This is a question some of our clients have asked us recently, and it’s a topic we know is becoming more important as organisations seek to be fully transparent about their carbon footprint.
When we were asked how much CO2 a client website produced, we decided to do some digging to really understand the answer! So we got our Web Director, Luke, on the case.
With a little help from our website host, Amazon AWS, he discovered that all of our websites combined used less than 0.1 MTCO2e (metric tonne of CO2) per year. Based on figures available online, this means the annual CO2 emissions of an average Umber Creative website roughly equates to running a 42 watt halogen bulb for one day (if powered by a gas station).
This was a really interesting research project, and reassured us that our websites aren’t contributing huge amounts of CO2 to the atmosphere.
Phew!
However, we’re always looking for ways to improve, so we set about finding out how we could make our websites even greener.
Here’s some top tips we can all follow to reduce our website’s impact on the environment:
The first thing you need to understand is that data centres consume a lot of energy. They run thousands of servers simultaneously and require enough power to keep them cool. Also, should a power outage occur, they need features such as diesel backup generators to ensure service is maintained.
That said, some suppliers do utilise renewable energy. All of our websites are hosted by Amazon AWS, which uses over 95% renewable energy and estimates this will be 100% by 2025.
Videos, large imagery and animation are all common features of most websites these days thanks to faster internet and page load speeds. But do these features, which ultimately require more energy to navigate, result in websites that are great for end users but not for the environment?
The short answer is yes, but if you use these features consciously you can find the right trade off between a feature-rich website and one that is efficient. By doing so you’ll also speed up your website, which is always a bonus!
What are your creative agency’s green credentials? When choosing a creative partner, ensure the build and maintenance of your website will be as green as possible. For example, we’ve invested in green LED lighting, a new energy efficient boiler, new glazing and keep all of our equipment up-to-date to reduce our carbon footprint as part of our on-going plan to reduce Umber Creative’s impact on the environment.
If you’re concerned your website hosting supplier isn’t ‘green’ enough, you can invest in offsetting initiatives. However, we would always recommend you thoroughly research these to ensure they’re delivering what you’re paying for.
Whilst offsetting is a short-term fix, we all really need to be taking concrete steps to improve our industry’s green credentials on the whole.
Whilst these green tips provide food for thought, you should always remember your business needs.
Whilst green credentials are becoming more important, when choosing a supplier we would always recommend choosing one that meets your business needs first. Ensure it’s reputable, reliable and powers your website with optimal functionality. After all, your website is an essential marketing tool and needs to work.
We work with Amazon AWS because they’re a stable platform and we know we can rely on them to provide a long-term service to our clients. We’re obviously happy they’re committed to using renewable energy, but green credentials are just one of many factors we took into consideration when choosing a hosting supplier.
Would you like to discuss how green your website is? Get in touch and we’ll be happy to offer advice.
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