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With so much discussion and debate going on about the climate change and initiatives being taken to be more conscious of the impact we have on the environment, it is no wonder that many of the top web hosting companies are taking the lead to "Go Green". The question is what does it mean for a hosting company to go green or to be considered a green web host? Before finding an answer for this you should understand the impact that web hosting industry has on the environment.

When you sign up for hosting, your website is placed on one of the hosting company servers. Depending on the size of the web hosting company they may have as many as 100 servers or even unimaginably more. Each server produces emissions much like a vehicle and these emissions can particularly be harmful to the environment. In fact, it is estimated that with the size of the hosting industry increasing rapidly and with thousands of servers running 24/7 ,the hosting industry will become just as much of a polluter as the airline industry by the year 2012. So,it has become a crucial need for the hosting companies to take steps to become as environmentally friendly as possible. So how do they do this?

One of the places they start is from right within their offices. Starting employee recycling programs or implementing internal processes that are paperless are a couple steps that many of the top green web hosts practice today. Some green web hosting companies have even gone to the extent of making their employees to work from home or at local satellite offices to reduce the amount of emissions they produce commuting to work. Another simple yet practical step a web hosting company takes is planting a tree for every new customer signing up with them or by using only eco-friendly servers that use less power and still deliver superior results. The biggest move that many of the top hosting companies make is purchasing wind energy credits. When a hosting company purchases wind energy credits they essentially replace the power they pull from the grid with wind power. Many of the hosting companies that are green are practicing this today.

As you can see there are many ways by which a hosting company can go green. If you host your website with a green web hosting company or promote this idea of green hosting, then you are counted in for taking a humble step to keep the planet “green”. Green hosting is just an option. In some way or the other, we must put our hands together for a safer, cleaner and a greener planet for ourselves and for the generations to come.