Online Education & Its Environmental Benefits - A Distinguished Angle

Source - bit.ly/1EUtmkj

As the use of computers and electronic devices increase in telecommunication (for the purposes of education and office work), the issue of ergonomics is coming in the forefront more and more. Ergonomics is the study of machine (computer) – user interface, to make a user-friendly environment, that will increase productivity in office work and performance in education.

Online education, bringing the discussion of ergonomics in the use of computers and internet in educating people, can give one the preferential opportunity to read and learn on his or her own pace. It is convenient and gives a personalized experience. It is the same for education and professional life.

However, have you ever thought of the environmental benefits that online education provides with? Replacing the traditional classroom education, it makes the building and maintenance of physical infrastructure for education irrelevant. Today the online environment eliminates the toxic waste produced in the manufacturing of the mentioned physical infrastructure and reduces environmental pollution. Conserves natural resources as well, from unnecessary and avoidable use.

The following are the prominent environmental benefits of online education :

Preservation of natural resources

Building a building, which is an essential part of the physical infrastructure, requires a lot of energy for the generation and reservation of power and heat. Carbon dioxide generated by energy consumption for each of the classroom students is more than 22 times higher than that of an online student. The Design Innovation Group (DIG) of Open Universities in U.K. found that online education reduces the comsumption of energy upto 90 percent, compared to traditional education. The following are the list of a couple of more elements of or by nature, that can be protected and preserved from unnecessary use.

Source - bit.ly/1HoZtNg

 Gas

Students of traditional education, who use their vehicles for even a couple of classes in a distant educational institute, uses gas as fuel , even for improper causes like speeding or waiting in traffic, even during wandering in car in a park while texting simultaneously.

Less use of vehicles that is only possible availing online education, reduces vehicle damage and damage on local roads as well.

Paper

Source - bit.ly/1HrGhkO

Paper is an essential need for homework and classwork in classroom education. Online education reduces the use of paper dramatically. As long as the use of paper is there, the rate of acceleration in deforestation will remain astronomically intense. Online education with its virtual mode, makes the ‘necessary evil’ in education unnecessary.

Reduction of pollution

Materials like plastic, that are an essential part of building construction, can be avoided through opting online education, protecting environment from further pollution. Also, the reduction in emission of polluting gases emitted from vehicles used in transportation and commutation of students to educational institutes, reduces pollution.

Online education can be beneficial to students in many ways, and it can add to environmental protection as well.

Source - bit.ly/1JTJ43t