Why Green Hosting? Carbon Neutral Websites?

A recent report by industry analysts, Gartner, said the global IT industry generated as much greenhouse gas as the world’s airlines – about 2% of global CO2 emissions. “Data centers are among the most energy-intensive facilities imaginable,” said Evan Mills, a scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. Banks of servers storing billions of web pages require power.

CR8Change.org makes your web site carbon neutral and shows visitors that you are not only environmentally conscious, but proactively creating positive environmental change. People want businesses they patronize to be eco-friendly. CR8Change.org helps you attract and retain those visitors.

We are a 300% Green Web Hosting Company. Our services are among the most eco-friendly in the universe. In fact, coupled with Reforestation/Tree Planting Programs, our web hosting services are effectively carbon negative. We are working to GREEN the Internet and proactively create positive environmental change.

Traditional coal energy powering the Internet

How do websites contribute to carbon emissions?

Websites are provided by servers and are viewed by clients (visitors’ computers) that are connected via networks. These servers, clients and networks all require electricity in order to run, electricity that is largely generated by burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. When fossil fuels are burned, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, which contribute to climate change.

Does the carbon footprint of a website really matter?

Very much so! According to the Gartner study, in 2007, for the first time in history, the carbon emissions due to information and communication technologies exceeded that of the entire aviation industry.

Carbon Offsets 101

What are Carbon Offsets? Carbon Offsets are certificates you can buy that represent a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions through the funding of emissions-reducing projects. At cr8Change, we see a carbon offset as an investment in clean energy. And since burning fossil fuels for energy is the primary cause of global warming, we decided to focus our efforts there, at the root of the problem. Our energy partner BEF Carbon Offsets fund the development of clean, renewable energy sources like solar power and wind farms. When Carbon Offsets are purchased on behalf of your web site, you’re canceling out (offsetting) a set amount of greenhouse gases your web server activities release into the environment.

But there’s more to it. A carbon offset represents an opportunity and a responsibility. Instead of dirty fossil fuels, you are choosing to support and invest in clean renewable energy. When BEF produces clean energy and feeds it into the system, or “Energy Pool”, the dirty, non-renewable sources are scaled back as wind and solar take over – which means less carbon dioxide emitted into our air and atmosphere.

Watch this 90-second video to learn more about BEF Carbon Offsets.