i3 - July/August 2018 - 31

By Gary Shapiro

Policy

G R E E N P O L I CY

How Binge Watching your Favorite
Show May Help Save the Planet

his weekend, sit back,
relax and enjoy your
favorite show - it's
good for our planet, according
to recent research.
A study published in the science journal Joule found consumer technology
has had a major impact on our levels
of energy use over the past decade and
a half. In 2012, Americans spent 7.8
more days at home - instead of on
roadways driving their cars and burning gasoline - than they did in 2003,
thanks in part to telecommuting and
home entertainment. The result? A
nearly two percent drop of the total
energy demand nationwide.
It's a trend the consumer tech industry has driven for quite some time.
In 2007 and again in 2015, CTA commissioned studies on the impact of
telecommuting and e-commerce
on energy consumption and greenhouse
gases (GHG). Our research found
telecommuting in 2013 reduced
fuel consumption by 680 million gallons, or 0.5 percent of the total U.S.
gasoline consumption.
At CTA, we give employees the option
to work from home one day a week and
C TA . t e c h / i 3

encourage them to live close to work,
offering $25,000 to buy a home near our
office. And according to a Gallup survey,
43 percent of American employees spent
at least some time working remotely. Over
the course of 2017, Virtual Vocations, a
telecommuting jobs service, saw a 20 percent uptick in the job postings on its telecommuting friendly job board.

Home Devices Use Less Energy

increasingly have the ability to choose
between multiple job opportunities. By
offering employees the flexibility and
technology to work from home, companies can attract top talent while also
promoting sustainability.
And consumers can take advantage of
the growing number of entertainment
options available to them at home
whether it's playing video games with the
family, connecting with friends across the
globe via video chat or finding a new
show to binge watch on the weekends.

A CTA commissioned study found the
average LCD TV used 76 percent less
energy in 2015 than the average TV in
2003. And while the number of electronic devices in
While the number of electronic
U.S. homes went up by 20
devices in U.S. homes went
percent between 2010 and
2017, energy usage dropped
up by 20 percent between
25 percent. Moreover,
2010 and 2017, energy usage
industry led voluntary
dropped 25 percent.
agreements have shrunk the
energy consumption of
devices used to binge watch your favorI'm amazed at the sustainability
ite shows, such as set-top boxes and
achievements of the past two decades
internet equipment. Even the energy
and excited to see what the future will
used by the data centers that power
bring. Together - in work and in play -
these devices has flat-lined.
we can come together as a nation, leverConsumers and employers alike can
aging the flexibility and connectivity
maximize our current economic boom
that technology gives us to create a conto find ways to increase sustainability.
nected and more sustainable future.
In a strong job market, workers
JULY/AUGUST 2018

http://www.CTA.tech

i3 - July/August 2018

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