New website! And First learnings

Since I started working on Silvan Earth, I’ve learned a lot. At first, I saw this as something brands would do out of the goodness of their hearts. While I’d love for that to be true, I’m now leaning towards the other side: Even the most well-intentioned businesses need to justify their spending. And if we can bring in companies that don’t prioritize the planet as much, that’s even better! This led me to an important realization: Silvan needs to be worth its money, even without the environmental aspect. From there, it’s up to me to dedicate a significant part of the money to the planet.

Another lesson is that measuring server emissions is surprisingly tricky. For example: Cloud providers balance out the numbers of different data centers. One location might be generating excess solar power, while another runs on coal and this could technically be considered climate neutral. Mind-blowing, right? On the other hand, if you’re using a VPS, most providers don’t share these numbers at all, even though plenty of apps rely on them.

That’s why I’ve decided to skip exact CO₂ calculations and go with a 50/50 split between the company and the planet. Based on my research, this compensates for more emissions than servers produce, but I’d rather overcompensate than fall short.

I believe this approach can drive a sustainable business, keeps greenwashing in check and also makes the mission clear: The product delivers real value, and the company gives back in a meaningful way.

Meanwhile, I’m steadily building the website and the product itself. I must say, it feels great, good vibes!