Green Hosting for WordPress: How Sustainable Can Web Hosting Be?

Everyone is talking about how we can protect our planet and limit the effects of climate change. When you run a website or an online shop, you consume a lot of resources. We want to take countermeasures - with our climate positive hosting for WordPress and WooCommerce. In this article we'll explain the possibilities and limits of green hosting.

"If the internet were a country, it would have the sixth largest power consumption on our planet" - this is how the situation was described in a recent documentary. Various studies provide different totals for how much electricity really is consumed but one thing is clear: Web hosting devours energy and causes considerable CO2 emissions.

Does a faster internet waste more energy?

When we're talking about energy consumption, we don't just mean the servers on which your WordPress or WooCommerce site is hosted. The infrastructure of a data center also requires a lot of resources, from air conditioning and administration to emergency power generators. As a hosting and software provider we need electricity for:

• Technical infrastructure
• Office fittings and cleaning
• Office supplies and marketing
• Food
• Mobility/travel

Not to mention the fact that even the journey your information takes across the internet also costs energy. And if you, understandably, want to offer your customers a particularly fast portal, you'll use high-performance web hosting. Such hosting needs more energy. Services like ecograder.com show you how sustainable the design and hosting of your website are.

Carbon neutral? Climate positive!

green hosting cannot reverse the necessary energy expenditure but it can provide a balance. Essentially, there are three ways to do this:

1. Ensure the electricity used comes from sources that are as "clean" as possible
2. Support projects that minimize CO2 emissions
3. Follow an overall sustainable corporate philosophy

At RAIDBOXES we use all three options for our green hosting as we want to do even more for the common good. Have a look at our workshops on the subject. With our programs for renaturation, our work is not only climate neutral but climate positive. More on that in a moment.

If you host with us, you are actively contributing to climate protection. In concrete terms, this means you are supporting:

1. Trees for the Eden Reforestation Projects

We spent a lot of time researching partners who could provide CO2 offsetting with added value. For each WordPress site or WooCommerce shop you host with us, we will plant a tree for you. To do this, we work with Eden Reforestation Projects (short: Eden). The non-profit organization works in regions that are particularly affected by climate change and global deforestation.

Eden claims to have planted over 300 million trees since 2004, in 5 countries with a total of 82 projects. We at RAIDBOXES have added over 100,000 trees in 2020 alone - thanks to our customers.

Eden relies on local residents and workers for its projects, which are paid for by donations. This is yet another reason why we chose Eden Reforestation Projects, the organization makes an active contribution to the fight against poverty:

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2. Climate-positive project work

In addition to reforestation, we also support the initiative Get Mads. This initiative invests in climate-friendly projects selected according to strict criteria - including the United Nations Convention to Combat CO2 Emissions. The projects Get Mads is involved with focus on developing counties, which also contributes to local social and economic growth.

Through the partnership alone, RAIDBOXES currently offsets 40.48 tons of CO2 each month by funding certified carbon and plastic offset projects through Get Mads. Here are some examples of what this means in terms of monthly CO2 savings according to Get Mads:

• Offset equivalent of 7700 plastic bottles polluting the seas
• 43 return flights from London to Los Angeles
• Removal of over 300,000 straws or 38,500 disposable plastic cups from landfill
• More than 160,000 kilometers traveled by car

You can find out more about the initiative on the Get Mads project site.

3. Green electricity from hydropower

RAIDBOXES uses 100 percent electricity from hydropower. We're aware that not all green electricity is cast in the same mold. That's why we pay attention to the following basic conditions with our partners:

• The electricity comes entirely from plants that generate energy from hydropower. Hydropower electricity remunerated under the feed-in tariff is not included.
• Our electricity is produced exclusively in Europe.
• The criteria are certified by TÜV and are subject to annual inspections

4. Sustainable management

In addition to the offsetting with our green hosting with carbon offsetting, we're gradually implementing a corporate philosophy that focuses on sustainability in all areas. This philosophy includes the following points:

• Goals that don't focus on maximizing profits, but on the benefits for our customers and society. See our vision on the topic in our article on Open Source and Equal Opportunities.
• Environmentally conscious products and materials for our office, sustainable food to supply our employees.
• Employee benefits and the concept of Holacracy. Read more about why there are no more bosses at RAIDBOXES. Support of home office and remote work.
• Fundraising and social commitment of the team, for example for disadvantaged families or on sustainability.
• assistance of Customers and dealers or support of the action #supportyourlocals in the Corona Crisis.
• Internal workshops, for example on Nonviolent Communication (NVC).
• Promoting the mental and physical health of our employees, for example through Mental health.

We'll continue to work on fulfilling our social responsibility. And we hope the models mentioned here will inspire others to act too.

Pictures: Markus Spiske, Taylor Vick, Samuel Zeller @Unsplash