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How does green web affect the real world?

05 Apr, 2014

A green web itself is an abstract concept that stresses on ecofriendly designs that do not harm the environment. Yes, websites do emit carbon dioxide and cause ozone depletion in case you are wondering. However if we analyze how a website could be harming the real world, we will have to look into green web hosting that is an ecofriendly web hosting which stresses on minimal power consumption. Power shortage is an issue on a global scale, especially when we are running out of fuel.

Green Web Design

Green Hosting

Green hosting is concerned with carbon offsetting (reducing greenhouse gas emission) and using data centers with renewable energy resources, planting tree around data centers and mainly executing activities for which green customers have to be marketed. It is for a good cause after all.

Green Web Hosting

Why should there be green web design?

Fast spreading awareness of the adverse effect of too much of energy consumption has made many developers and website design companies self-aware and has empowered them to use web design and hosting that is environment friendly. Web designers realize now that complex networks, data centers, personal computers and files on servers call for high maintenance which in effect increases energy consumption. This holds an adverse effect on the environment. And as harsh the truth may be, web developers have said to breed this problem of high energy consumption.

Why is there high consumption?

To cater to the demands of users in this extremely competitive world, building complex and high maintenance database and storage system became a necessity. Aside from good service, it was important to cover data security against worms and hackers. Websites alone take up a lot of power in loading, especially when they have too many images, animations, style sheets, video streaming, etc. that make CO2 emission evident and something uncontrollable. This problem however is not uncontrollable.

As far-fetched and abstract this concept may sound, web design companies (especially ones valuing corporate social responsibility) understand the need to make systems that do not consume too much power while fulfilling the needs of fast accessibility and user experience (also making sure that creativity or the aesthetics of the website is not compromised).

How?

Designers and developers try and reduce unnecessary animation and video from their website and avoid making too many HTTPS calls that would redirect them to different servers. Also by using many reformed style sheets, web designers manage to build sites that support graphical capabilities with minimal power consumption. This term is evolving and more solutions are coming up that allow web designers to optimize on environment friendly solutions. Of course spreading awareness amongst clients is also important to such responsible web design agencies so that the clients understand the need to use environment friendly designs and templates.

Socially responsible web design agencies like 4M Designers take these matters seriously when developing a website. Business aside, one also has to think about the environment and if both tasks can be accomplished successfully simultaneously, what more could a business want?