A company that specialises in powering websites by the wind has helped one of Nottingham’s oldest wind-powered operations to boost its online presence.

Make Hay has created a new website for Green’s Mill and Science Centre and is now hosting the website on servers that are powered by the wind.

“Wind power has been harnessed for hundreds of years by windmills and we are delighted that the new website for Green’s Mill and Science Centre is now also being powered by renewable energy by being hosted on Make Hay’s green, wind-powered servers,” said Vicky Stevens, director of Make Hay, a Nottingham-based ethical web designer which runs Green Hosting.

“The powering of data centres and cloud computing run on fossil fuels is coming close to rivalling the aviation industry as a major contributor to global carbon emissions. That is a big deal! Hosting a website on servers powered by renewable energy is a real way of making sure organisations and businesses are kinder to the environment.”

Green’s Mill was built in Sneinton in 1807 by the father of mathematical physicist George Green and is a well-known Nottingham landmark. Run by Green’s Windmill Trust, the mill has just launched a special £225,000 fund-raising campaign on the 225th anniversary of George Green’s birth to help protect the site for future generations.

“Having been set up in 2006, Green Hosting was one of the first and is still one of a few truly green web hosting providers in the UK, and we are proud to host a wide range of charities, businesses and organisations who are keen to reduce their carbon footprint,” said Vicky. “It seems appropriate that Green’s Windmill and Science Centre, which has harnessed the power of wind for so long, has a modern website but is also using the wind to power it.

“We hope the new website will give the fund-raising effort a real boost and help Green’s Windmill Trust to meet its target.”

Make Hay’s green website hosting is powered 100% by renewable energy, all year round. Its Centro data centre, which houses the hosting servers, routers and cooling systems, runs entirely on wind-generated electricity from UK wind farms. Because the energy is supplied via the grid, the power does not stop if the wind isn’t blowing, nor does it need to fall back on fossil fuels. It remains as reliable as ever and as green as always.

Many organisations have switched to wind-powered green hosting, as a way of increasing their corporate social responsibility and improving their sustainability credentials. Green Hosting’s clients include businesses, online retailers, charities, ethical causes, social enterprises, community groups and bloggers.

Jamie Duff, heritage development officer at Green’s Windmill and Science Centre, said: “We are thrilled with our new website from Make Hay and doubly delighted that it is powered by the wind via Green Hosting. It seems entirely appropriate that a place which has relied so heavily on the wind for its operation is also making use of the wind in other areas – and maintaining as low a carbon footprint as possible.”

Green’s Windmill and Science Centre hopes to raise £225,000 for the windmill in George Green’s 225th birthday year and help secure a future in which it can inspire the next generation of scientists, mathematicians, artists and historians. The charity is looking for 112,500 people or organisations to donate just £2 each (or more if desired) to help reach the target. Its Stoneground Pounds fund-raising campaign will ensure it can continue to run the windmill and museum, and provide activities and events loved by children, young people and adults from Nottingham and beyond.

For more information about Green Hosting visit www.green-hosting.co.uk/

For more details about Green’s Windmill and Science Centre, and its fund-raising appeal, visit https://www.greensmill.org.uk/  or www.greensmill.org.uk/support-us/donate/