With high gas prices, there is more talk than ever about green companies and renewable energy.  And that got me thinking about how “green” ClickBank and its vendors really are.

In the typical ClickBank transaction, the consumer simply downloads the e-book or software from a publisher’s Web site. No goods are shipped. No trees are destroyed to produce paper for books. It’s a nearly carbon-neutral transaction. Sure, some consumers may choose to print their e-books, but most will likely use their computer’s document reader. Outside of the electricity required to operate ClickBank’s systems, the vendor’s pitch page, and the customer’s personal computer, very little energy is spent delivering the product. In addition, a large number of ClickBank’s products address current energy issues. A simple search of ClickBank’s Marketplace reveals a number of vendors who have already developed or tailored their products toward energy-conscious consumers.

But let me share even more about ClickBank’s own portion of this energy equation. One of ClickBank’s data centers, along with its headquarters, is located in Idaho. The state of Idaho is rich in renewable energy. According to official energy statistics from the U.S. government, nearly 80% of Idaho’s electricity is generated from hydroelectric plants. The state also has substantial geothermal and wind power potential.

We design ClickBank’s systems to operate efficiently on reusable, commodity hardware. That means the company can scale to meet future business needs without having to procure expensive supercomputing platforms. ClickBank’s offices are located in regions that are rich in technical talent and active lifestyles. Quite a few ClickBank employees bike to work or commute less than 10 miles. And all of our offices, like most of yours, make efforts to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

So the next time someone starts to tell you about companies making drastic changes to adjust to the “green” economy, tell them you already know and do business with a company that’s been green from the start: ClickBank!