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Amplifying Impact: Going green at CILIPS26

The CILIPS Annual Conference: Amplifying Impact, Monday 1st and Tuesday 2nd June 2026 at the Dundee Apex Hotel. With a green filter and ivy frame to symbolise environmental action.

Renowned as ‘Disneyland for librarians’, the CILIPS Annual Conference is a highlight of our sector calendar, but how to ensure that the largest gathering of library and information professionals in Scotland is as sustainable as it is inspirational?

Alongside the return of our eco-cup competition, downloadable programme, all-vegetarian menu, carbon captured name badges, car share padlet and iconic library garden wildflower seeds, we want to ensure that delegates are equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to reduce their digital carbon footprints throughout the conference. With special thanks to the (save the bees) hive mind of the Green Libraries Network – email me at kirsten.macquarrie@cilips.org.uk to join us! – here are top tips for how your devices can play their part in our collective CILIPS26 environmental action:

Definitions

In the literal and literary business of words, we information professionals know better than most why definitions matter. So how might we define our digital carbon footprint?

As Carbon Literacy for Libraries learners know, the World Wildlife Fund Environmental Footprint Calculator, created with the Stockholm Environment Institute at the University of York, puts a figure on our ‘impression on the planet’: the greenhouse gases – mostly carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) for simplicity – that are generated by our actions and lifestyle.

Our digital carbon footprint therefore refers to the emissions generated by our activities in the virtual realm – but beware! The CO2e impact of our online usage is not necessarily limited to what we do once logged on… as Culture for Climate Scotland remind us in their Guide to your Digital Carbon Footprint:

While the term “digital footprint” is generally defined as the traces of data left behind from an individual’s or an organisation’s use of the internet… we focus on the sustainability aspects of the broader lifecycle of how we use digital technology in the cultural sector.

This means that the worthwhile green work, and the opportunity to take environmental action, begins before you even arrive at the conference.

Before

Tell your patrons – every time a person borrows a book rather than buying one, they save 0.7kg of CO2e, and the same principle applies to our tech. Opting for refurbished devices when possible can be a carbon (and cost) effective way to access the assets we need for our work, whilst reducing the demand for environmentally costly materials like plastic and mined raw materials, as well as the transport emissions generated by a brand new laptop or phone being shipped internationally. Indeed, manufacturing a new laptop emits an estimated 300 to 1,000kg CO2e, which can be cut by up to 70% when we buy refurbished instead.
Thinking about our tech’s lifecycle from the beginning also encourages us to plan for its end – why not take inspiration from our colleagues at Renfrewshire Libraries, where branches act as a drop-off recycling point for used devices that are then reset, refurbished and donated to people who need them in their local community?
As experienced delegates know only too well, packing light is the name of the game when it comes to conference prep, and your device feels similarly – so how about investing in an external hard drive for storing folders or files that aren’t in regular use? As the CCS Guide highlights, unlike cloud storage, an external hard drive doesn’t require any energy when not being accessed. And speaking of storage…

During

Switch off! Or switch up your settings… whether you’re relying on your digital device for notetaking or sharing live highlights via social media, there are several settings to assist in minimising energy consumption even whilst in use. Keywords to look out for include Low Power and/or Energy Saving Modes. Don’t forget your good old fashioned dimmer button or slider too, which brings the added bonus of reducing distracting screen glow for delegates around you!
Take note of how many notifications you receive throughout the day and consider switching these to essential alerts only during the conference day e.g. ‘yes’ to urgent telephone calls; ‘not now’ to fast food discounts (which could also co-benefit your carbon footprint: did you know that European households spending €50 a week on takeaways have a carbon footprint up to 450% higher than those who don’t?) Pay particular attention to background-running apps, especially those using GPS to share your location when not immediately necessary. If you’re deleting an app because you no longer need or use it, remember to also delete your account, eliminating the carbon cost (and any UK GDPR risks) of your personal data still being stored. And thinking of co-benefits, why not tick off a few tabs too? If you have a hundred open (we’ve all been there), your battery life will be about one hour shorter…
Remember that complimentary Wifi is available to all delegates throughout the hotel, both in our conference spaces and in your rooms. Just as streaming live consumes more energy than watching pre-downloaded content, both your battery life and your digital carbon footprint will thank you for choosing wifi over 4G or 5G where appropriate.

After

As noted above, cloud storage can be an increasingly chunky part of our collective carbon footprints within the digital sphere, so think strategically about how you store your conference notes: remembering that our brilliant bursary recipients will soon be sharing their reflections on the CILIPS blog. If you attended CILIPS26 with colleagues, could you combine your notes to minimise duplication, or perhaps even arrange an in-person follow-up to share knowledge and cascade your learning across your organisation?
Inspiration abounds at the CILIPS Annual Conference and we’ve no doubt you’ll leave us eager to learn more about many of our speakers and exhibitors. Operating a one in, one out policy for newsletter subscriptions therefore offers a great way to ensure you’re receiving the information you want – and nothing more! Take the extra second to click ‘unsubscribe’ rather than just ‘delete’ when an unwanted mailing lands in your inbox and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the long-term digital, time and attention savings.
Searching for more information on a key conference theme? In their ‘Digital & Technology’ top tips, Green Libraries Campaign partners Julie’s Bicycle highlight search engines like Ecosia, which pledges to devote 100% of profits (generated by some search users clicking on ads related to their query) to environmental action and has planted almost 250,000,000 trees on behalf of users. Ocean Hero has similarly harnessed ad revenue to facilitate the recovery of over 135,000,000 ocean-bound plastic bottles.

What further top tips can you think of to inspire fellow Dundee delegates in tackling their digital footprints – and just as importantly, to utilise the unique power of library-led environmental action to increase our carbon handprints? Share your suggestions via email or the Green Libraries Network and we’ll look forward to welcoming you to CILIPS26!