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ECO_NIME
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  • Questions Raised
  • Notes
  • External Links and References
  • Contributor(s)

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  1. Services

Chat and collaboration (Slack alternatives)

PreviousOpen standards and interoperabilityNextVideo conferencing (Zoom alternatives)

Last updated 1 year ago

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is a dominant workplace communication platform that was used with great results at the online NIME 2020 conference. Previous discussions have highlighted certain issues that may limit its viability for future conferences (10k message storage limit, prohibitively expensive premium licence, potential privacy concerns). In addition to these, we examine whether there are environmental costs associated with Slack that could be reduced by using an alternate platform.

Questions Raised

  1. Are there significant environmental costs associated with Slack that would be reduced by switching to another platform?

  2. What are the sustainability practices of Slack Technologies?

  3. Are there alternative platforms that are tested, reliable, and scalable to accommodate the NIME conference?

Notes

Little is found online about the environmental practices of Slack Technologies. They are, however, part of a 21-company alliance entitled , "dedicated to harnessing the power of the fourth industrial revolution to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions across all economic sectors and ensure a climate turning point by 2020". Step Up Declaration is in turn part of an initiative called .

In their , Slack announced the following commitments to environmental action:

  • become fully carbon neutral by 2030

  • eliminate single-use placstics from buildings by 2030

  • support regenerative and sustainable agriculture through purchasing

  • champion inclusive communities

According to , the paid version of Slack relies on Amazon Web Services. Additionally, the article claims that Slack is involved with tax avoidance and excessive enumeration of executives. More research is needed.

Some alternatives to Slack have been proposed:

Both options can be self-hosted which, depending on host server, may provide sustainability benefits. More research is necessary to evaluate potential advantages of these alternatives over Slack. Also it is unclear if similar limitations exist for these platforms (eg. message limits on free tiers, subscription costs for 'pro' features)

External Links and References

Contributor(s)

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Slack
Step Up Declaration
Mission 2020
statement
this article
Rocket Chat
Mattermost
ethicalconsumer.org guide to video conferencing
John Sullivan