Verified Sustainability Practices
Values in Practice
We don’t like to talk about it, (okay, we do, because we’re passionate eco/tech nerds), but the Internet is a giant source of CO2 emissions. Every cloud-based app, every time we search or ask Alexa/Siri/Cortana/Assistant a question, and every website in cyberspace contributes. This is why NetRaising uses and advocates for sustainable web design and green web hosting options.
The weight and speed of Internet resources are easily measurable, and practices as simple as preprocessing photos, using consolidated or compressed code, and resource caching has a cumulative positive impact on conserving energy. NetRaising meticulously employs a growing set of third-party tools to test each website it develops, striking the best possible balance between speed, energy use, usability, and functionality.
Unlike much of our industry, NetRaising doesn’t universally endorse using “Cloud Hosting” or popular Content Delivery Network (CDN) services for regionally-based nonprofits and schools. We’ve done our homework, and we don’t feel the ends justify the means. Most, if not all of the benefits offered through cloud-based hosting and CDN services can be accomplished through the combination of single-tenant or VPS (Virtual Private Servers) and sound development practices. The main exception would be international organizations with time-sensitive content publishing.
NetRaising’s Reserved Client Hosting currently uses dedicated servers that use far less energy by consolidating sites onto more efficient host machines, and use only high-performance, low-voltage servers, reducing energy requirements and carbon emissions.
After a two year exhaustive search for a green data center option for our servers (that is located on the west coast of the USA, closer to the majority of our clients), we found our current solution near Seattle, Washington. Over 90 percent of NetRaising’s host-server power mix now comes from renewable resources generated by hydroelectric dams, wind turbines, and biogas projects.
NetRaising’s environmental practices are verified as part of the independent international business assessment we complete to maintain our Certified B Corporation® status.
After a decade of working remotely, and another 5+ years of operating out of a professional office, NetRaising returned to being a fully-remote workplace in 2019. Our whole team operates from virtually-connected home offices and we only commute to meetings now about once a month, significantly lowering our carbon footprint.
Our Back Story
NetRaising’s founder, Kurt Deutscher has taught environmental science and leadership skills for Multnomah Education Service District’s Outdoor School, served as the executive director of the Environmental Federation of Oregon / EarthShare Oregon and has been practicing the art and balance of environmental sustainability for over 40 years.
Megan McFarland-Waldrop is an avid hiker, kayaker, and vegetable gardener. She does her best to minimize plastic waste and maximize composting in her own home, and as part of her commitment to ethical consumerism, Megan helped write NetRaising’s Employee Handbook Purchasing Guide, which includes a list of environmentally-friendly products and resources.