts throughout the site. These fonts already exist on devices and browsers and so, do not need to be downloaded.
Dark mode
Whilst LED technology has become more and more advanced, backlighting on screens still requires a considerable energy input. The brighter and lighter the screen or image, the more energy goes into illuminating what you are viewing. On this website you can choose to view the screen in either light mode (dark text on a light contrasting background) or to use less energy in dark mode (light text on a dark contrasting background) depending on your preference.
Greengeeks web hosting
The website is hosted by the green web host, GreenGeeks. They minimise the environmental impact of running data centres and network infrastructure by using renewable energy sources and putting 3x times the power they consume back into the grid in the form of renewable energy.
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