Most of us have at some time or other, received an email from a business signing off with the environmentally friendly message ‘think carefully before printing this email’.

In other words, save paper, save our planet. Sending an email instead of a letter saves on paper, which in turn saves on water and energy waste (in the manufacture of paper). That’s all good stuff.

What about the energy used to send the emails? The energy used up by the millions of servers in the world hosting email, websites and business data round the clock.

In the ongoing battle against rising energy costs and climate change, servers are rapidly emerging into the spotlight. According to Global Action Plan, an average server produces the same annual carbon footprint as a 4×4 that does 15 miles to the gallon.

Thankfully, these days you can opt for green friendly or eco-friendly web and email hosting. A web provider that uses renewable energy, and email providers who offer their customers ‘Green mailboxes’. It’s one of the easiest ways to update your company’s green status with consumers and customers.

Our websites and email are hosted with 1&1 www.1and1.co.uk who utilise wind, water and solar power in accordance with the Renewable Energy Certification System (RECS). They are many more similar providers easily found on Google.