Well, without getting too far off topic, let’s take a lot at what it means to be a green web hosting company. The popular phrase that it all comes down to these days, is lowering your carbon footprint.  The trick with that for a highly power dependent kind of company like web hosting, is to be more selective about where you draw your energy from.  Is your primary source of electricity coal burning plants, or is it wind and solar power?  You can actually use more power, and  have a lower carbon footprint, by being a little more selective in where you spend your hydro dollars. Believe it or not, there are quite a few web hosting companies that are jumping on the green band wagon.

Going the less energy use model is always a good place to start.  Keep in mind, that there is more to a hosting company, then just a bunch of servers spinning away in a server room somewhere.  They are a real business, with accounting departments, personnel departments, and overhead costs.  That includes energy intensive systems such as heating, air conditioning, cleaning, and transportation.  Even if solar and wind may not provide enough power to keep their servers running at peak efficiency, it doesn’t mean they can improve their green ratings by lowering their carbon footprint in their staff offices.  It’s all fair game, and should be considered equally.  Even offering incentives for their employees to car pool or ride their bicycles to work counts.

Another thing to consider, is your business partners.  Are they green?  Is that free logo design site you used thinking about the environment when they work for you?

There are countless ways for any business to be a good partner to the planet.  And it may even be more profitable to go that way.