Green Web Hosting: Why Should You Consider It?

A couple of web hosts are considering options to help reduce their use of energy. As such, green web hosting has come up to enable these service providers to find alternative solutions to the harmful impact their activities have on the environment.

The solution: using energy-efficient and renewable resources. By relying more on these resources, web hosts are now able to reduce their impact on the environment. You, too, should do the same by going green in your hosting.

So, why should you choose a green web host? Consider the following:

• It is essential for environmental conservation
• It will help you save a lot of money in the long run
• You can use this information to let your customers know that you've gone green

But is it easy to go green? Some leading web hosting companies have adopted green initiatives in their business. Some of the ways they've managed to do this include:

1. E-Waste Management

Web hosts – green or not – have countless opportunities to become greener by reducing e-waste. In most cases, green web hosting companies often include recycling plans in their business to achieve this.

Some recycle old equipment instead of disposing of it. By so doing, these hosts reduce the volume of metals, plastics, and computers left sitting in landfills around the globe. As such, the companies have managed to deal with the contentious issue of electronic devices being discarded instead of getting recycled and used in other waste.

2. Heat Management

Other green companies have taken to finding solutions to deal with heat loss. Some even go so far as working towards ensuring that their hosting equipment is as cool as possible.

This option has enabled many green web hosting companies combat the issue of increasing energy costs – for air conditioning and the like. By adopting extreme cooling mechanisms, they have resorted to placing servers underground shielded away from external sources of heat.

Other hosts have found creative ways to offload the heat released by their hosting servers. For this, they use air duct systems and aluminum fans to conduct unwanted heat away from the server rooms. Sometimes, they redirect this heat is to office areas where people need it during the chilly months of fall and winter.

3. Server Management

Green web hosting has now shifted focus on the customers. As such, the companies are trying to save money and energy by allowing their clients to service their hosting accounts.

For instance, some leading web hosts have an online portal where users can update and change their billing and personal information. Through this portal, the clients can also get answers to any questions they have.

In the same way, other hosts encourage their customers to talk to them via online chat – which is infinitely more energy-efficient on cost and labor. By so doing, they have reduced the need for phone calls (most of which are redundant) and unnecessary restrictions on the hosting account servicing.

4. Employee Management

Another facet of green web hosting has compelled web hosts to encourage their employees to work remotely from home. For those who do make it to the office, the companies ask that they use green transportation – such as cycling and walking.

Within the office itself, most green hosts recycle and use reusable and environmentally-friendly products. Others go the extra mile by educating their employees about how their lifestyles impact the environment.

Green Web Hosting Services to Consider

So, which are these green web hosting service providers? Should you consider shifting your website to them? Well, below are some of the leading green hosts that you might want to think about migrating to:

1. HostGator

HostGator now fully uses reseller and shared servers that are 130 percent wind-powered. Apart from neutralizing their impact on the environment, they are reversing it. Read more about Hostgator, and their coupon offers here.

2. Green Geeks

Green Geeks, on the other hand, provides 300% green web hosting with every plan in their service offering. They also have a team of green experts who are committed to informing clients about how the company has taken to protecting the environment.

3. A2 Hosting

Last but not least, A2 Hosting partners with Carbonfund.org to offset their carbon footprint. The company also has a 100% green data center, plants trees, reduces waste, recycles old servers, and encouraging telecommuting.

Overall, finding the right green web hosting service provider isn't difficult. As long as you are aware of the reasons why it is important, you should be able to locate and migrate to a host that takes an environmentally-conscious approach to business.