Go Green with Web Hosting Canada on Earth Day

Earth Day, a reminder to take time and think about how our actions affect the world we share. But while we examine our own transportation habits or ponder how to make our homes more energy efficient, why not take a moment to think about going (or being) green on the web?

We often think of the virtual world as being separate from our own but the Internet runs on servers that consume electricity, causing a real world environmental impact. Since 70% of Canadians believe reducing the energy we consume is important, choosing a green hosting provider can play a part.

What sets a Green Web Hosting provider Apart from Another?

Cloud and hosting providers can substantially reduce their carbon footprint by optimizing their operations in 3 important areas:

1. Type of power: fast servers require electricity to run but where that electricity comes from makes a big difference.

   Coal creates roughly 200 pounds of CO2 per KWH, natural gas 130 pounds, while wind, solar and hydro produce near-zero CO2 emissions.

   Web Hosting Canada datacenters rely almost exclusively on Hydroelectricity, generating substantially lower emissions.
2. Type of servers: Just as light bulbs have become more energy efficient (LEDs consume roughly 75% less energy than halogen bulbs), so too have servers.

   The two main types of storage on servers are mechanical drives (also called hard drives) and solid-state drives (SSD). With no moving parts, greater speed and efficiency, SSDs generally use only a third of the energy needed for hard drives performing the same task.

   WHC uses energy-efficient SSD storage on its Web Hosting and Cloud servers, and is an available option on all dedicated server plans.
3. Type of Cooling: While operating, servers produce a significant amount of heat and require cooling to ensure optimal performance.

   Air conditioning is a great invention for people but not for the environment. A 2.5 ton central air conditioning unit consumes about 3500 watts per hour while a ceiling fan consumes 15 to 90 watts per hour. The type of cooling system that a datacenter uses drastically affects its environmental impact.

   WHC's datacenters ensure energy-efficient cooling with natural outdoor air and water cooling systems.


And that’s not all!

4. Web Hosting Canada is an official partner of the Green Business Bureau and their efforts to create a more sustainable future.
5. We’re saving trees by going paperless. You’ll never get a paper bill from us (so make sure your email works! :)
6. WHC incentives employee use of public transit or Bixi, Montreal’s public bicycle program.
7. We recycle (doesn’t everybody by now?)

How to Get Your Green Hosting Badge

As a Web Hosting Canada client with an eligible green hosting service, you can proudly display a green hosting badge on your website. We supply a variety of badges which will let your visitors know that your site is eco-friendly.

Adding a green hosting badge to your site is simple:

1. Log in to the WHC client area and click on My Profile in the right side of the menu.
2. Select My Green Hosting Badge from the dropdown.
3. You’ll be taken to the badges page. Scroll down until you see one you like.
4. Click the “copy” button above the code snippet for your chosen badge. The code will be automatically copied to your clipboard.
5. Paste the code in the desired location on your website. If you’re using WordPress you’ll want to put it in a code block.
6. Review the badge on your site to make sure it looks the way you intended, and you’re done!

Let’s work together to make Canada Green.

Happy Earth Day from the WHC team!