Think Green Live Clean

Photo Credit: Artnow314

With iTunes releasing the Beatles in their online store earlier this week, I was struck by an interesting question. In terms of the carbon emissions, how does buying a hardcopy CD compare with purchasing that same album on iTunes? Luckily, a study funded by Microsoft and Intel, with researchers from Carnegie Mellon and Stanford, had already sought to answer this.

Taking into account a “best-case” scenario for buying a CD, the research demonstrated that an online copy reduces carbon by 40-80 percent. Of course, both the transportation and packaging costs account for a significant portion of this difference. This is staggering, considering the emissions that those two hundred CD’s, which now sit collecting dust in my basement, could have avoided.

While large file transfers can significantly reduce these figures, when evaluating increased Internet energy use in the calculations, there is no disputing that the ease of access, coupled with a “sustainable” approach, will only proliferate the online music industry even further.  

Personally, I like having that tangible piece of artwork, a unique aspect to records and CD’s. Until iTunes can find an effective way to electronically deliver the same quality product, I’ll continue supporting my local record shops.

But the Beatles anthology in twenty minutes is quite enticing.

For the original article by Kate Galbraith, click here.