In Part 1, we covered what Claude Code actually is and why it changes the game for sustainability professionals.

In Part 2, we walked through the setup. Web version. GitHub connected. Environment created. You are in.

In Part 3, we covered the Project folder, what it is and what lives inside, the focus was for Claude desktop users.

I thought it make sense to touch upon a very important topic for anyone using Claude web, because you must have GitHub account.

The question really is, why should you care as a sustainability manager? Well, if you want to use Claude Code the web version, you better care, because there is no other way around using GitHub, if you use the desktop version and you are following this series “Claude Code 101” I will direct you back here when you might need using it ;)

If you are using the desktop version of Claude Code, your folder lives on your computer. A regular folder on your hard drive, like any other. You point Claude Code at it and it reads from there.

But you can also use the web version, setup can be found in part 2.

Open claude.ai/code, sign in, and you are working. No terminal, no installations, no command line. That is it. If you want to set it up for web version check out previous issue of this series.

On the web version, your folder does not live on your computer. It lives in GitHub.

I know. You have heard the word GitHub and immediately thought: that is for developers. That is not for me.

I thought the same thing. I avoided it for weeks. And I was completely wrong.

Here is the honest truth about what GitHub is, at least for what we are doing: it is cloud storage for your project files. That is it. Nothing more.

Think of it exactly like Google Drive. You create a folder for a project, you put files inside it, and those files are accessible from anywhere. The folder in GitHub has a name: a repository, or repo. But it is just a folder.

When you look at GitHub, you will see your repos listed on the screen, as mine shown below, each repo is a folder.

A new repo looks completely empty, just a name and nothing inside it. Right now, if you followed the setup in Part 2, you have a repo. It exists. And it is empty.

A repo you have been working in looks like a list of files and folders, each one a piece of context or a deliverable.

Here is the folder structure I use for every sustainability project I build in Claude Code.

In Part 4, we use the Tool Architect skill to build your product-spec, the most important document in your project. Then in Part 5, we take that finished spec and use the Project Governor to build your CLAUDE.md.

Two tools. Two focused sessions. By the end, your folder is ready and your first real build can begin.

If you want to stop reading about Claude Code and start building with it, I run a hands-on cohort exclusively for sustainability professionals. Real projects. Live sessions. You leave with something you can actually use.

Apply here: ailab.sustainos.io

And if you are new here and not sure if it is worth it to invest the time learning Claude code, Here is what I have personally built with zero coding experience and a 20 euro monthly Claude Pro subscription:

See you next time.
Zyad