How it works
tickgreen makes it easy to neutralise the impact a website causes to the environment. Below is a simple illustration showing how a website impacts the environment by consuming electricity. More detailed information is below. 
Computer servers are at least as great a threat to the climate as SUVs or the global aviation industry
- New Scientist, December 2007
By signing up with tickgreen old, cleared land is reforested, which helps remove carbon from the atmosphere. Then you get to show the world that your website is green by displaying the tickgreen badge. 
More information
Websites use electricity
What happens when I sign up?
Step-by-step, what is the process?
What will the badge look like?
Can the badge be clicked?
How do I know the carbon credits have actually been used for me?
Websites use electricity
Every website on the internet is hosted on a web server, which is a specialised computer that typically remains switched on 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. These machines process large amounts of data and consume a constant stream of electricity whilst functioning.
The production of this electricity, which is generated in power plants, results in large amounts of carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas held responsible for global warming, being released into the atmosphere.
Interesting fact: In Australia alone there are around 173, 422 web servers. A basic web server has a power consumption of around 100 Watts and is responsible for almost a tonne of carbon dioxide emissions every year. This means that Australia's web servers produce at least as much carbon dioxide as 35, 000 cars!
(Web server statistics source: www.securityspace.com)
What happens when I sign up?
When you sign up with tickgreen we process your payment securely and then purchase the highest quality carbon credits on your behalf. These carbon credits are created by trees being planted – trees which accurately and measurably remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere via a process called sequestration.
Our carbon credits are issued by the New South Wales Government of Australia and are generated, traded and regulated under NSW law. Each credit removes a single tonne of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for 100 years. This is a stronger requirement than for a Kyoto-compliant credit, which is required to abate the carbon dioxide for only 30 years.
The supplier of the credits, Forests NSW, has a carbon pool that is audited annually to ensure that every carbon credit issued corresponds to one tonne of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere for 100 years.
So you can rest assured that when you buy your tickgreen certificate you are directly and effectively removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping reduce greenhouse gas levels and genuinely making your website green.
Step-by-step, what is the process?
- Visit our easy signup page and select the plan most appropriate for your website
- Fill in your details and pay using our secure online payment system
- Choose the tickgreen badge you would like to display on your website
- Paste the special tickgreen code into your web pages to display your badge to the world (or get your web designer to do it)
What will the badge look like?
We provide you with a choice of five badges that you can place on your site. After you have signed up you get to select the ones you like and then you can place them anywhere on your website. Some people like to place their various accreditation badges along the bottom whilst some like to make them more prominent. Below are two screenshots to give you an idea of how the badges can be placed.
Can the badge be clicked?
Yes! When the badge is clicked a new window is opened containing a message to verify that your website is authentically green. Only tickgreen members get access to this advanced functionality which works in a similar way to the "click to verify" secure certificate badges, such as the ones issued by Thawte, Verisign and Geotrust.
The above image shows a scaled-down sample of the popup window that appears when users click your tickgreen badge. This advanced verification functionality is included with all tickgreen badges and shows that your website is genuinely green.
How do I know the carbon credits have actually been used for me?
When you sign up to tickgreen, we purchase the relevant number of carbon credits from our accredited supplier Carbon Planet. They then place the carbon credits in our tickgreen account within the greenhouse gas registry at www.ggas-registry.nsw.gov.au. The credits are retired, which means that they can never be resold. If you would like your credits to be registered in your own account within the registry please contact us before ordering online and we will gladly arrange this.
If you have more questions please visit our FAQ page.