Carbon Offsets, What are they Good For?

By Esther M. Bauer

Some hosting companies looking to add an environmentally friendly element to their businesses are looking at carbon offset credits, a practice that raises its own questions

Global warming has made going green a symbol for saving the planet and, by default, a marketing mantra with an increasing impact on web hosting. Businesses that factor anti-global warming practices into their corporate culture want green websites, too, and prefer environmentally responsible hosting providers.

The end-user quest for green has led to increased business for Affordable Internet Services online, a rare case of a hosting provider so green it doesn’t emit any carbon into the atmosphere. Its data center was designed from the ground up to be earth friendly and sun powered via its own solar panels.

But, since few providers have the proper infrastructure or location to retrofit their dirty-powered data centers as solar- or wind-powered, many seek to leave a carbon neutral footprint.

Emissions they cannot eliminate through energy-saving measures, they seek to offset by buying so-called “carbon offsets,” including green tags or renewable energy certificates.

  (more…)

Tags: 3Degrees, AISO, carbon offsets, data center, IDC, NaviSite, renewable energy, solar, ThinkHost