Occasionally groups that come to us need help finding a host for their site. One of the recommendations that we often give to US-based non-profits is with a hosting company called Dreamhost. They carbon offset their electricity usage in their datacenters, so they are green[ish], and they also offer free hosting for 501(c)(3)'s.
If you are planning to use a PHP application (such as a content management system), Dreamhost sync's the FTP user with the web user, which makes it extremely convenient to upload files and manipulate them through the web application. The setup on many other hosts would give permissions errors in that case.
If you require your own dedicated server, this plan may not be for you. Essentially what this plan does is carve out some space on a larger server that is shared with other users. For most small or medium sized organizations, this is plenty. (You can also pay a fee for an add-on service to restrict your allotted RAM and/or CPU usage on the shared server to your account alone if you are worried about other accounts on the server hogging more than their share -- sort of a "dedicated server light" plan).
Here are the instructions we send along:
- You will first need to fill out and submit the sign up form for a hosting plan. You must select the option to set up a hosting plan, and not just domain registrations.
- Enter the promo code 501c3
- When you get to the payment page, stop.
- Fax proof of your non-profit status to them at 714-671-9098. Be sure to include your email address you used when going through the sign-up process!
More details:
- "Dreamhost offers a FREE hosting plan to non-profit, charitable organizations registered in the United States..." [Source]
- "Our footprint represents the impact of everything that Dreamhost uses and leaves behind in the course of our daily work. All of the resources that we use - paper in the office, electricity for our 1300+ servers, even the gas in our cars that bring us to the office - leaves behind some kind of soul-sucking residue in the world.
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Putting a price on carbon output is just one way to help make the world a better place. It’s a first step towards true energy sustainability. Organizations large and small are constantly working on reducing their environmental emissions to meet government-imposed (and self-imposed) emissions caps. When they do so a neutral third party then steps in to verify the reduction and issues what are known as “emission reduction credits”.
Companies like Dreamhost can purchase these credits which are then immediately retired on their behalf. This effectively takes them off the market and the money goes toward funding further emission reduction projects. We are not currently able to actually power our servers with the wind or the sun, and this is the next best thing!
...We’ve purchased Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) certified by Green-e. RECs don’t offset electricity-related emissions, but combined with the purchase of regular electricity they do help us to avoid them." [Source]
UPDATE:
We haven't used them personally but we've heard decent things about them, and HostGator also has a non-profit plan of their own (you have to apply for it and see if they accept your non-profit). They also are a green-ish host, buying up Green-e RECs for their usage. Here's the info:
The HostGator Technology Grant provides one year of completely FREE web hosting on HostGator's Business Hosting Plan to all qualifying non-profits that are selected by HostGator management. The Business Hosting Plan provides customers with 1,000 GB of disk space, unlimited bandwidth, and the ability to host unlimited domains. Alternatively, the cash value of the plan ($180) can also be applied as a discount to any other HostGator product or service.
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Qualifying Causes and Organizations:
Companies looking to qualify for the HostGator Technology Grant must clearly serve the greater good. HostGator is most interested in serving 501(c)3 non-profit organizations and other charitable organizations that seek to improve their communities and the welfare of others. Charities and qualifying organizations should be non-political in nature. As a technology company, HostGator is also interested in supporting organizations that work to advance science and technology.
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All of our shared and reseller servers are now 130% wind powered!
That's right! 130%! We're not just neutralizing our environmental impact, we're reversing it!
HostGator has purchased certified Renewable Energy Credits representing 130% of the electricity used to both power and cool every last one of our shared and reseller servers!
*Note: Using some of the links on this the page will indicate that we referred you.
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