Mechelen (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Digital Cleanup Day, in its 5th year, involves 175 countries. In Mechelen, Sabe De Graef urges decluttering emails, apps, and files to improve efficiency, cut IT costs, and reduce environmental impact.
Digital Cleanup Day is happening for the 5th year in a row, and 175 countries are taking part. In Mechelen, a city leader named Sabe De Graef wants people to clean up their computers and phones.
She mentioned that every file we keep on a server, even in the cloud, uses energy to be stored and used. The more stuff we have on our computers, the harder it is for data centres to work, and they use a lot of electricity which causes pollution. Digital waste might not be something we can see, but it affects how well we do things and how good we are to the environment.
How is Mechelen tackling digital clutter in its 5th cleanup year?
Last week De Graef gave some tips to help. She says to clear out your emails often, stop getting emails you don’t need, delete apps you don’t use, and organise or get rid of files you don’t need anymore. It’s also good to keep important documents safe and get rid of extra copies or old files.
She mentioned that doing these things makes work easier and uses less space on your computer. By making small changes to how we use our computers, people in Mechelen can make their work faster and help the environment. She said that Digital Cleanup Day reminds us that cleaning up computers isn’t just about being organised, it’s also about helping the planet.
“Overflowing mailboxes, unused apps and outdated files that are no longer used may seem harmless, but they cause lost time, higher IT costs and an unnecessary burden on the environment,”
Sabe De Graef
According to De Graef, All the extra stuff makes your computer slow, hard to find what you need, and you don’t get as much done. By getting rid of things you don’t need, you can make your computer faster and easier to use.
De Greaf said that keeping all your digital stuff uses a lot of energy and affects the environment. Every email, file, and app uses energy from big computers called servers. These servers run all the time and use lots of electricity to keep cool and process data. She mentioned that the more data we keep, the more energy we use and the more pollution we make. By deleting old emails, files, and apps we don’t need, we can help the environment.
