Green web hosting is the most beneficial way for web hosting services to operate using renewable resources that are available all over the world. When you consider the factors such as, saving the environment, reducing the amount of harmful chemicals produced from machinery, and using resources that will never run out there are limited (if any) negative effects of the use of green web hosting.
What is Green Web Hosting?
Green web hosting is a way for hosting companies to provide a service without having to worry about a detrimental effect on the environment. By using resources such as water (hydroelectricity) and wind (wind power), you can achieve the same provision of energy without the detrimental effects of other sources. Green web hosting uses renewable energy which is gained through natural resources and they are naturally reusable, meaning that they will never run out.
Lowered Operating Cost
The first benefit of green web hosting is the limited amount of funding that a company will have to provide in order to obtain the energy needed to run their corporation. Using renewable energy enables the company to avoid having to pay recurring energy bills each and every month. Instead of getting their energy from the multi-million dollar energy corporations, they can obtain their power from the sun or the wind on their own terms. Considering that these companies will be saving an abundance of money on energy costs, they can then put the extra funding back into things that will benefit their customers. Generally you will find that green web hosting services have less expensive hosting costs because they do not have to worry about paying higher bills every month.
Less Illnesses in the World
Although there are an immense amount of objects in the world that create pollution, using eco-friendly hosting means your website will help lower the amount of chemicals in the air. Recent studies have shown that there has been an increased amount of illnesses and human disease all over the world and that the rise in illness is caused by our toxic environment that we are surrounded by on a daily basis. By using renewable energy and green web hosting, it is one less area of production that will be pumping those toxic chemicals into our air that we and our families breathe on a day to day basis.
As we live our lives we should always be thinking about our carbon footprint that we envelope the world in. If we are able to prevent excessive pollution from electricity, that is one less area of toxic emission that we need to worry about. Green web hosting is a great way to lower the emissions into the air and considering that the internet is one of the most widely used resources in the world, the more eco-friendly we can make the internet, the better our planet will be. Not only does green web hosting have an ecological benefit, but it can also help to lower the operating costs for companies. The lower the operating costs, the more money they can put into their services and the more that it can benefit the general public. Green web hosting is the way of the future and it is here to stay.
Why Your Website Needs Green Hosting
Green hosting has become an industry buzzword in the web hosting world, but why all the fuss? Is green hosting really saving the planet, and, even if it is, what is the cost and how does it impact you or your website?
You may be considering getting hosting for the first time or for the millionth time, but with all this environmental “stuff” going on in the past years, why not lend a hand? Why not receive just as good, or arguably better hosting, while helping clean up the environment at the same time? In this article I will offer 5 tips for you to keep in mind as you balance the planet with your need for hosting with a plethora of features, high uptime, great support, and so on.
#1: Does Your Hosting Provider Participate In Green Hosting?
Economics are only part of the equation for business in any industry. Societal implications and their environmental impact are significant issues that merit thought in the decision making process. Even if you couldn’t care less about green hosting, your clients may. So find out up front whether your hosting provider is involved in eco-friendly practices.
#2: What Does Green Hosting Really Mean?
Dig in and learn what the hosting providers that you are considering mean when they use the phrase “green hosting.” Green hosting is becoming a ubiquitous term, but it is used broadly and often with ambiguous meanings. One company might mean that they generate all the resources needed for operations by using alternative, renewable energy sources. Another organization might use green hosting to mean that only the energy actually powering their servers at any given time is drawn from renewable energy sources. Some hosting providers with questionable ethics might tout their services as green hosting, while really only investing in minimal environmentally-friendly infrastructure. These organizations do not have a true grip on the concept of corporate social responsibility, and you will likely want to avoid dealing with them.
#3: What Kind Of An Impact Will Your Hosting Needs Have?
Some will argue that our priority should be the environment every time, so regardless of your needs you should invest in green hosting. I would recommend considering your needs – if you will be powering a single site and using minimal resources, then a significant investment in green hosting technology may not make sense. Understand the number of servers, the amount of disk space, what kind of bandwidth you will need, etc. There are many hosting companies that not only have 100% green servers and eco-friendly practices within their offices but also have top-notch, extremely high quality hosting.
#4: What Is The Marginal Cost Of Green Hosting?
Does your hosting service provider actually cost more as a result of their investment in green hosting? There are companies out there who have combined incredible value, tremendous service, and environmentally responsible practices like green hosting. The perception is that green hosting would cost more, but examine the numbers and find out for yourself. What is the economic difference when you invest in green hosting? Check it out for yourself or take my word for it: green hosting companies are almost always cheaper than non-green hosting ones.
#5: Is It Just A Trend Or Going To Continually Grow?
The green hosting industry is very young and will continue to evolve tremendously in the near future. Stay up to date about what is going on and continue to examine the costs and benefits of green hosting. In the environmentally-conscious world that we live in today, it’s all about the small changes we make to contribute to the whole. If every website owner hosted their site on with green hosting, imagine the impact it could make. If no one thinks “their small impact” will matter and no one pitches in, nothing can change for the better. Now it’s your decision to make!
