So is Streaming really a Greener Option?

[Lannette]

This seems to be the newest reason bandied about for the demise of DVDS. When I heard that from the first instructor to proudly spout it I immediately thought; “Nice Spin.” That instructor just put out a DVD.

THIS ARTICLE shows that it’s not that simple.

There are a lot of variables. But I think that it definitely shows me that my ancient DVD collection that resides neatly on two shelves is more or at least as green as streaming 2-4 fitness sites would be.

[dmlarue1]

I kind of thought the same...production costs dont really change versus method

I do wonder about the garbage option. I know DVDs are not that big or heavy but I wonder how many end up in landfills. I know a lot of people donate them if they dont want them. But I think that should be a concern as we are dumping so much garbage in our oceans and many landfills are filling up

Now if you are someone who keeps your DVDs forever this wouldn't apply to you . If you think about it us vidiots have been very green by trading and share the wealth our dvds

[Lannette]

That’s a really good point about landfills and DVDs - and the merits of trading/ selling. They apparently can’t be recycled, though our recycling center accepted the cases. You could make JEWELRY from them. or a MOSAIC MIRROR, and who doesn’t want a retro DISCO BALL in their workout space?

I just think that those of us who are still using our DVDs should be allowed to do so free of being shamed for not being progressive enough, not minimalist enough or green enough.

[pcdoctor01]

I guess the same thing could be said about books vs ebooks.
Treadmill/elliptical/bike vs walking or sneakers.
CDs/records vs MP3s.
I think the green way is just being too greedy for some companies.
Is collecting things not green?
People collect DVDs, LPs, CDs, books, coins, stamps, toys, cars, jewelry, etc.

[Vantreesta]

This question always makes me think of Christmas trees. Do we cut down living trees to decorate or do we use artificial ones that will eventually end up in landfills not degrading?

[starbelly]

Most of the studies regarding streaming vs. DVDs are about single viewings. If you factor in multiple uses (as is the case for many exercise videos), it would seem that DVDs (or downloads) use less energy(see here and here). Streaming uses a lot of energy so those who say that they have switched to streaming to be green need to consider how often a typical video would be watched. To be really green, downloads should be made available.

[kittybug]

Every time I see this topic, all I can think about are huge industrial disasters, like what has happened with oil rigs or nuclear power plants or gas compressor stations, etc. It seems to me those entities would do far more environmental damage in one go than any of us can do collectively in an entire lifetime.

I know every little bit counts when trying to be kind to the environment, but at some point, I realized that for me, I had to pick my battles on doing what I can live with and letting the rest go, including any shame or guilt the green movement marketing or sales pitches would have me feel!

[JackieB]

Not sure about carbon footprint. I do know that it costs far more to produce a dvd than stream video. All the plastic as far as cases, etc. The shipping expense is very real, also, to package and pay postage.

Some companies or instructors went to different types of cases or putting in foam padding inside the case to reduce damage to dvds. Replacement costs to mail out a new dvd also add up.

[Dorothy J]

In cleaning out our home office recently, I found a bunch of old CDs we had used to store photos & other things. I looked into it & CDs & DVDs really do just sit in the landfills & take forever to degrade. They are hard to recycle, but here's a place that does it:

https://www.cdrecyclingcenter.org/recycle-now/index

You mail your CDs to them & they send them to a special recycling place.

[Nuggie's Auntie]

There are so many variables to consider when trying to decipher what is more 'green' than something else.... I did a barre3 video on my iPad this morning... out on the deck on a beautiful summer morning... but I digress... I can say certainly that running my iPad for 30 minutes uses WAY LESS electricity than firing up my TV, stereo receiver and speakers for 30 minutes... but I can't say that I am swayed in my purchasing decisions by this fact. I think sometimes it's just a marketing ploy to tout one modality over another as being more 'green.'