The Green Web Hosting Movement Marches On
Green Web hosting has become a pretty common term these days, with a multitude of companies proudly taking on the description and promoting clean renewable methods of powering their data centers. Plug in the term green Web hosting on the Internet and an overwhelming amount of sites will display, promising technologies such as wind powered hosting, solar powered servers or sustainable websites. TopHosts took a closer look at this new hosting market and at what it truly takes to uphold this environmental stamp of approval.
Phil Nail, Technology Manager of Affordable Internet Services Online (AISO.net) told TopHosts that they currently stand alone within the industry as a truly green Web host. The company
...or saving seeds.If you are in the market for a hobby greenhouse, there are several types on the market. The smallest type is not large enough to walk into and must be accessed from the outside. It resembles an old-fashioned ...
Their steel framed data center with no wood except for the door frames maintains 120 solar panels on two large sets of arrays, capable of generating up to 60 kilowatts of electricity each day. Through its commitment to solar hosting, and through various other clean, renewable practices, AISO s system eliminates the production of 19,890 pounds of Carbon Dioxide (greenhouse gas) per year, 5.9 pounds of Nitrous Oxide (NOX/smog) per year, and 0.45 pounds of Sulfur Dioxide (acid rain) per year equivalent to planting 3.5 acres of trees per
...to health hazards.Solar Power versus Generator the SolutionFor most people, the resolution of the solar power versus generator debate is to install a hybrid system. Using solar power as the main energy source will save money. The fuel is free. ...
Degrees of Green Hosting
But while more green hosting companies hit the scene, Nail warns most are not as environmentally committed as they appear. We check everyday and haven t found anybody else that actually has green power at their facility, Nail said. You really have to read between the lines to see what they really have and then finally you see green credits.
In fact, what makes the vast majority of these Web hosts green is the purchase of renewable energy credits (REC). Web hosts audit the amount of
...in 2007 and not just the cyclone-induced mine flooding at Australia s ERA uranium mine.We ve following unusual developments in the Arctic (and elsewhere) which are suggestive of more climate change to come. For example, Inuit elders are now complaining ...
According to AISO s website, many of the so-called green Web hosts out there don t run any environmentally friendly technologies at all, but instead buy RECs as a marketing tactic in hopes of making you think they re helping the environment. AISO says many RECs merely go toward helping polluting power companies boost their green portfolios and meet EPA or government guidelines. One of the things that has to
...emissions. Every household produces a lot of greenhouse gases because of electricity consumption. The use of energy-saving light bulbs is a sure way to cut down on such harmful emissions.Incorporating energy-saving light bulbs into your home will lighten the load ...
Green Hosting Compromise
Yet Greg Willson, an Environmental Engineer with PlanetMind.net, a green Web hosting provider, says installing solar panels or constructing wind turbines isn t exactly a viable option for every Web host at the moment. Without more government help and subsidies, entry costs for implementing renewable technologies can be high and difficult without the proper land, location and money. Willson says purchasing RECs, while employing as many environmentally sound practices as possible, is also a
...newer models, the illusion of burning has been improved drastically. But then again, no one can ever argue that the illusion is better than the real thing.These are just some of the different features and downsides of electric fireplaces. These ...
If a business and employees are true in their own minds about being green and are committed and help fund green technology they re helping the future of the (Web hosting) industry They re setting the example now, Willson said.
Wind and Solar Hosting
Planetmind works with a renewable energy retailer that promotes the development of wind energy. Electricity bills are a bit more expensive but the investment ensures that money goes directly to wind farms in the U.S.
David Hardy, also of Planetmind, thinks wind power holds a lot of potential as a source of powerful green energy, so funding it helps the cause. Yet, it remains out of
...of your home which is also well insulated. The structure heats up in the sun during the day to very high temperatures. When you need heat, you just turn on a fan, which moves it into the house through venting ...
Planetmind favors solar power because it can be generated locally and because the cost to install solar panels is currently dropping. Planetmind, in the small mountain community of Nederland, Colorado, generates their own local solar power of about 250 Watts of photovoltaic enough to power their solar hosting servers and their EcoMail service of about 1,500 accounts.
Carbon Neutral Web Hosting
Even large-scale hosting operations, like Rackspace Managed Hosting, are finding greener ways of doing business.
...relief and better concentration in extreme weather regions.While it is easy to read the solar power school initiative in Australia as a pure political ploy, it should still be celebrated. Who would have every thought solar power would become a ...
Jacques Greyling, managing director of Rackspace Managed Hosting stated: Rackspace s clients, which include everything from blue chip, multi-national enterprises to innovative start-ups, are increasingly looking at ways to minimize the negative impact they have on the environment.
Of course, it s not exactly green Web hosting, but the attention paid to the environment by a
...toner, ink and foam can be reused to make a range of new products?The inkjet inks, pigment color agent used in toners and plastics can be reused to produce eWood (a plastic timber replacement product). Steel and aluminium can be ...
Related Reading: See how server manufacturers and other Web hosts are using technology to save energy and money.
George Di Falco is a Contributing Editor for TopHosts.Com. He monitors the Web hosting industry and reports on a variety of technology related news.
