Highlights
- Introduction to digital sustainability
- An Overview of IT industry emissions
- Explore Digital Sustainability Primer
- Learn Software measurement
- Examine energy modelling & how to apply ISO 21031 (SCI).
- Introduction to front-end tools used for estimating the emissions
- Introduction to back-end measurement tools
- Learn how to reduce the emissions of web based user interfaces and communication with the back-end.
- A practical example of why measurement is required
- Explore examples, exercises and debrief
Course Details
Introduction to digital sustainability
This section introduces the trainer(s) and examines why digital sustainability is important.
We present the latest figures on the impact of the IT industry.
We discuss why this isn’t just a hardware efficiency problem and explore the risks, costs and benefits of digital sustainability to an organisation.
Content for this session
- Meet the trainer
- An Overview of IT industry emissions
- Why focus on software)
- Risks and opportunities
Digital Sustainability Primer
This section introduces concepts and terminology from the field of digital sustainability and how they relate to software development.
We explore operational & embodied emissions, carbon intensity, the importance of time and location, GHG scopes and how to recognise and avoid green washing.
Content for this session:
- Operational & embodied emissione
- Carbon intensitk
- Scopes 1, 2 & 3
- Green-washing
Examples & Exercises
- Resource Trade-off
An example designed to show how operational & embodied emissions relate to software optimisation.
- Digital Sustainability Bingo
An interactive game to re-enforce what has been learned in this session
Software Measurement
In this section we look at how to measure the energy and emissions of software at a project management level.
We show how to develop a measurement plan, and common roadblocks.
We examine energy modelling and how to apply ISO 21031 (SCI) to applications.
Content for this session
- Measurement planning
- Top-down vs Bottom-up modelling
- Applying Software Carbon Intensity
Examples & Exercises
Don’t guess, measure!
A practical example of why measurement is required
Setting Boundaries
Example of mapping software for measurement and gathering the right data
Energy Modelling
Exercise to use top-down and bottom up modelling
Back-end optimisation Workshop
We introduce back-end measurement tools and look at how they integrate into the development lifecycle.
This section is an extended tutorial of the available tooling and examples of common optimisation techniques.
Content for this workshop
- Cardamon Core
- Kepler
- Integration into dev lifecycle
Examples & Exercises
- Measure an example system
- Exercise to practice using Cardamon and/ or Kepler
Front-end optimisation Workshop
We introduce front-end tools used for estimating the power and/or emissions of a web page.
This section is a tutorial of some of the available tools, frameworks and techniques used to reduce the emissions of web based user interfaces and communication with the back-end.
Content for this Workshop
- SWD and carbon.js tutorial
- Cardamon Web tutorial
- Island architecture (Astro js)
- Reducing network traffic (Graphql, tRPC)
- Asset optimisatio?
- UI / UX principles
Examples & Exercises
- Measure an example page
- Exercise to practice using Cardamon and/ or Kepler
Debrief
We recap what we have learned during the day and open the floor up to questions from the delegates. This is an opportunity to ask any questions, even on topics we did not cover during the training
Who should attend
This course is designed for software developers at any stage of their career and is relevant to both front-end and back-end development.
The morning session introduces key concepts in digital sustainability and demonstrates how they apply to software development making it suitable for nontechnical team members (project managers, product owners, and UI/UX designers, etc) who want to better understand and support sustainable practices within development teams
Feedback
4.8 out of 5
“Learning about the different environmental impacts of cloud services and how to assess digital carbon footprints was really useful — especially the practical tools for estimating emissions. The section on sustainable design principles was very good, and it was great to see clear examples of how to apply them in real-world digital projects.”
ZH, Software Developer, July 2025
