We’re climate positive – but what next?

Earlier this year, we became a climate positive coffee roastery. But we don’t just want to tick a box to say ‘done that’.

We are genuinely passionate about sustainability, so we began thinking… what else can we do to keep Two Chimps green?

Fast-forward over several weeks of research, and we’ve found the answer: green web hosting! Don’t worry if you haven’t heard of it before; until a few months ago, neither had we! But now we’re proud to be a climate positive coffee roastery with a lovely, green-hosted website. ?

So, the internet isn’t good for the planet?

Everything is online today, and we often pat ourselves on the back for switching to the ‘puter. Internet banking saves on paper statements, ordering the groceries online reduces single-purpose journeys… the list is endless.

But can it really be possible that all this googling and scrolling and web-browsing has no visible impact on the environment? Well, no. Unfortunately not. The internet isn’t a bottomless pit that just keeps chugging out Google searches. You might not see emissions puffing from your screen, but that doesn’t mean web searches are planet friendly.

How does the internet use energy?

Every internet search or website scroll uses energy. On average, a web page will emit 6.8g of carbon dioxide every time it loads. It depends on the page you’re viewing; those with more gizmos will generate more emissions, while standard websites emit less. But when you think about the 2 billion computers in the world and the 40,000 Google searches made every single second, that 6.8g soon adds up to a staggering figure my not-very-mathsy head is unable to comprehend.

The internet isn’t invisible; the ‘cloud’ isn’t some whimsical platform floating in the ether. Data is actual stuff and takes up space. Think of it as a house. The internet is powered by data centres, which are massive tower block-like buildings packed with servers. Every website lives in one of these servers; it takes up a little apartment in the tower block. Data centres devour energy and use an amount similar to that of 65 power stations every year. They also use approximately 1% of the global electricity supply.

What’s all this energy used for? Firstly, it’s used to power the machines. And they need a LOT of power. Keeping the world online is no small task. Secondly, all the number-crunching and data-bashing cause the machines to become hot, meaning coolers are needed to keep the servers at a safe temperature. Like the machines themselves, these coolers need huge amounts of fuel.

We post coffee, now we host green!

Much like powering your home, businesses can choose which fuel they use to power their websites. We’ve opted green to make sure our Two Chimps Coffee website is juiced by renewable energy. So that little portion of server space we take up? It’s powered by green energy.

It’s not just as simple as sticking a wind turbine next to a data centre, however. Eco data centres also plant trees and collaborate with sustainability projects to offset their carbon emissions. They ensure their servers are as efficient and up-to-date as possible and also source alternative cooling methods. Using naturally cold ‘free cooling systems’ is an option, with some green data centres building locations in colder climates rather than relying on power-burning chillers.

Why does it matter to us?

Along with awesome, freshly roasted coffee, we’re passionate about keeping the world green. Green web hosting was a learning experience as, like most googlers, we assumed the cloud to be some spaceless, shapeless thing that didn’t produce emissions. But we’re always ready to make changes to keep Two Chimps sustainable from the first click to the final cup!

If you’re looking for climate positive coffee to power your tastebuds, check out our awesome online shop.

See the range!