The best place to nurture a culture of digital sustainability is in the education sector. Across the world, we still mostly teach an archaic curriculum. Making digital sustainability mainstream will hinge on a population who grow up with this as the accepted norm.
Much adopted change happens within or through generations that grow in the period of the implemented or introduced change. If we teach children better sustainability practices, we can promote environmental compassion through eliminating paper usage in schools, for example, when writing exams or handing in assignments that can be much less polluting or consuming than traditional paper forms. For such an achievement, three spaces must merge: government (regulator), school (educator), and industry (producer). The issue is not always that schools lack genuine interest to update their curriculum to prepare students for necessary shifts. Rather, governments do not provide adequate funds to education or upgrade education infrastructure. Additionally, technology producers are not keen to introduce sustainable solutions unless financially incentivized.
As tech advances and environmental concerns force mindful sustainable choices, demand creates a necessary shift, especially with rapidly progressing AI tools forcing updated education. Advocacy to a sustainable digital culture is most effectively begun in schools.
