Kenya’s green initiatives have increased in recent years, according to several reports, and the country is looking upon its business sector to make a major contribution in this regard.
There has been a boom of online businesses in Kenya as many retailers, wholesalers, bloggers and corporate entities have taken the internet route to connect with customers, influencers and investors.
There are several options for offline businesses to go green. They can install solar panels, LED lights and make other such additions to appear environmental friendly and reduce their carbon footprint. In the case of online businesses, the options are limited as there’s no physical workspace involved.
If you’re an online business owner from Kenya who’s wondering how you can reduce your carbon footprint conducting this type of business, green hosting is a new option that presents an eco-friendly solution. The server options are the same in green hosting as they are with regular hosting: you have dedicated server hosting, VPS server hosting, cloud options and some basic packages to choose from.
So how is green hosting different from normal hosting?
There are several things that can classify a hosting provider as a green host, but the usual way to point them out is that they rely on renewable energy sources such as wind, hydro and solar. An average server provided by a normal host produces the same amount of emissions as an SUV of 15 mpg. Imagine the contribution you’ll be making to reduce carbon emissions when you eliminate that source of energy.
There are other ways to classify green host providers as well. They’ll have solar powered offices, purchase credits from carbon offsets, engage in environmental friendly activities such as planting of trees, recycling and reusing servers until they become obsolete.
Benefits of green hosting for you
1. Reduce your carbon footprint
As mentioned before, green hosting relies on resources that cause minimal amounts of pollution and degeneration of the environment. This means that the web host allows you to reduce your carbon footprint as you invest in a green venture.
2. Better exposure
Your business will get better exposure through a green web hosting plan. You can display green badges on your website and when customers find out that you’re making an effort to go green, they’re likely to recommend your business to others because they’ll feel you’re making an effort to save the environment.
3. Indirect marketing
Opting for a green web host is an indirect way of marketing your business. When customers are getting the same service, but one of them is using environmentally friendly business practices, they’re likely to opt for the green service. It’s a one-time investment that’s going to pay off later without requiring a lot of investment in other marketing tactics.
4. May get tax incentives
Tax incentives are available for businesses that conduct environmental friendly practices. Green web hosting may get your business classified as green, which means you can get great tax incentives.
Green tech is more than just a fad. It is the future of business–not only as a philosophical ethos, but as a way to manage resources more efficiently and inexpensively.
