Houston-based HostGator has announced they have successfully green-hosted 1.3 million websites across the country. The environmentally-friendly process involves HostGator purchasing Green-e certified Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) from a Texas wind farm. According to the press release, this provides 130 percent of the electricity used to power and cool all of its shared and reseller servers.

"We're in a position to be part of the solution to climate change, rather than part of the problem," said Brent Oxley, president and CEO of HostGator.com. "We're looking five, 10, even 20 years into the future. Both individuals and businesses are already beginning to look for ways to reduce their climate impact, and green hosting is a simple way to get started. We have faith that over time the public will respond to what we're doing.

Figures estimate that three to four percent of all electricity consumed in the United States goes to powering the IT sector. HostGator's service going green is the equivalent of:

• Removing 444 cars from the road for a year, or
• Powering 321 homes with clean energy for a year, or
• Saving 5,654 barrels of oil, or
• Protecting 551 acres of forest for a year.

Learn more about getting your website green.