Offset Mode

Help fight climate change with Offset Mode — a Chrome extension that uses real-time data to calculate the carbon footprint of your browsing, streaming, and downloading — and then invites you to donate the exact amount needed to offset your emissions.

Everything we do online generates carbon emissions — from the devices used to the energy required to send information through network infrastructure and data centres. And even though the individuals’ footprint can be quite small, when you add up the 4.66 billion Internet users, it’s a huge driver of climate change. And, by 2025, internet emissions are expected to double!

How’s it work exactly? It’s simple(ish). First, Offset Mode monitors your browsing, streaming, and downloading data to determine how many GBs you’re uploading and downloading. It then determines how much electricity is needed to transfer that amount of data. Offset Mode then uses your region’s electric mix factor to determine the carbon emissions associated with that much power usage. And finally, it lets you know the exact amount, down to the cent, that you’d need to donate to Tree Canada to offset your usage. Once you donate and offset your usage, your emissions counter will reset to zero.

Offset Mode is free to install and optional donations can be made directly through the Chrome extension.

To find out more about this Chrome extension, digital carbon footprints, or Tree Canada, visit offsetmode.com.