Participate in Environmental Software Development

Participate in Environmental Software Development

As a member of the Eco KDE team, you will participate in designing software that has minimal environmental impact.

How software impacts our Environment

Software depends on hardware, which consumes natural resources. Running software uses energy, often from fossil fuels.

Examples of Unsustainable Practices:

• Bitcoin: Extremely high computing and energy usage.
• Software-Induced Obsolescence: New software renders older hardware unusable, creating e-waste.
• Sustainability through Efficient Design:
  • Resource-conscious coding reduces hardware and energy needs.
  • Sustainable software often overlaps with performance optimization and high-quality architecture.

Join KDE Eco team

Objectives of the KDE Environmental Software Development Group
We aim to: Minimize Resource Consumption Promote sustainable software in KDE by aligning existing activities highlighting where our software is already sustainably designed stimulating actions to increase sustainability creating standards/tools to quantify software sustainability Back to top

Activities of the KDE Environmental Software Development Group

The KDE Eco umbrella project’s ongoing activities: We measure energy efficiency of software in the FOSS Energy Efficiency Project (FEEP) and the KEcoLab project. We help others to also meet criteria for sustainable software with the Blauer Engel For FOSS (BE4FOSS) project and the publication of the handbook "Applying The Blue Angel Criteria To Free Software". We have a funded project "Opt Green" which is focused on reducing e-waste by extending the lifespan of hardware with lightweight Free Software. To add ideas or see how some of the work is progressing have a look at the [https://invent.kde.org/teams/eco/sustainable-software-goal/-/boards GitLab board]. Back to top

How to start contributing to the Eco team

Steps: Create an account at identity.kde.org Login to KDE GitLab with your identity account details Navigate to the KDE Eco teams Find and solve issues for the KDE Eco team Join KDE Eco team Join us in our quest to Sustainable Software Development The topic of sustainable software is relevant for all KDE applications and developers. We would be more than happy if you join us to contribute to this goal. There are a lot of small things we all can do to make progress. Back to top

Accomplishments of the KDE Environmental Software Development Group

We received the Blue Angel eco certification for Okular.

Summary: Software consumers natural resources. The KDE Eco team makes software that requires minimal resource consumption. As a member of the KDE Eco team, you

• measure energy efficiency of software.
• help others meet the criteria for sustainable software.
• reduce e-waste by extending the lifespan of hardware with lightweight free software.

To start contributing, you need a KDE Identity account. Work happens on KDE GitLab,You can get in touch with the KDE Eco team via

• IRC
• Forum
• Email
• GitLab
• Phabricator
• The KDE Bugtracker Website

Contact the KDE Environmental Software Development Group
Get in touch with us through: IRC:KDE Eco chat on Matrix. Email: [email protected] mailing list Also feel free to contact the goal champion Cornelius Schumacher <[email protected]>, if you would like to get started without posting to the public channels right away. Learn more about KDE’s Environmental Software Development activities

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