360° Sustainability

Why we moved to a green hosting provider
and why you should too

We made an important shift, not in our physical operations, but in our digital footprint. We moved our website to a green hosting provider, reducing its environmental impact.

Like many, we hadn’t thought much about the carbon footprint of our website until recently. But after coming across a post by Megan Thudium, we realized just how much of a difference it makes.

The hidden CO₂ cost of the internet

The internet may seem intangible, but it runs on energy-hungry data centers. Here’s what that looks like:

  • Data centers consume 2% of global electricity (source)
  • They contribute around 1% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions (source)

Every website visit, search, or video stream requires electricity and the source of that power matters. If a data center runs on fossil fuels, its emissions add up quickly. But choosing a provider powered by renewable energy helps cut CO₂ emissions significantly.

 

How we calculated our website’s impact

Curious about our own footprint, we used Websitecarbon.com to check our website’s emissions.

➡️ 0.45 grams of CO₂ per page view

It may seem small, but with hundreds or thousands of visitors, it quickly adds up. Hosting with a green provider ensures those emissions are dramatically lower or even neutral.

How to choose a green hosting provider

To find a sustainable option, we used The Green Web Foundation tool, which helped identify providers running on renewable energy.

Beyond sustainability, we also considered:

📞 Customer service – Reliable support matters
🌍 Server location – Closer servers mean faster load times and lower emissions
📈 Scalability – Our hosting needs will grow, and we need flexibility
💶 Cost – Because sustainability should be accessible, not expensive

 

Was it easy to move? Not exactly.

Switching hosting providers comes with challenges, and we highly recommend working with someone who has experience. Before making the move, here’s what to keep in mind:

  • Make a full backup of your website to avoid data loss.
  • Expect downtime, your website could be offline or malfunction for a day.
  • Check your email and contact forms, they might stop working and need reconfiguration.

Planning ahead helps ensure a smooth transition, so take these steps into account before making the switch.

A small change with a big impact

Switching to a green hosting provider isn’t a huge operational shift, but it makes a real difference. As businesses, we focus on reducing waste and emissions in the physical world, our digital world should follow the same principles.

What’s powering your website? 

(P.S. A hamster-powered server is not recommended.)

Picture of Casper van der Meer

Casper van der Meer

CEO Upstream Trophies

About the author

Casper is the CEO of Upstream Trophies and has a background in Industrial Design Engineering. Over the years he specialized in sustainable product design, with a special interest in plastic products. He believes that the corporate trophy market is long over due for change.  Creating awards that spark conversations, tell a story and create sustainability ambassadors. The industry needs this shift. Trophies should reflect the future, not repeat the past.

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