Hosting websites takes HUGE amounts of energy.  You may not think of it when you sit in your home office and your host serves is located in some other state.  However, if you ever have a chance to go to a corporate office that has their own servers, take a walk in the room.  I guarantee…. it will be sub zero in there, bet you thought I would say hot right? No, they keep it climate controlled at super cold levels so the servers don’t over heat.

Many people choose their web host for various reasons.  Cost, uptime, features available, etc.  Although, you may not take the time to consider where the energy comes from when you are deciding.

There are several options for green hosting, here are a few for you to check out:

HostGator: When I started Eco-Office Gals, HostGator was recommended because I was going to be using WordPress for my platform.  However, when I checked out the site and saw they  had recently made the move to wind powered hosting, I felt it was a good fit for me. My choice has been very satisfying, they have top notch customer service and were quick to follow me on Twitter and offer assistance when I sent out a question to my followers!

The basics:

• 130% Wind powered from local Texas wind farms. They’re not just neutralizing our environmental impact, they’re reversing it!
• Green-e Certified RECs: All of HostGators REC’s have been registered, verified, and retired from the market.

Read more…

Sommer of Green & Clean Mom picked Solar Powered Web Site Hosting provided by AISO.Net

Many hosting companies use carbon offsets or some of their hosting efforts are “green” but with AISO they are 100% solar powered. I had reservations, thinking I would have down time and it wouldn’t be reliable. This isn’t the case but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been glitches. I’ve had WordPress issues that happened to be simple code changes and when there was an issue, I made a call got a human being to talk to and it was quickly fixed. AISO runs on solar panels that run their data center and office. Solar tubes bring in natural light from the outside during the day, making everything about AISO green. Read more here. Besides being solar powered, they are friendly and quick to reply.

Jenn of  The Green Parent uses Dream Host for her hosting:

“Love, Love, Love Dreamhost!  Their service is easy to use, even for folks (like me!) who don’t know their FTP from their PHP.  Their customer service is outstanding, and as a greenie, I’m thrilled that they offer green, carbon neutral hosting.”

Dreamhost, the Basics:

• purchases Renewable Energy Credits and neutralizes unavoidable emissions by investing in Emission Reduction Credits (a.k.a. “offsets”) which guarantee their remaining impact is effectively erased.
• Green-e Certified RECs

Read more here…

All options have plans that run around $5-$10 per month so cost isn’t a factor.  Finding a host that suits you needs and cares about the environment is what matters!

Do you have a green hosting company you recommend? Share some green wisdom below and let us know about it!

All the best,
Jen

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Green Options: Web Hosting

Guest Post by Lori Stewart – Green Gigs

As an Eco-Office Gals reader you are by default, some shade of green. Maybe you are a neon green person that can be spotted coming a mile away in your hybrid car, wearing an organic cotton sweater, and drinking naturally pure water from your stainless steel container. Or maybe you are a pale green person, one who finally switched to natural laundry detergent and realized your clothes still get clean. Or maybe you are like me, moss green – a nice shade of green, but not quite a pure green.
The web is overflowing with advice on how to green your business, food, car, vacation, pet, job, kids, ad nauseam; so much so that I feel guilty for all that I don’t do to help the environment. My shade of green has improved vastly over the last few years, but I still have work to do. So today, I am going to relinquish some of my guilt and share my not-so-green confessions with you:

• Gift Cards – Okay, the holiday season is over. In my wallet I have seven plastic “gift cards” of varying value. Now, some of these “gift cards” are not really gifts, rather, they are the remains of a return – for example, my son’s duplicate birthday present exchanged at a toy retailer netted us $2.74 on a “gift card”. And what happens to these gift cards when and if they are finally used – they get tossed in the trash at the check-out counter! Think of all of those little plastic cards gingerly being electronically filled and depleted then tossed away. What is wrong with paper gift certificates? Somehow I manage to keep paper money in my wallet without losing it; I think I can be responsible for a paper gift certificate. Given the number of times my credit/debit cards have been voluntarily replaced by my bank(s) because of a breach of security, I can’t image these little plastic menaces filling our landfills are much safer than old-fashioned paper gift certificates anyhow.

• Incandescent Lighting – I hate fluorescent lighting – there, I said it. Begrudgingly I have slowly let my husband change one light bulb after another in our house. We are down to the last two – the ones over the bathroom vanity. I can’t let go of those glorious last incandescent bulbs. Frankly, looking in the bathroom mirror at the crack of dawn each morning is scary enough – I certainly don’t need to witness it under fluorescent lighting.

