22nd Jul 2026
You’ve got the sustainable business, the eco organisation, an environmental charity. You’re making green choices in your supply chain, your banking, your products, your travel… but what about your website?
The place where our digital output is stored and the things we consume online may be referred to as 'the cloud' but it is far from the weightless images it may evoke. In fact it is actually made up of massive data centres that eat up 1-2% of the world’s electricity and are responsible for nearly 4% of global carbon emissions.
To lead a sustainable business or organisation it is just as important to address your digital impact as well as the physical.
Here are 3 easy and effective ways
Your website lives on a server in a data centre, which has to be powered and cooled 24/7, 365 days of the year. According to the Green Web Foundation, still around half of websites checked show no evidence of being powered by renewable electricity. Switching to a verified green host means that your website will be powered from a renewable energy source. This doesn't affect its reliability or uptime, it simply relates to the energy supply of the data centre.
Switching to a green host is the most impactful thing you can do to reduce your website's emissions and make it more environmentally sustainable.
Check to find out if your website is powered by renewable energy.
Digital storage takes up physical space and energy. The more e-mails you have and the more photos, videos, pdfs and plugins your website has, the more server space needed. The more servers, the more data centres... You get the picture. Save energy and resources by deleting anything you don't need. A less data heavy website is a more efficient one too!
Images and videos are the types of media that will likely use the most space and energy on your website. Check the file size of your photos and resize if they are huge. A photo can be two different file sizes and look exactly the same to the human eye, so anything extra is a waste. For videos, stop the auto-load and give your website visitor the choice to play it or not. As well as making your website cleaner, the two actions can also make it faster and more accessible to a range of visitors.
We spend too much of our lives online to ignore our impact there, espcially if living green values is important to you. Every pixel makes a difference!
Get in touch with us to find out how you can make your website greener. Or if you are looking to create a new website, here is a great place to start.
6th May 2026
It is incredibly easy to think of your website, and the web as a whole, as an invisible "cloud" floating in a digital space. But the reality is much more tangible. Every website is powered by physical resources: servers, routers, expansive data centres, and the heavy-duty cooling systems required to keep them running. All of this physical infrastructure demands a massive amount of electricity. As website owners, considering where that power comes from and how efficiently it is used is the first step toward a greener internet.
So, what does a sustainable physical foundation for your website actually look like? Let's take a look inside our Green Hosting...
Powered by 100% renewable energyThe London-based data centre which houses our Green Hosting servers, routers, and cooling systems runs entirely on renewable energy. This power is purchased directly from wind, solar, and hydro sources.
However, true sustainability is about more than just sourcing green power, it is about respecting it. Our data centre isn’t wasteful with that green energy. In fact, it has achieved an outstanding Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.09, making it one of the most efficient data centres in the world.
By only using as much power as you need, reducing waste, and designing systems that require less power from the start, we reduce the demand on precious natural resources and the infrastructure that supplies it. This, in turn, can allow for more widespread use of renewables and potentially lower energy costs. For us, it always comes back to being part of a wider movement for positive change, for people and the planet.
How does our data centre achieve this incredible level of efficiency? It comes down to its intelligent design and build.
Firstly, servers get very hot. To keep them cool, the facility employs ‘evaporative cooling’, which works by running air and water via EcoCooling units. Simply put, outside cool air is passed through water which evaporates and makes the air even cooler. On cold days (which are quite common in the UK!), the water isn’t even needed, and on hot days it can easily handle the strain. Most importantly, this type of cooling uses no refrigeration or harmful chemicals.
In addition, the data centre applies ‘cold aisle containment’. This clever design ensures that the hot air produced by the servers and the freshly cooled air are kept strictly separate, meaning the cooling process isn’t compromised.
And it doesn’t stop there. This facility has plans to add its own roof-mounted solar panel array, providing additional on-site renewable energy.
Here at Green Hosting, we work to make a positive impact by diverting websites and e-mail services (hundreds to to date) away from fossil fuel-powered hosting services to our 100% renewable energy-powered service. We also continue to proudly promote renewable energy hosting and our clients who choose it.
Switching to Green Hosting means that our clients’ websites are directly helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but that’s not all. Together, through our consumer power, we are sending a strong message to utility and data centre companies that website owners want more clean energy.
If you'd like to know more about switching your website to Green Hosting, get it touch. It is much easier than you think!
16th Apr 2026
A recent YouGov study highlighted a clear message from the British public: industries are falling short on environmental responsibility. Across various sectors, only 9-11% of consumers feel businesses are making sufficient efforts toward sustainability, while 60% view climate change as the greatest threat to civilisation.
Consumers care about the environment, yet there is a strong perception that business owners are not doing enough to protect it. And that sucks.
There is one impactful step to greening a business that is often overlooked, and that is its website. This can equally be one of the easiest and most cost-effective areas to improve.
Every website needs to be hosted, but many are still reliant on servers powered by fossil fuels. By migrating your website to green hosting (powered 100% by renewable energy) you can significantly reduce your digital carbon footprint.
Making the switch is incredibly accessible. In fact we provide a switching service. Even better, the transfer can be made for as little as £25 and completed in one day.
If you are exploring ways to reduce your organisation’s environmental impact, get in touch with us and we'll be more than happy to help you.
23rd Mar 2026
Make Hay Ethical E-media and Green Hosting is now officially accredited by the Good Business Charter (GBC).
This is an important step for us to demonstrate that our business acts responsibly across the board - for our staff, our customers, our suppliers, society and the planet.
To gain accreditation we commit to and gave examples of our good business practices in 10 areas. Those are:
The Good Business Charter is essentially a benchmark for positive business in the UK and a credible signpost that stakeholders can trust.
We love the ethos of the GBC, that responsible business doesn’t need to be complicated or niche. It’s simply about treating people fairly and doing the right thing. We have worked this way from the start of our business journey, so we are delighted to now be in good company of other businesses with this accreditation. You can find our accreditation certificate here.
The Good Business Charter collaborates with TUC (Trades Union Congress), IoD (Institute of Directors) and FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) and has partnerships with Investors in the Environment, Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, Fair Tax Foundation and more. Together with the GBC accredited businesses they are working to raise the bar even higher encouraging more businesses to commit to operating responsibly.
Find out more at goodbusinesscharter.com
17th Mar 2026
For charities, NGOs, local authorities, and ethical businesses, your website is the front door to your mission. But the internet is responsible for around 3-4% of global carbon emissions (that of the aviation industry!) and poorly designed sites often exclude the very people you are trying to support.
If you are working towards a better world, your digital footprint shouldn't undermine your real world impact. This is where ethical web design comes in.
Building a clean, low-impact website helps amplify your message by:
- Reducing your digital carbon footprint through streamlined code and green hosting.
- Championing accessibility so your vital services are usable by everyone, regardless of disability or internet speed.
- Building deep trust by rejecting manipulative "dark patterns" and protecting user privacy.
Your digital space should be as compassionate, inclusive, and sustainable as the causes you champion.
If you are ready to align your online presence with your values, do get in touch with us at makehay.co.uk
Green Hosting works handsomely with:
Auto-installer now available on all accounts
