Why eLearning is environmentally friendly

The Coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally changed the lives of most every person on Earth, and one major facet of this has been the virtualisation of working and learning environments. While it may take some time for us to fully adjust to all-online operations, it comes with a plethora of pros – including a positive impact on our planet’s environment.

eLearning reduces carbon footprint 

It’s no secret that car exhaust pipes release carbon emissions, but exactly how much is a lesser known fact. In a study done by the UK’s Open University Design Innovation Group (DIG), it was found that online learning “consumes an average of 90% less energy and produces 85% fewer CO2 emissions per student than conventional face-to-face courses.” 

According to Natural Resources Canada, transportation makes up 23% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. If each of each student/employee in training spends 30 minutes and one litre of petrol on commuting every day, they release approximately 11.5kgs of greenhouse gasses per week. By shifting to online education, you skip the daily commute to learn from home, reducing your personal carbon footprint, save on petrol money and save the Earth from an additional 2.3kgs of emissions per day.

eLearning spares non-renewable resources

Another environmentally costly reality is that cars require oil, a non-renewable fossil fuel that is formed in the Earth over millions of years and is made up of decayed plants and animals. Oil can’t be readily replaced by natural means at a quick enough pace to keep up with the global consumption of it, so cutting down plays a large role in resource conservation.

eLearning ditches the paper trail 

According to the Rainforest Alliance, deforestation causes roughly 10% of global emissions. To make matters worse, the same trees we are felling are crucial allies for combatting the accumulation of greenhouse gasses because they capture carbon dioxide and convert it into oxygen.  By migrating online, old-school training booklets and written notes become a thing of the past. Digital copies of learning materials, including personalised learning platforms from New Leaf Technologies or educational apps such as MemoTrainerTM, replace the paper waste and reduce the demand for chopping down trees. 

Bonus benefits

In addition to all the good you’d be doing the environment by taking your corporate training online, there’s something in it for your company, too. eLearning can save you hordes of time if you hire professionals to get the job done, which is not nearly as costly as you might think. New Leaf Technologies has a free Training Cost Calculator that gives you an indication of how much you can save by taking your corporate training online. 

Shifting to eLearning is a wise move from a marketing perspective because consumers generally tend to choose an environmentally friendly option over an ecologically inconsiderate alternative. A reduced carbon footprint makes for a polished corporate image.

‘Going green’ is not just another trend, it’s a responsibility that comes with advantages, and it may be as simple as switching to eLearning. With or without a global pandemic, eLearning is an excellent educational option that comes with quite compelling positive impacts. Something that saves time, money, materials, and the planet from CO2 emissions is a win/win by our standards.

By Emma Nylah