• Reusable Bags – I have yet to catch on to the reusable bag revolution. Each time I go to the grocery store, I see more and more eco-conscious shoppers pulling out their collections of eco-friendly, recyclable, made from recycled products, free of chemicals, fair trade bags. Then I look at my cart full of white plastic bags filled by my barely-of-working-age bagger. I have true guilt here. Skewer me if you must, but frankly, money is tight these days and if I am going to pay anywhere between $1 and $8 a bag for a reusable bag, I want to know it works. Can I wash it when the tomatoes get squished in it after my bagger tosses the bag of cans on top of the bag of vegetables? How many uses can I get out of it before I need to replace it? Are they compact enough I can easily bring them all in to the grocery store? Besides, if I switch to reusable bags, what will I put the dirty disposable diapers in?

Of course, I have more green shortcomings (see diaper comment above), but what shade of green are you? Ease your conscious and share your not-so-green confessions!

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Not-So-Green Confessions

Since I have started Eco-Office Gals, I have tried to flaunt companies growing green.  So what about those of you that don’t have a small business or are not sure what steps you can make towards a greener future? Have you scoured the internet for a business that sounds like something you would enjoy doing to bring in some extra income in this lousy economy? Have you ever considered that there are many out there that aren’t sure how to make those green steps either?

This round of the Mommy Go Green Blog Tour introduces us to a company called Green Irene LLC. Green Irene Eco-Consultants are independent business people who work from home and are distributors of eco-consulting services and dozens of recommended green home products. Green Irene follows a direct sales model, which gives you an opportunity to make a part time professional income doing something you can be proud of.

Green Irene flagship product is their $99 Green Home Makeover conducted in 60-90 minutes. This service covers topics such as energy conservation improvements, energy efficient lighting replacements, water conservation tools, improving indoor air quality and reducing harmful chemicals in the home. After consulting, the Eco-Consultant recommends carefully researched and tested products that will make the home greener and healthier. Through selling these products, Eco-Consultants help implement green home solutions now.

Local Green Irene Eco-Consultants are trained through a web-based video that can be completed over about 16 hours at your own pace and schedule. Green Irene Eco-Consultants help families lead a healthier, safer, and more sustainable lifestyle while saving them money by implementing ways to reduce the use of energy, water and other resources. As a result, Green Irene Eco-Consultants are important parts of their community’s efforts to Go Green.

So, if you have a healthy curiosity to keep learning in an evolving field. You’re comfortable interacting with a homeowner and going thru your consulting plan and explaining your recommendations. You’re friendly, organized, have excellent follow-up and passionate and interested in creating a healthier world, you may be a good match! Be a force for green in your community! Train to be a Green Irene Eco-Consultant!

Update! I received an e-mail from the owner of Green Irene this morning and wanted to share this new information with my readers:

Hi Jen
My wife and I own Green Irene LLC  THank you for participating in Sommer’s blog tour and posting on us. I wanted to mention that our Green OFFICE Makeover launches in January and it is for small offices who want to takes the initial steps to green their offices. Our current Green Irene’s will get that training for free so they can offer services to small business as well as to homeowners.

Sustainably yours, PJ

Grow Green!

Jen

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Mommy Go Green Blog Tour: Green Irene

In today’s era of escalating energy costs and climate change, energy efficiency is the most important aspect of greening your business. You can reap immediate savings by lowering your overall energy use and doing so will automatically reduce your business’s carbon emission footprint. You can also save money in the areas of waste reduction, equipment use, transportation, and building design. Here are 21 green business tips that you can institute quickly and easily in your own business:

1. Set a company policy to shut off all lights, machinery, and equipment when not in use, particularly on nights and weekends. Much equipment is idle and unused for up to 90 percent of its life. Simple inexpensive timer devices can be used to accomplish this task easily.

2. Install low-cost energy monitors that can provide an accurate display of the cost and energy use of individual equipment. Research shows that this step alone can lead to energy savings of up to 40 percent. See, for example, www.powermeterstore.com.

3. Consider using energy-efficient power strips or surge protectors. The latest versions can be found with remote control shut-offs, main shut-offs that can power down peripheral equipment, and motion-detecting shut-offs.

