The fact that the internet consumes so much energy is primarily due to its underlying technology. Everything we do on the internet – from writing an e-mail and online banking through to streaming videos – has to be processed in data centrers.

Producing furniture requires resources. That’s why, when purchasing new furniture, it is essential to ensure that its production, use and disposal have as little impact on the environment as possible.

The first message that Leonard Kleinrock and his student Charley Kline wanted to send to a computer located 500 km away at the Stanford Research Institute in 1969 was the word LOGIN. However, the connection crashed after just the first two letters and this is why the first message sent on the internet, which was still known back then as ARPANET, ended up being “LO” and not “LOGIN”. The researchers could never have foreseen at the time that their invention would impact almost all aspects of human life 53 years later.

The idea: Making the invisible visible

Over 20,000 products are certified with the Blue Angel eco-label. However, consumers are often unaware of the range of products that receive the label. The roadshow made the multitude of environmentally friendly products with the Blue Angel more visible. On large information walls, the visitors could work out facts and figures about the eco-label: Which criteria have to be fulfilled in order to be awarded the Blue Angel? Who determines these? Who is behind the Blue Angel?

Thermal insulation materials and suspended ceilings are available for insulating interiors, which can both save energy and reduce noise. Nevertheless, not all insulation materials are automatically environmentally friendly. Some products are made of materials containing toxic substances that can harm the environment and even your own health.

The Blue Angel provides guidance, because "Environmentally friendly Computers and Keyboards" are also certified with the eco-label. Keyboards with the Blue Angel are for example manufactured by Cherry Europe GmbH based in Auerbach, Germany.

Keyboards that bear the Blue Angel must be...

• durable and

• designed to be recyclable.

In our interview series, Cherry Product Manager Stefanie Mayer answers three questions about the Blue Angel.

The Blue Angel certifies elastic and textile floor coverings, as well as floor coverings made out of wood and wood-based materials. Floor coverings cover large surfaces and often the entire living area, whether in a bedroom, children’s room, living room, kitchen or bathroom. It is thus important to select floor coverings that have a particularly low level of pollutants and emissions and which thus cause less pollution of the room air.