Rackspace Managed Hosting is a leading high-tech web hosting provider for many Fortune 500 companies, and it has eight data centers located in Texas, Virginia and the UK. Recently the Rackspacers in San Antonio, Texas realized that their fellow employees in the UK were doing a much better job at being eco-friendly. To offset carbon emissions the UK office decided that for every new server the company created it would plant a tree. This got the Americans on their feet to get something done, and now they’re planning on moving into an energy-saving facility that will allow them to offer greener services to their clients.
The Green Move
Next spring the Rackspacers in Texas are going to be moving into a castle! Okay, it’s not literally a castle, but that’s what the 1,400 employee organization calls it. They’re moving into the 221-acre Windsor Park Mall that’s located in San Antonio, and even though it’s an old mall that has been closed for quite a while, it’s going to be the new eco-friendly data center for Rackspace.
The 88,000 square-foot former Mervyns department store is going be a totally green building due to the recycling of 50 tons of aluminum, copper and steel from it. And to top that green effort off, Rackspace is going to fill six trucks full of old doors, light fixtures and windows and donate it to Habitat for Humanity. What better way to recycle for a good cause!
What Makes Rackspace Green?
Rackspace adds up to 500 new data servers every month, and this takes a lot of energy and electricity. The company realized that this drastically increased their carbon footprint, so their solution was to create sustainable office environments that reduced energy consumption and provided green services.
With the help of Native Energy, a Native American energy-efficiency company, and The Green Grid, a group of information technology companies and professionals dedicated to energy conservation, Rackspace is going green, and they’re doing it by using:
- Compact fluorescent interior and exterior lighting
- Soy-based paint for the walls
- Energy-efficient processors
- Recycling bins throughout the building
- Mulch instead of pesticides for their lawns
- Energy produced by burning natural materials
- Biodegradable products in the break rooms
- An environmentally-friendly dry cleaner service
- Eco-friendly cleaning materials
In addition to these green initiatives, Rackspace will soon be offering carbon-neutral web hosting to their clients, and they are going to offset carbon emissions for every new customer they acquire.
A Brilliant Green Idea
One of the reasons why I wanted to write this blog was because of a holiday card that I received in the mail. The concept behind the card is absolutely brilliant! This card from Rackspace says “Seeds-n-Greetings” on the front (catchy title), and inside it says that Rackspace is going green and you can, too! You just have to plant the card.
Now you might be thinking, “How do I plant a paper card?” Well, the planting instructions tell you how very clearly on the back of the card. It says: “This paper is embedded with a handful of annual and perennial wildflower seeds. Plant it undert 1/4″ of loose, well-drained soil. Water twice daily and keep moist until seedlings are established. Germination time is 1-4 weeks.”
Does anything get more eco-cool than a card you can plant? I doubt it. I just want to give kudos to Rackspace for coming up with such an original idea to support their green initiatives.
Get it Global
I think that all businesses, whether they’re large or small, online or out in the public, should adopt these eco-friendly practices. These large corporations burn tons of fossil fuels every month, and if they can set a green example like Rackspace did, then maybe more global corporations will be less of a contributor to global warming. Running a business is more than just making a profit; it’s also about making an impact.
