Going Green with Your Web Hosting

All it takes is one tree. One mature tree can provide enough oxygen for two human beings on this planet. A planet currently plagued by ecological damage. The IT industry alone accounts for nearly 2% of the greenhouse gas emissions attacking our environment. How can you help? By going green with your web hosting.

There are a number of "carbon neutral" hosting companies out in the market today. To be "carbon neutral" a hosting company must have a net zero carbon footprint - achieved by balancing the amount of C02 released with an equivalent offset. There are several ways to implement this offset. One is by replacing what is lost - for many companies this means getting involved in reforestation programs. Another way to offset is by funding projects that lead to the prevent of future greenhouse gas emissions, or by purchasing "carbon credits" to remove them through "carbon trading".

The nice thing is you don't have to worry about sacrificing good quality hosting in going eco-friendly. Many green hosting companies offer the same products and services as their non-green competitors. This includes web site templates, site management tools, blogging programs, database options and often times free marketing tools and software. One top rated green hosting company is SuperGreen. Their accounts include unlimited space, unlimited traffic, a free domain name, and a $25 marketing credit for only $3.95 a month. Cr8change.org offers a plan for $7.00 a month and is committed to planting one tree every month for each account they host through the California Wildfire Releaf program. If you'd like a wind powered host, HostGator offers their accounts at $7.95 a month and includes all the bells and whistles you'd expect from other hosting companies.

Consider - this year alone wildfires in California have managed to destroy over 121,000 acres of forest and there seems to be no quick end at the moment. By hosting your web site with Cr8change, you could help reverse some of this damage by having 12 trees planted in the next year simply by hosting your account with them. Setting up an account with HostGator would create no carbon footprint as wind power does not create greenhouse gas emissions.

When it comes to what we want to leave for our children and their children, you can make a difference even within technology. Research the different eco-friendly hosting companies available and go green with your hosting!