AB2U Blog

By Kathryn Rees

At Abenefit2u we are always keen to find new ways to make our business more environmentally friendly. We are therefore delighted that the company that hosts our website, 1&1 Webhosting, also have the same principles and have a green energy policy in place.

As a result this means our website, www.abenefit2u.com, is powered by renewable energy. On a bigger scale this means than 1&1 are helping to save 30,000 tons of CO2 produced each year.

Here is some information taken from the 1&1 Webhosting website which details their green policy:

We are proud to be the first large web host who relies solely on renewable energy. 1&1 now utilise wind, water and solar power in accordance with the Renewable Energy Certification System (RECS).

In our European data centres, we currently run some 40,000 servers which consume between 50 and 60 GWh per year. Hence, by switching to environmentally friendly energy we can significantly contribute to environmental protection.

In addition to 1&1’s data centres, two large office buildings (in Karlsruhe, Germany) with 1,300 employees are supplied with renewable energy.

Within 1&1’s data centres in Germany, 1&1 hosts data from customers in the UK, Germany, France and Spain as well as from the email providers GMX and WEB.DE, whose customers will now use ‘Green mailboxes’.

1&1 use energy efficiently
“We not only desire clean energy, but we also want to use as little energy as possible,” says Achim Weiss. “Thus, for example, for many years we have been using highly efficient power supplies with less than 20 per cent heat loss and omit any unnecessary components within our servers. As soon as the outside temperature falls below 10 degrees, we cool our data centre using open-air coolers and that works without energy-eating compressors”. Software too, can help save electrical power – Based on a Linux platform, 1&1 has developed its own operating system that enables the data of up to 10,000 customers fit on one server and thus saves valuable resources.

Abenefit2u are proud to be working with a company that is so committed to utilising renewable energy.

By: Kathryn Rees

I am a big fan of innocent smoothies, not only for the taste, but also for the environmental ethos that the company has. I was particularly pleased when they launched the ‘buy one grow one tree’ campaign. Last year innocent drinks managed to plant 164,020 trees to aid communities in India and Africa and this year they are trying to beat that target.

It was very easy to take part, you simply picked up one of their promotional packs and entered the unique code that was on the back of the carton into their website. Innocent then donates money on your behalf to grow trees on your behalf in India.

To read more about their work visit their website: www.innocentdrinks.co.uk

The promotion had now come to an end (I cannot find any more promotional smoothies in the shops near me!) and I am pleased to say that I was able to contribute 8 trees towards this very worthy cause.

Abenefit2u Fun Run staff have received ‘Recycle your unwanted jewellery’ envelopes from Marie Curie Cancer Care.

As this is their diamond anniversary year, they are asking supporters to help raise funds by donating jewellery they no longer wear or need. The donations will go towards more care for terminally ill patients. Marie Curie Cancer Care provides high quality nursing, totally free, to give people with terminal cancer and other illnesses the choice of dying at home, supported by their families.

Abenefit2u staff have posted off their envelopes, not quite ‘laden with gold’ but a few valuables that will help towards a very good cause.

We thought we would post a blog on this recycling and fund raising idea in case any of our clients or candidates would like to do the same.

Postage free envelopes are available through www.mariecurie.org.uk

Or you can hand in your jewellery (with or without an envelope) to Laura Ashley stores or Marie Curie Care shops in their special collection boxes any time between May 1^st through to July 31^st 2008.

Abenefit2u continue to strive towards a ‘paperless office’.

70% of our the bills and invoices are now paid on line and we are working hard on the other 30% of our suppliers…

We have just upgraded our phone systems this week and were delighted to discover BT’s online billing offer. When we sign up for their on-line paper free billing not only do we make a financial saving of £15.00 a year (and as you know Abenefit2u tries to use it’s end of year profit for good causes as well as ensuring happy employees and a healthy business) but BT will donate a tree for the Woodland Trust to plant on Abenefit2u’s behalf, and here at Abenefit2u we love nothing more than planting trees!