WHC Joins the Green Business Bureau to Help Create a More Sustainable Tomorrow

Every small business needs a strong online presence and reliable web infrastructure to run applications like email. In Canada, more than 60,000 of these businesses rely on Web Hosting Canada (WHC) – a privately owned, Canadian web infrastructure company and one of the greenest hosting companies in North America. The WHC team is passionate about offering the highest standards in hosting service, reliability and security, but is just as passionate about sustainability and running a green business. They recently joined the Green Business Bureau to certify the impressive sustainability work they’ve already completed. They also plan on partnering with GBB to complete new initiatives and demonstrate their commitment to sustainability to both their customers and employees.

100% Green-Powered Cloud Infrastructure

Web Hosting Canada’s core business relies on running thousands of energy-consuming computers to power thousands of web sites and applications. Unlike most North American Cloud providers that power their data centers with energy made from traditional energy sources including burning fossil fuels, 100 percent of the WHC’s cloud infrastructure is powered by green energy. Reducing the carbon footprint of their data centers was a top priority for the WHC team, so the company powers all its servers and systems using renewable energy from their Canadian hydroelectric grid. Today, WHC proudly hosts all of their customers in this eco-friendly way.

“Green should not just be a buzzword. Businesses and individuals need to do their part to neutralize mankind’s negative impact on our planet’s health. The time for action is now,” said Emil Falcon, CEO of Web Hosting Canada. “By joining GBB, we hope to be more effective at communicating our values, our green initiatives, and to help consumers make informed decisions when choosing the businesses they work with.”

Obsessed with Energy Conservation

In addition to using green energy to power their data centers and core hosting business, WHC also streamlines its power consumption through 3 key initiatives, including:

• Effective use of virtualization to minimize the number of separate power-consuming servers needed to operate websites and applications.
• Use of Solid-State Drives (SSDs) that use less than 15 percent of the power consumed by older spinning hard drives.
• Use of natural cooling from outdoor air or water-cooling systems to minimize the need for energy-hungry Air Conditioning systems.

All these initiatives reduce the power needed to run their business and reduce their carbon footprint. But like many green initiatives, these investments also significantly reduce their operational costs and help drive an increase in profitability.

Joining Forces with the Green Business Bureau

Web Hosting Canada decided to partner with the Green Business Bureau for several key reasons. The company was looking for a way to assess, validate and certify the sustainability efforts they already completed and plans to use the GBB EcoPlanner to help them become even greener. Just as important, WHC needed a more effective way to communicate their values and their green initiatives to their customers and employees and plans to use the GBB membership as a way to create more awareness of their commitment to sustainability. They also wanted to help small and medium-sized businesses make informed decisions when choosing the businesses they work with. WHC plans to participate in local activities to increase visibility for the important cause of sustainability across their community, and is also working with GBB to promote the value of sustainability to their customers’ businesses and their eco-friendly journeys.