4. Lighting can often account for up to 40 percent of energy costs for many businesses. Install motion-sensor and/or automatic dimming switches for all lighting to be certain that you are not inefficiently lighting areas when no one is present.

5. A very cost-effective upgrade is to replace all of your incandescent lighting with new compact fluorescent bulbs. Your older 1.5″ diameter fluorescent tube lighting should also be replaced with newer 1″ tubes and solid-state electronic ballasts.

6. Install programmable thermostats to automate your HVAC system and to significantly scale back your heating and cooling when your business is not in operation. About 6 months of energy savings generally pay the installation and cost of these units, an excellent return on your investment.

7. Use fans in your business. Comfort is a function of temperature, humidity, and air movement. Thermostat settings of 3 to 5 degrees higher can feel as comfortable with fans.

8. Upgrade the energy efficiency of your older equipment. Modern equipment is much more energy efficient, often with less than half the energy use of older equipment. High-efficiency upgrades for motors and drives for equipment, air compressors, lighting, and other energy-consuming equipment generally have rapid payback periods, often less than one year.

9. Always buy Energy Star qualified products for your business. The Energy Star label indicates the most efficient light bulbs, computers, printers, copiers, refrigerators, televisions, windows, thermostats, ceiling fans, and other appliances and equipment.

10. Travel and transportation costs have been rising rapidly as fuel costs increase. Efficiency in transportation is often an effective way to lower your energy costs. If your business has company-owned cars or a fleet of vehicles, consider purchasing vehicles that are hybrid whenever possible. Check www.hybridcenter.org for the latest information on hybrid vehicles.

11. If your company ships products or is a truck or rail company that delivers these products, look into the EPA SmartWay Transport Partnership. This is an innovative collaboration between EPA and the freight industry to increase energy efficiency while significantly reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution. Hundreds of businesses are benefitting from this partnership. See www.epa.gov/smartway.

12. Develop a company-wide policy to eliminate unnecessary idling of truck engines. One way is by installing auxiliary power units that will heat or cool the truck when stopped, allowing the main engine to be shut down. Wal-Mart installed auxiliary power units on its 6,845 semi tractors and saved $22 million in 16 months.

13. Many areas in the U.S. are facing rising water and sewer costs. Better water efficiency can be attained with relatively simple and low-cost steps. For example, check your facility carefully for any water leaks. If feasible, shut off all water-using outlets and monitor your water meter. If meter is showing water input, you have leaks in your system. Locate and repair any such leaks.

14. Eliminate unnecessary wash-downs or cleaning. Install pressure reducing valves if necessary to reduce high water pressure. This can reduce water use when high-pressure water is unnecessary for a particular use.

15. Install low-flow showers, faucets, toilets, urinals, hose valves, etc. (Zero-water urinals, 1 gpf toilets, and .5 gmp faucets are all readily available. See, for example: www.zeroflush.com). Use Energy Star certified equipment whenever possible to insure the highest efficiency.

16. Computers and their peripherals consume a surprising amount of power. Consider using laptops as desktop computers. Laptops are far more energy efficient and can consume up to 80 percent less energy than equivalent desktops. Inkjet printers use 75 percent to 90 percent less energy than laser printers.

17. Turn your computers off when they are not needed. It does not harm modern computers to be turned on and off repeatedly. Enable power management modes on your computer. These features allow computers to go into lower-energy modes after a certain amount of time. Sleep modes can save up to 90 percent of the energy consumed.

18. Any waste that your company generates is an unnecessary cost. Waste is simply inefficient. Examine all waste generated by your business and look for ways any current waste products can be reused on-site or by other businesses,eliminated or radically reduced. Brainstorm with the employees who are involved in the generation of the waste for fresh ideas. Look for ways to alter your waste generation so that the waste produced can be reused.

19. You can incorporate green business practices into your supply chain by incorporating green specifications into bid or quote requirements where appropriate. For example, you can specify that products contain no hazardous chemicals, that they do contain post-consumer recycled content, or that all plastic components are not painted or varnished, or that all electronics equipment be Energy Star certified.

20. Your business facility itself can be a source of excellent energy savings. Plug all leaks in your building’s outer shell with weather stripping or caulking. Use expandable foam to fill any gaps. If you will be remodeling or building a new facility, check the LEED standards for the latest efficiency techniques. See the U.S. Green Building Council website, www.usgbc.org, for more information.

