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
3rd Mar 2026
One of our core values here at Make Hay and Green Hosting is to support charities and good causes that are making a real difference, both gloabally and locally. It’s something we’ve always done since we started back in 2004.
Our current charity partners are Renewable World and Green’s Windmill.
Renewable World enables people to tackle poverty and climate change through off-grid, renewable energy solutions in remote places. Individuals are empowered to change theirs and their communities’ lives with sustainable solutions that build long-term resilience. Each year, since October 2020 we have donated 1-2% of our monthly Green Hosting sales income to Renewable World.
Green’s Windmill is a 19th century tower windmill, museum and science learning centre in Nottingham. And it is so much more than these things too. Green’s Mill offers free and low-cost activities for local children and families. They provide fun and education in a beautiful location which is also one of Nottingham’s most important landmarks. They do it all with a very small staff team and wonderful volunteers. Since 2017 we have given free Green Hosting services and pro bono web design and support to Green’s Windmill.
Alongside further pro bono work and free Green Hosting to other small organisations, including therapeutic gardening and animal rescue, since 2020 we have donated over £11,000*.
This is all made possible by our ethical web design and green website hosting clients. By choosing to work with us, not only are they opting for greener, more ethical web solutions but providing much needed support to projects doing life-changing work.
You can find out more about our ethical approach and impact in our 2024-2025 report.
*£11,359 Since 2020 to year ending 30/09/25 monetary donations and equivalent in free hosting services and pro bono work.
5th Nov 2025
We are delighted to share that we have been awarded ethical accreditation from The GOOD Shopping Guide and we are featured in their list of top 200 ethical businesses (in the Technology category). This means that we have also achieved Ethical Innovator status, demonstrating our commitment to having a positive impact in the The GOOD Shopping Guide's ethical criteria categories, Environment, Animals, People.
About the top 200 list, The Good Shopping Guide says:
"We are proud to endorse these truly ethical businesses as some of the most ethical companies and brands in the world – they are all testament to the power businesses can have to affect positive change."
Our ethical status was independently varified by The GOOD Shopping Guide's research team and we are encouraged that they particularly recognise the core ethos of our business and our contribution to a greener internet via our website hosting, powered 100% by renewable electricity. They also highlighted our work with charities, non-profits and ethical brands to deliver sustainable and accessible websites with a purpose.
The GOOD Shopping Guide have written more about our ethically accredited website design and hosting in their latest news.
3rd Sep 2025
What do you look for in a web hosting partner? Like any relationship, it’s important to notice those green flags that indicate you’ll have a positive experience.
Here are some real-life messages that we’ve received from our clients. They show those green flags perfectly:
Customers stay with them
“The best part of hosting with you was your help with staging my site way back when… now it has had 1000s views and I’m still so happy with your service.”
Besma – Curiously Conscious
Customers endorse them
“I've been using Green Hosting for several years now and always recommend it to friends and contacts who are looking for an environmentally friendly web hosting platform.”
Melissa – The Ocean Writer
Customers return to them
“As an ethical sales agency and community, we want to work with ethical suppliers so when we discovered Green Hosting four years ago we were delighted. When we launched a new sales community hub recently we went no further than to secure our second hosting package with Green Hosting.”
Corinne – Ethical Sales
Your values align
“Just to stay how much we appreciate having an ethical provider hosting our web site at green-action-elt.uk. It’s great to know our web site sits on ethical foundations while we get on with our work promoting environmental sustainability in English Language Teaching.”
Chris – Green Action ELT
Cost effective services
“The price for the hosting is brilliant and I'm glad that the company supports organisations doing work to make the world a better place. I couldn't recommend their services more highly.”
Amy – Sustainable and Social
Pop over to our Clients page to see more positive testimonials ...
8th May 2025
“…I really appreciate the guidance you’ve given me, particularly as this is my first website and there are a lot of decisions to be made…. and you’ve taken the time to explain everything in a way that makes sense and has left me feeling confident editing and adding to my site going forward.”
Check out the full client testimonial at the end of this article.
A new website starter serviceThis year, we have seen a growing number of clients seeking guidance on how to get started with their websites. Most small businesses and individuals want a professional online presence that reflects the quality of their service or product. However, they often find themselves in an 'in-between' position: they want to keep costs down and learn to manage their own websites, but the initial setup and build can feel overwhelming.
At this stage it can be tempting to turn to a website builder service that promises ease and simplicity. But there are many more benefits that you can gain by hiring a professional web designer to get you started.
Because of recent demand, we are now offering the creation of a small starter website as a service. Let us tell you about some of the key benefits.
Starting up involves installing and configuring your website software, applying the necessary security features, actioning accessibility, creating a responsive design and adding structural features that won’t very often change. This is the technically most difficult stage of a website’s life and done correctly will only need to be carried out once for quite a few years. The question is, why take time out of your business to learn this step when we could do it for you?
Once your starter website is built you don’t need to worry about unexpected costs. Whereas website builder services typically increase monthly costs with the addition of simple features. Additionally, once your website is created on a website builder platform it is locked into that service’s hosting and can’t be moved elsewhere. A website at our Green Hosting isn’t only powered by renewable electricity but it is also ‘moveable’ to an alternative hosting provider if you wish to do that at a later stage.
Having a web designer support you in taking your website forward after the initial launch is incredibly valuable. We guide you through good practice, content preparation and website editing so that your website can stay as fresh and professional as it did at initial launch.
Web design is so much more than placing words and pictures on a screen. Use our expertise of over 20 years building more complex websites to help you solve your initial puzzles. This may be around navigation and content structure, look and feel, choice of software, meeting required legislation and so on. You don’t know what you don’t know, right? It’s our job to know.
Do you know about all the responsibilities and legal requirements that come with owning a website? We can guide you when it comes to accessibility, usability, sustainability, security and privacy.
One of our recent starter website clients sums up this service so beautifully and encapsulates everything we aim to achieve:
"I love what you do, your ethics and your approach to the work - the process has been fantastic. From initial ideas to the final published site, you’ve kept me informed at every step, making it clear what was happening and when. I really appreciate the guidance you’ve given me, particularly as this is my first website and there are a lot of decisions to be made. I also appreciate your patience - whilst I’m broadly tech-savvy, there’s so much more to building a website than you first think, and you’ve taken the time to explain everything in a way that makes sense and has left me feeling confident editing and adding to my site going forward.
I’m blown away by the finished result. It looks far smarter and more professional than I would have achieved by myself or with a website builder, and you’ve given me something that’s such a great fit, but that I would never have arrived at alone. For the service, the outcome and the skills I’ve gained for the future - the price is incredibly competitive too.
Thank you 😊"
If this article resonates with you, if you’re looking to get started with a professional website but are not sure how, then get in touch with us at [email protected].
Green Hosting works handsomely with:
Auto-installer now available on all accounts
