Green Web Hosting

At a time when people are becoming more concerned about the damaging effect that many businesses have on our planet, various companies are taking steps, in their respective industries, to reduce their negative ecological impact. We see greener cars, increased used of non-polluting forms of electricity, such as solar power, etc. Web hosting companies are no exception to this positive change.

It is a less-known fact that web hosting is, by nature, a very polluting business. Many companies run thousands of servers that drain heavily on “pollutant-powered” energy sources and, of course, these servers run all day – everyday. The cumulative effect, day after day, is staggering. Web hosting is up there with factories as far as pollution is concerned and, with an ever-growing number of websites created daily, more servers will be required to support them leading to even more rapid damage. Fortunately, the dire nature of the situation, from an environmental standpoint, has not gone unnoticed by some companies.

green web hostingQuite a few have implemented simple measures such as minimizing the use of paper (which, of course, comes from trees (or encouraging employees to do their part to aid the effort. This can include, (1) working from home (hence, no gas pollution during travel to work) (2) riding a bicycle to work (3) carpooling or simply getting actively involved in a separate environmental project, such as planting trees.

One direct step taken by many companies is to utilize wind or solar power to run their service (to some economically feasible extent) this reducing energy use from the power grid which is fuelled by burning gas – a major air pollutant.

These are a few examples of ways in which web hosting companies do their part to save our planet. We should support those that have taken this initiative and encourage others to do the same.

Here are some of the benefits to web hosting companies, and their clients, afforded by green web hosting practices.

  1. Both parties can gain public relations by advertising themselves as actively involved in environmentally friendly business practices.
  2. It is sometimes cheaper to use greener methods. Solar power, for example, requires no expense once the initial investment in the necessary equipment has been made. The sunlight isn’t going anywhere!
  3. Probably the most obvious, the cumulative effect of reducing ecological damage; slowing down global warming, cleaner, healthier air etc.
  4. That nice warm feeling that comes from knowing you’re doing something right.

In conclusion, an investment in greener web hosting in money well spent by the owners of such companies as it pays rich dividends in the form of customer good will and the benefits described above. Websites that can boast their minimal negative effect on the environment will find more favour with their environmentally aware visitors, and possibly increase awareness among those who aren’t.