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Google goes for the green
Google Inc aims to voluntarily cut or offset
all of its greenhouse emissions by the end of the year, the Web search leader said. Google is one of a number of companies, including News Corp and Yahoo Inc that are attempting to cut emissions of gases scientists link to global warming.
To make the cuts, Google is investing in energy efficiency, renewable energy like solar, and will purchase carbon
offsets for emissions it cannot reduce directly, the company said.
Reducing our Footprint
Reducing our Carbon Footprint
Improving Efficiency
Utilizing Renewable Power
Investing in Carbon Offset Projects
Reducing our Carbon Footprint
With hundreds of millions of Google users, it takes extensive computer infrastructure
to keep our tools and services running. And that takes a lot of electricity. Generating that electricity requires energy, and as our
business grows, we want to make sure we minimize our impact on the Earth's climate. So we’re taking every step we can to produce
electricity using renewable energy resources that don't add to the production of greenhouse gas emissions.
As part of that responsibility, Google has committed to being carbon neutral. To honor our pledge, we’re taking a three-step approach. We are
first looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint by increasing the energy efficiency of our own operations. We are then thinking about the
sources of our electricity. To that end, we decided to focus on working
towards a goal of making electricity from renewable sources cheaper than from coal.
Improving Efficiency
Efficiency and innovation are central Google values. From our very first servers to our latest-generation data centers, extracting maximum
performance per watt of consumed power has allowed the scale and scope
of our services to grow exponentially. It’s good for the environment and good for business, too.
Utilizing Renewable Power
Google believes that renewable energy is a critical component of a clean
energy future; as a result, Google.org launched RE<C, an initiative aimed at creating
utility-scale renewable electricity that is cheaper than coal. We have a
goal of producing one gigawatt of renewable energy capacity – enough to power a city the size of San Francisco – in years, not decades.
Investing in Carbon Offset Projects
At this time, our work to improve efficiency and generate renewable energy doesn’t cover Google’s entire carbon footprint. That’s why we
also fund projects around the world that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We look for projects that provide a clear plan for monitoring
and verification of results by third parties so we can be certain that the reductions are real and permanent, and that the projects we buy
credits from go beyond what would have happened anyway. Through this requirement, we are able to ensure that our investment makes a real
difference in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
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Plug into a Greener Grid: RE<C and RechargeIT
A significant amount of global greenhouse gas emissions are generated by
coal-fired power plants and vehicles. To slow global warming, we must
radically – and quickly – cut these emissions. Plug-in vehicles offer a
major opportunity to reduce oil use and corresponding emissions while
renewable energy sources – solar, wind, geothermal and
others – could supplant a major portion of the planet's electricity generated from coal.
Develop Renewable Energy Cheaper Than Coal (RE<C)
RE<C will work to develop electricity from renewable energy sources that
is cheaper than electricity produced from coal with a goal of producing
one gigawatt of renewable energy capacity – enough to power a city the
size of San Francisco – in years, not decades. As part of this effort,
Google.org is making strategic investments and grants, advancing key
public policies, and using Google products to unlock critical information.
RechargeIT
Through our RechargeIT project, Google.org
is working to accelerate mass commercialization of plug-in vehicles by
seeding innovation, demonstrating technology, informing the debate, and
stimulating market demand. In June 2007, we officially launched this
project by unveiling our plug-in demonstration fleet , debuting Google's 1.6 megawatt solar installation
and announcing over $1 million in grants to support plug-in vehicle
adoption.
Plan for Educators
* Education Home
* Tools for your classroom
*Geo Education Home*
* Getting Started
* Classroom Ideas
* Community
* Classroom activities
* Classroom posters
* Google Teacher Academy
* Teacher Community
Geo Education Home
Welcome to Google's Geo Education site, where you will find helpful
information on using Google Earth, Maps, Sky, and SketchUp in your K-12
classroom. For years, this suite of products has been identified as a
powerful learning toolkit that can help your students conceptualize,
visualize, share, and communicate information about the world around
them. The Google for Educators team hopes these tools will empower you
to bring the world's geographic information to your students in a
compelling, fresh, and fun way.
Google Earth
Google Earth continues to mesmerize young people with its ability to put
the world's geographic information at their fingertips. Teachers across
the globe have created engaging classroom activities that go beyond
geography to teach literature, history, math, environmental science, and more!
Google Maps
Google Maps, used daily by millions around the world, can be used in the classroom to explore subjects ranging from physics to environmental
science. With just an internet connection and your imagination, your class can collaborate to build a MyMap of favorite museums or roam the
sidewalks of distant cities with StreetView.
Google Sky
Whether you teach astronomy or simply want to bring the wonder of the
night sky to your students, Google Sky provides an unprecedented look at
millions of stars and galaxies. Complement your field trip to the
planetarium by showing the solar system in your classroom.
Google SketchUp
With Google SketchUp, anyone can create, modify and share 3D models.
Whether your students choose to recreate distant landmarks or model the
world around them, they will look at design in a whole new way. |
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