Green hosting or eco-friendly hosting is Internet hosting that involves strategies to reduce the environmental impact of their activities.[1] These may include the increased use of renewable energy, planting trees, plants, and grass around and over data centers, and more day-to-day activities such as energy conservation and the use of energy-saving appliances.[1]
Green hosting may also utilize green marketing to ease consumer concerns, and carbon offsetting, the purchasing of green certificates to offset carbon emissions. A deceitful web hosting service may participate in greenwashing where the eco-friendly marketing term does not reflect reality.
Adoption of green hosting was initially very slow in the early 2000s, largely because the hosting companies who were providing these services initially were doing at premium price. There was also limited awareness regarding green hosting among customers and how it helped the environment. Today, though, the market has changed dramatically, with many hosting companies offering green services at no additional cost. Consumer awareness has also increased. A recent study of 543 US adults found that more than 60 percent of people are more inclined to purchase from an online shop if the website explicitly claims to use green energy. Seventy-eight percent of consumers say that the environmental practices of online shops are important to them and over 70 percent believe that using a green hosting provider is a valid and acceptable way for a website to put across its green image.[2][better source needed]
World Internet usage statistics show that internet usage is still rapidly growing in the U.S.[3] and growing from 400 to 1000% a year worldwide. In fact, in 2005, Jonathan Koomey reported that the total electric bill to operate those servers and related infrastructure equipment was $2.7 billion in the United States and $7.2 billion worldwide.[4] a web server, on average, produces more than 630 kg of CO2 and consumes 1,000 kWh of energy annually. A green host, on the other hand, theoretically has zero CO2. In 2008, it was estimated that if energy consumption due to web hosting keeps rising at the then-current rate by 2020, then the industry would be polluting the planet more than the airline industry.[5]
The percentage of electricity consumption varies between organizations, but the United States Department of Energy estimates that 10 percent of the United States federal government’s electricity use goes to data centers.[6]
A green organization does not necessarily have to have access to green power from wind, water, or solar energy, they can also purchase green certificates to offset the use and cost of conventional energy. Hosting sites that contain Green-e certification labels are organizations that voluntarily adhere to strict environmental guidelines.[7] Other recognized certificates that regularly used in the web hosting industry include The Gold Standard, Green Power Partnership, VCS (Verified Carbon Standard), and Climate Action Reserve.[8]