Best of Sustainability — November 2024

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   All Things Distributed·1y

   Return of The Frugal Architect(s)

   The Frugal Architect initiative, introduced during a re:Invent keynote, focuses on building cost-aware, sustainable, and modern architectures. The initiative relaunches with expanded content, including blog posts and a new podcast series featuring AWS customer stories about optimizing their architectures for cost and sustainability. Notable examples include WeTransfer's use of enhanced observability to reduce digital waste and PBS's shift to containerized and serverless architectures for cost-effectiveness.

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   Article

   Hacker News·2y

   Bhutan, after prioritizing happiness, now faces an existential crisis

   Bhutan, known for its Gross National Happiness, faces a crisis with young people leaving the country in record numbers. Despite offering free healthcare, education, and a rising life expectancy, the outmigration has hit the country hard, especially post-COVID-19. Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay and the fifth king are working on initiatives like the Gelephu Mindfulness City to attract citizens back, emphasizing sustainable growth balanced with cultural preservation.

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   Article

   Hacker News·1y

   Buy Nothing Day

   Buy Nothing Day, observed on November 29th, encourages a 24-hour break from consumerism to highlight its impact on the environment. It's an opportunity to rethink consumption habits, focus on sustainability, and reduce waste, particularly in areas such as single-use plastic, food packaging, and fast fashion. Originally started by Adbusters in the early '90s, it has grown into an international event with the goal of promoting ethical and responsible consumerism.

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