Environmental issues have increasingly been in the public eye over the last few years with the earth’s natural resources beginning to run out. The future of the planet, something previously rarely considered, is now being taken much more seriously by people and governments around the world.

All kinds of industries are taking on board the green message and thinking of ways to save the environment where they can. Everything from car emissions, to manufacturing industries and power stations are having to think about how they can work more efficiently and save energy.

Web hosting is no different. Due to the amount of electricity and power needed for web hosting it has a detrimental affect on the planet. Green hosting is therefore something being thought about more and more. The nature of the industry means it will never be a hundred per cent green but everything helps, and various positive steps can be made. Some hosting companies though, have been accused of using green hosting as a marketing ploy. With environmentally friendly means of doing things becoming more popular being a green host can lead to more business. So, is green hosting a marketing ploy or a genuine type of hosting?

Many would rather use a green host if it is an option. If it can be obtained at the same quality and price as regular hosting then many would prefer to go for the environmentally friendly method. Therefore there is an opportunity for those who claim to be green, meaning it is possible that some take advantage of this and falsely make this claim.

There are plenty of hosts who are genuinely green in one way or another. Although they can’t be completely green there are methods that can mean hosting has less of a negative affect on the planet. Energy can be saved and renewable energy sources can be used. Not using energy unnecessarily is one step that can be taken, while using sources such as solar power and wind power can be very affective. If hosting companies are creating their own renewable energy source this can massively reduce the affect on the environment. Some hosts use carbon offsetting by taking steps to replace the damage they are doing. For example, they may plant trees every time they use a certain amount of power. The number of ways there are to save energy and use renewable sources is likely to increase in future meaning more ways for all businesses to operate in an environmentally friendly way.

There are genuine ways that green hosting can be achieved. However, it is also likely that there are businesses that use it merely as a marketing ploy. If they follow it through that is fine, but like in any industry not everyone is honest.

Andrew Marshall ©