METM26 presentation

Dump that dead data: a hands-on digital declutter

Maighread Gallagher-Gambarelli, Grenoble, France; Susannah Goss, Berlin, Germany; Mary Murphy, Berlin, Germany; Mary Savage, Vilafranca, Spain

A huge chunk of the data we store on our devices and online is never reused. Yet the data centres housing our old emails, blurred photos and almost-almost-final files need to be kept powered and cooled at all times, driving resource consumption, energy use and CO2 emissions.

This interactive, hands-on session responds to participant input from our METM25 session and November MET Conversation on sustainability, which identified digital waste – and how to take control of it – as a widespread concern among MET members. Building on our experience of the first-ever online MET Digital Clean-up Day on 20 March 2026, this in-person session will carve out further time for participants to declutter their digital spaces and share best practices.

In this session, we’ll be focusing on smartphones and tablets, although the same strategies can be applied to any digital device. We will start by looking at what prevents us from cleaning up our data (e.g. overwhelm, procrastination, fear of data loss). The facilitators will then provide step-by-step instructions. Participants will split into groups, creating the conditions for interactions and real-time troubleshooting as well as a space to discuss aspects such as saving and archiving data, duplication and cloud storage. In these groups, we will stage two fun ten-minute decluttering dashes and see who can delete the most data. To close, we will share ideas for trying to keep on top of our data.

Participants should leave the session having started decluttering their smartphones and with ideas on how to tackle their other devices. The session aims to build a sense of community around sustainability in general and digital waste disposal in particular. Everyone is welcome, from data hoarders to Marie Kondos of the digital world, whether or not you have attended any of our previous sessions.

About the presenters

	Maighread Gallagher-Gambarelli has been translating and editing scientific content for 15 years. She has long been interested in sustainability generally, and in 2024 she worked with other solopreneurs on social and environmental responsibility for very small businesses. She firmly believes in thinking about sustainability as a positive and empowering choice.
	Susannah Goss is a scientific editor at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin. Since earning her Brownie thrift badge for upcycling an empty yogurt pot into a string dispenser, she’s been trying to work out which sustainability practices really make a difference and which are just noise.
	Mary Murphy is a semi-retired translator based in Berlin. She has several decades of experience working as a freelance translator and in a corporate setting. She’s trying not to drown in the digital deluge we are currently confronted with.
	Mary Savage recently retired after a 40-year career as a translator, editor and English teacher. She has a long-standing interest in sustainability and lives off-grid on a mountainside in Spain.