Here's the asterisk for Mark Zuckerberg's post about Facebook's carbon footprint and lattes
In honor of Earth Day, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted on his timeline that your Facebook use for an entire year has a smaller carbon footprint than making a latte:
Well, that phrasing isn't entirely fair.
Here's the much more accurate way that Facebook talks about the same stat when it's showing off its data-center technology:
But technically one person's yearly Facebook use has a higher footprint because it also includes the emissions from whatever electricity-draining device they're using to scroll through their stream of vacation pictures, humblebrags, and news links.
The world could generate 13 megatons of greenhouse gases from smartphone charging by 2019, Juniper Research predicted. Energy-wise, that is a lot of lattes.
Facebook's custom data center in Prineville, Oregon, uses 38% less energy than its other facilities while costing 24% less.
And using Facebook's services does, for example, use less energy than printing out those photos or reading those news articles in print.
To learn more about Facebook's carbon footprint, you can read about how it breaks down here.
But, before you pat yourself on the back about how little you're hurting the planet because of your Facebook addiction, it's worth also thinking about ways you can make a really big difference by changing your driving habits - or perhaps even using your phone less.
- A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.
- A centenarian who starts her day with gentle exercise and loves walks shares 5 longevity tips, including staying single
- 2 states where home prices are falling because there are too many houses and not enough buyers
- "To sit and talk in the box...!" Kohli's message to critics as RCB wrecks GT in IPL Match 45
- 7 Nutritious and flavourful tiffin ideas to pack for school
- India's e-commerce market set to skyrocket as the country's digital economy surges to USD 1 Trillion by 2030
- Top 5 places to visit near Rishikesh
- Indian economy remains in bright spot: Ministry of Finance