Branch #8 + Pause

Branch is a magazine about sustainable and just internet for all. It is edited and funded by the Green Web Foundation on behalf of the volunteer-run Climate Action.tech community. One of the many cool things about Branch is that it exists in three different versions, according to the carbon intensity of the energy grid at any given moment (so the heavier assets, like high resolution pictures, can be delivered by renewable energy). The fantastic issue #8 has just launched, edited by Hannah Smith and Marketa Benisek.

The Sussex Digital Humanities Lab has a little contribution in #8, in the form of an article by Jo Lindsay Walton, as well as an article by GreenPixie’s Rory Brown, whom we’re collaborating with on Digital Sustainability 2024. And there’s plenty more …

Editors’ letter
Hannah Smith and Marketa Benisek

10 people share what finding beauty in the imperfect means to them

Issue 8 community-assembled playlist
Hannah Smith and Lima Dastgeer

Meaningful connection

Talking it out: Restoring information ecosystems through authentic human connections
Bárbara Paes and Olivia Johnson

One Movement, Four Wings: Connecting climate strategies
Melissa Hsiung

Connectivity, infrastructure and the defence of the Amazon’s socio-biodiverse ecosystems
Hemanuel Veras

What can digital sustainability learn from accessibility?
Mike Masey

Solarpunk and speculative features

Pause
Jo Lindsay Walton

Care for life, care for the chips: the future is re-used, recycled and permacomputing
Alistair Alexander

Toward a Pragmatic Future: Accepting Imperfect Systems whilst Striving for Regeneration
Oliver Cronk

Solarpunk Meets Better Business: Reimagining a Sustainable Digital Future
Simon Blackler

Ministry of Imagination Manifesto
Rob Hopkins

Octavia’s Future is Here, Now What
Mica Le John

Design philosophy

Designing Friction
Marketa Benisek, Luna Maurer, Roel Wouters

The Wabi Sabi Web
Tom Greenwood

Echoes of electronic waste
Joanna Murzyn

Imperfect design for a better future
Thorsten Jonas

Alternative networks: Consciously designing from within earthly dynamics
Jesse Thompson

Perfection is the enemy of progress

The perfect site doesn’t exist
Michelle Barker

Rabbit holes of perfection
Mary Pitt

From bytes to carbon savings: Immediate’s sustainable transformation of Good Food
Tommy Ferry, Marketa Benisek, Michelle Whitehead, Linzi Ricketts, Filippa Furniss, Graham Martin

Small steps, big goals: Building sustainable change
Kim Lea Rothe

The perfect data paradox
Rory Brown

Green Digital Skills Opportunity

How does digital technology impact the environment? How do we align our growing use of AI and the cloud with the needs of people and planet? SHL Digital is pleased to be offering these free digital sustainability workshops, for selected participants, as part of our project Designing Sustainable Digital Futures, which comes under the Digital Sustainability 2024 umbrella.

The Future of Digital Sustainability. This half-day workshop at The Werks (Middle Street) in Brighton, on May 30th, will explore how organisations can accelerate their green IT journey. We’ll be focusing on arts, culture, and heritage organisations. What are the easy changes you can make right away? What are the bigger shifts that will require sectoral collaboration or policy shifts? How can you engage your audiences and other stakeholders? Whether you use digital technology a lot or just a little, there should be something here for you. Apply for your place here.

Build a Carbon Neutral Website. This two-day in-person workshop (19th June and 26th June at the University of Sussex) will teach you how to use Jekyll, Github Pages, and the Digital Climate Action Site Builder to create your own carbon neutral website. Applicants should have a real web design project that they want to bring to life. Brought to you by Fast Familiar, SHL Digital, and the Digital Humanities Climate Coalition. Apply for your place here.

Designing the Future of Digital Sustainability. This half-day workshop in South Kensington in London, on June 6th, will use of design, serious play, and collaborative storytelling, to explore the future of digital technologies in relation to climate change, climate action, and climate justice. Apply for your place here.

Please note that places are quite limited. Applicants will be informed at least two weeks before the workshop date if their applications are successful. We do hope also to add one remote workshop, so watch this space!