Green Web Hosting – What Is It and Why Does it Matter?

These days, more people than ever before are fully reliant on the Internet to make a living. The sheer number of website springing up by the day is impossible to put a figure to, though suffice to say the world’s hosting services are being pushed to their very limits like never before.    Demand for powerful servers running around the clock means ever-growing demand for the electricity that actually powers these servers and keeps the web running. There are gigantic server ‘farms’ – aka data centres – all over the world that gobble up an unimaginable amount of electricity, which for the most part is produced by the burning of fossil fuels.Or to put it another way, there’s a pretty strong chance that the servers you depend on result in a pretty sizeable carbon footprint and could be inflicting irreparable damage on the environment.Green Web HostingSome of the most conscientious hosting companies in business today operate in a different way – green hosting has become the only acceptable choice for some of the world’s biggest brands. Green web hosting takes a variety of different forms but all work toward exactly the same goal – ensuring their services are in no way detrimental to the environment. Some will use only green energy to power their servers, some will fund the planting of trees to offset their carbon footprint and others will renew energy within their data centres when and where possible – all of which aPivotal up to a huge difference for the planet as a whole.So from a business point of view, what are the key benefits of insisting on green web hosting?Protect the EnvironmentAll businesses these days are urged to do their ‘bit’ for the environment, though comparatively few make any real efforts to do so. Choosing green hosting is one of the simplest and most effective ways of all to campaign for a real difference while still enjoying the most advanced and powerful business services available. Data centres on a global basis swallow up an incredible $7 billion worth of energy every year – it’s time more businesses took a stand to protect the environment.Package PricesIt’s natural to expect green hosting services to cost a great deal more than standard hosting, but it’s also a misconception. These days, hosting companies that go the green way are often able to generate their electricity for lower costs that those depending on standard fossil fuel power stations, which in turn means you could potentially pick up the same hosting package with a green hosting company for less. It’s unlikely you’ll ever pay more to go the green way, which is fast becoming the only way for responsible businesses.It’s Good for BusinessLast but not least, the choices you make as far as the environment is concerned say so much about your brand and your priorities – are you conveying the right message to your customers? We’re deep in an age when people in growing numbers are deliberately walking away from businesses that don’t make every effort to look after the environment and favour the green way of things – can you really afford to turn your back on the eco-community?