Spring is a great time to refresh more than your home or office—it’s also an opportunity to clean up your digital workspaces. Over time, files pile up, folders multiply, and it becomes harder to find what you need. But did you know that excess digital clutter also has an environmental impact? Storing unnecessary files consumes energy in data centers, contributing to a larger digital carbon footprint. By being intentional about what we keep, we help conserve energy and reduce the University’s overall resource consumption.

Start with your files in OneDrive and Teams. Take a few minutes to delete drafts and documents you no longer need and organize your active files into clearly named folders. You may also want to review shared folders or Teams channels you no longer use. As members of a campus community, we can all be good stewards of University resources by managing our digital storage responsibly.

One of the easiest ways to reduce digital clutter is to share links instead of emailing files. Using the “share” option in a digital document keeps everyone working from the same version, helps avoid confusion from multiple copies labeled “final,” and minimizes redundant data storage. These small actions, when added up across campus, can make a noticeable difference in our collective digital footprint.

The best news is that you don’t have to do everything at once. Even a quick 10-minute cleanup can help you feel more organized and efficient, while also supporting sustainability efforts and responsible use of University resources this spring.