Rackspace Offers Carbon Calculator for Greener SMBs

Rackspace, a US-based hosting company with operations in the UK and elsewhere, had the tools developed by NativeEnergy, a provider of carbon offsets and a founder of the nternational Carbon Reduction and Offset Alliance. 

The tools should help customers take steps to reduce their energy use, the company said: “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, like reducing wasteful packaging practices and using energy efficient hardware.  The web site will also sell NativeEnergy’s carbon offsets, and allow businesses to save their data and track their progress over time.

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 centres 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.”