A website produces 1.76g of CO2 for every page view, according to the online carbon calculator Website Carbon. So, if you have 100,000 page views monthly, your site emits 2,112kg of CO2 yearly. That’s a lot of CO2! Plus, more complex websites need more energy to load – so the greater the environmental impact.
Now try and imagine how many websites there are – the Internet World Stats suggests that around 1.8 billion websites are running online, with 4 billion daily visitors. And every website producing these CO2 levels damages our planet.
Data gets transferred between our device and the server hosting the website or software every time we use the internet. There are a variety of hosted solutions, such as VPS, Cloud Hosting, Dedicated Server and Colocation. Whichever solution is being utilised it will more than likely be hosted in a high-tech building called a Data Centre.
Servers are switched on and working 24/7, requiring electricity and air conditioning to keep it them cool. Imagine leaving your computer at home continuously switched on – most of us try to avoid this as we know it uses energy. But most of us don’t think about the servers.
The more data sent and stored, the more electricity and energy are used. Even though your impact might be small, it adds up fast when you multiply it by the billions of people globally.
In fact, if the internet were a country, it would be the world’s seventh largest CO2 emissions polluter, making up 4% of all greenhouse gases. It causes emissions of approximately 2,330,041 tons of CO2 and consumes 2,339,400 MWh of electricity daily. Plus, it’s growing. According to HTTPArchive.org, the average web page today is nearly four times the size it was in 2010.
So how can hosting companies help?
Hosting companies should be committed to providing green hosting solutions for all their customers. Green web hosting relates to companies actively trying to implement eco-friendly initiatives to mitigate their environmental impact.
At CWCS we are taking many measures to reduce our carbon footprint:
Renewable energy
To help protect our planet, CWCS is proud to have a REGO (Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin) electricity supply, meaning that our power consumption is now 100% offset by renewable energy.
Plus, currently, it’s estimated that data centres use 12% of the UK’s power to help combat this. We aim to use 100% renewable energy by 2030.
Recycling and Repurposing
We will recycle and repurpose hardware. When the hardware is no longer fit for purpose, we will resell them.
A WEEE-registered waste management company disposes of hardware that cannot be repurposed.
A new tree for every server
We pledge to plant a tree for every new server purchased. By working with Just One Tree, we promise to plant a tree to help offset our energy usage and to help make the world greener.
In the upcoming year, we will be improving on this, so keep an eye on our social media and newsletters to find out more.
What is the most eco-friendly option?
Cloud! A recent study at CWCS showed that a cloud server uses 88% less power than a physical dedicated server.
When choosing the right hosting solution for your business, cloud hosting or physical hosting is one of your most important choices.
Unlike traditional hosting solutions, which use a single server, cloud hosting consists of multiple servers (called nodes) and external SAN storage. Installing virtualisation software, like VMwWare, onto the nodes converts the physical hardware into cloud-based platforms.
A cloud platform should have no single point of failure. Suppose any of the hardware fails for any reason. In that case, the virtualisation software automatically moves your cloud software server to an unaffected node, giving you peace of mind your cloud server will remain online.
Its unique infrastructure allows you to add and remove resources whenever you need them, making it scalable and flexible.
Finally….
Talk to your hosting provider about what measures they have to help save the planet.
If you want to discuss your hosting requirements, get in touch with a member of our team. Our experts are always happy to help you choose the right solution.
