Environment Support

A GREENER GOOGLE

Google is the world's leading search engine.

Google was derived from the mathematical term "Googol", meaning 1 followed by a hundred zeros. The company was founded in 1995 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin who were determined to develop a newfound approach in providing vast information resources to people. They started creating an online search engine inside the walls of Stanford University dormitory and initially scouted for kind-hearted people who could help them raise funds in order to sustain their project. From its small start catering to 10,000 queries a day, Google now serves millions of questions across the globe.

Since Google can be accessed by users at no cost, the company generates its profits through advertising.

Some of Google's features include:

Executive Management Group

Environmental Efforts

Google is committed to a creating a cleaner and greener world and sets the example through a variety of green practices within their own company.

Google's cafeterias serve beef from free-range cows, chicken that is free from hormones, and eggs from hens that are not caged. They cook with a minimum amount of oil and use food that is free from carcinogenic agents such as nitrates. One of their cafeterias, named Café 150, uses ingredients from farms that do not exceed 150 miles from their kitchen. Studies show emission of greenhouse gases in the transportation of food that come from long distances. Café 150 has zero trash volume in their dining area and all containers and cups for take-out are biodegradable. Their water undergoes a process called reverse osmosis which filters out unwanted elements, thus providing healthier and safer potable water.

The company also launched its first mash-up entitled "Summer of Green," an environmental travel guide which includes information about green-friendly tourist spots, maps and hotels across the country. Google's offices support recycling advocacy. They use recycled carpets and their couches are created from recycled materials. Their staircases are made of forested wood. Some steel chairs are made from 92% recycled component and their air-conditioning system has a chemical-filtering system which utilizes 90% air from outside, thereby flushing fresh air from the bay near the vicinity. Most of the toilets are energy efficient and consume minimal water. Their building is designed in a way that the use of natural light is maximized so that rooms would no longer need electric light to illuminate the room during daytime.

Through a partnership with Intel in 2007, Google founded Climate Savers Computing, an initiative in the information technology industry supporting ‘green' computing via both individuals and businesses. The program aims to increase power efficiency in computers and thereby reduce carbon emission by 54 million tons per annum by 2010.

Google also extends its environmental efforts in the aspect of transportation by giving employees points for biking, walking and taking public transportation. They also provide free shuttle rides for employees in the San Francisco Bay Area to their offices in Mountain View. The shuttle buses use biodiesel, a renewable, greener type of fuel. This bus service, though expensive for the company, helps reduce fuel consumption and gas emissions.

Google also donates money to charities chosen by the employees to encourage them to find ways of getting to work other than driving. They provide free bike maintenance once every quarter and they also have bicycles and scooters inside their vicinity should employees want to wander around their lawns. Google also subsidizes up to $5,000 to workers who buy Prius or Honda Civic hybrid cars. Google, via Google.org and its Climate Change Program, also applies a mix of resources to address the climate crisis - investments, grants, policies and public participation. These resources are focused to accelerate the implementation and commercialization of alternative transportation (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles) and vehicle-to-grid ("V2G") applications that reduce fossil fuel use and emission of greenhouse gases.

To add to its being energy-efficient, Google is well underway in its 1.6 megawatt solar panel project at its 978,000 square-foot facility in Mountain View, California. The 9,212 solar panels installed will provide almost one-third of the head quarter's power requirements at peak times. Google also plans to add 50 megawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2012. This is energy enough to power 50,000 homes.

Google Environment Resources