21. Consider developing a comprehensive green business plan for your business that encompasses energy and water efficiency, waste reduction, transportation, computing and equipment efficiency, building design, and the design and actual operation of your business. Energy savings of 30 percent are easy and cost-effective to achieve and can reach up to 75 percent with a diligent effort.

These tips have been excerpted from “Greening Your Business: The Hands-On Guide to Creating a Successful and Sustainable Business”, by Daniel Sitarz, published by EarthPress. This guide includes a CD with dozens of worksheets, spreadsheet programs, and additional information and is available for $29.95. Please see www.GreeningYourBusiness.org for additional information.

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

21 Best Green Business Tips

Greening Your Business

The Hands-On Guide to Creating a Successful and Sustainable Business

This book is based on four simple premises. First, human civilization faces an array of profound environmental problems that have already begun to negatively affect the foundations of life on this planet-with human-induced climate change at the very top of the list.

Second, business, in all its forms, is the only force on earth with enough reach, clout, personnel, and assets to confront and correct the most serious environmental problems that face humanity.

Third, every single business in the world has both the ability and the opportunity to thrive and prosper by becoming more sustainable in every phase of its operations and, in doing so, become part of the solution to these critical problems.

And finally, though creating a “green” and sustainable business can be an immensely complex task, the basic steps to doing so can be made both straightforward and understandable to any business owner.

This final premise is the task of this book: to provide owners of any business-from the tiny one-person proprietorship to the largest of corporations-a clear and comprehensive road map to creating a business that is part of the solution to our shared environmental, social, and economic problems.

Part One of this book provides a background on the need for greener business practices and the myriad benefits to greening your own business. An overview of the various theoretical approaches to developing sustainable businesses and a quick look at some green business tools are also presented.

The step-by-step method outlined in Part Two of this book provides a blueprint with which business owners may assess their own company’s operations and prepare a comprehensive environmental plan for taking their business green. Every element of a business’s impact on the environment will be examined-energy and water use, waste generation, transportation, computing and office equipment, supply chains and purchasing, building practices, and product and service design. Most importantly, the real-world steps that will need to be taken are presented in a clear, concise, and straightforward manner.

Definition break: When this book refers to “greening” a business, it is a reference to the continual process of moving towards an elusive goal-a business that produces no waste, is adaptable to innovation, uses the minimum of energy, matter, and the least toxic materials, and uses those materials in such a way that they may be easily reused or disposed of with no harm to the environment-a sustainable business.

Although this book can be used by businesses of any size, it is primarily intended for smaller and medium-sized businesses. Many, but by no means all, large corporations are already confronting many of the issues that are considered in this book. Naturally, large corporations have far more assets and personnel to address these issues and many have already adopted many of the practices and policies that are outlined. Additionally, nearly all of the available books regarding green business practices are geared toward the senior management of very large, even multinational, firms. These materials have fostered a dramatic move among these large corporations toward a more sustainable ecological footprint. In many respects, a few of the world’s largest corporations are leading the way toward the greening of business, in particular, Interface Inc., led by its visionary CEO, Ray Anderson.

However, for medium and small businesses-which comprise 90 percent of the businesses in the world and represent more than 60 percent of all global economic activity-there has been little practical guidance available on the basic steps and systematic process involved in greening a business. In the U.S. alone, according to the Bureau of the Census, fully 5.4 million of the 6 million businesses now operating have 20 or fewer employees. In fact, an enormous 60 percent of all of the businesses in America-nearly 3.7 million in all-have fewer than 5 employees. For smaller businesses, both the choice-and the action necessary-to create a successful and sustainable business may be in the hands of a single person. Many small and medium-sized business have already taken great strides toward minimizing their impact on the natural world. Whatever the size of your business and whatever steps you may have already taken, there are many more opportunities awaiting as you begin the journey to a greener and more sustainable business.

To assist you as you begin this journey, many questionnaires, worksheets, and guidelines are provided that are designed to help business owners in the rewarding process of greening their businesses. Many of these aids, as well as other valuable resources, are provided in Appendices A and B and on the CD that accompanies this book. The many ideas, concepts, facts, and statistics noted in this guide can all be found, and further explored, in the publications listed in the bibliography or in the resources noted in Appendix B.

It is the deep desire of those who worked on this project that this guide help to show the way for businesses to save money, save energy, save resources, and maybe-just maybe-save the world.

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Book Introduction: Greening Your Business