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As the focus on sustainable energy and environmental responsibility continues to intensify, technology companies are marketing “green” products that help small businesses reduce waste and conserve energy. Rackspace Hosting, an IT hosting company based in San Antonio, Texas, and a long proponent of energy efficiency, has a new service designed to reduce midmarket companies’ overall carbon footprint, marketed as a “carbon calculator.”
The company announced to their customers a new suite of tools that businesses can now use to estimate their total carbon footprint. By utilizing a new “business carbon calculator,” Rackspace customers can access information allowing them to take steps to reduce and then mitigate their global warming impact. NativeEnergy, a provider of carbon offsets and emission reductions and a founding member of the International Carbon Reduction and Offset Alliance, developed the calculator for Rackspace.
“Rackspace is committed to helping our customers meet objectives on all fronts,” said Rackspace CTO John Engates. “This new small business carbon calculator is a valuable addition to our suite of green-focused offerings and will be a benefit for Rackspace and our customers as we continue our efforts to be more environmentally friendly.”
Through the calculation tools, Rackspace customers can access Greenspace Web resources to learn more about climate change and effective steps SMBs can take to reduce their carbon impact, such as reducing wasteful packaging practices and using energy-efficient hardware. Customers will also be able to learn how they can mitigate their global warming emissions by purchasing high quality carbon offsets from NativeEnergy. Businesses can also save their data and track their progress over time with these new tools.
Rackspace’s carbon calculator, which can be viewed via the company’s Web site, is just the latest in a long line of “green” initiatives the company markets; the company designs all data centers with power conservation in mind and also operates one facility on renewable energy, is currently working towards its LEED certification for the company’s corporate headquarters. The company says the carbon calculator is a continuation of Rackspace’s Greenspace initiative, launched in 2007.
“Many companies want to do more to reduce their potential negative impact on the planet,” says NativeEnergy president and CEO Tom Boucher. “Rackspace is not only leading the way, the company is engaging its customers to support real and effective solutions that can help businesses reduce their environmental impacts and achieve corporate goals.”