Google has been a pioneer in sustainable practices from as early as 2007 when it became the first major company to become carbon neutral. Then in 2010: the first tech company to buy renewable energy at scale. Google is now pledging to become entirely carbon free by 2030 – this means that every email you send, and every social media page you doomscroll through, will be powered by data centres that are supplied by clean energy 24/7. So how sustainable is Google really?
We zoom in on some exciting technology-based solutions and products to understand how Google is making the greener choice for individuals, governments, businesses, and even nonprofits.
From increasing sustainability and accessibility in the mobility sector to monitoring forest health through consolidated data, Google’s supporting the green transition one tool, partnership, and funding at a time.
Our founder and Host of Live Wide Awake Podcast, Stephanie Dickson, sat down for a chat with two incredible women powerhouses: Victoria Wong, Head of Engineering for Geo Mobility at Google, and Grace Chua, Corporate Communications Manager at Google.
In the episode, they talked about Google’s history of sustainability and its ambitious goals for 2030. And why technology is great for sustainability but must be used in a responsible way. We’ve featured the products/tools mentioned during the podcast below, but do check out the full conversation; it’s super inspiring, and in this age of climate tech for good, you probably don’t want to miss its insights.
Let’s get on to some cool tools and resources you probably haven’t heard of…
1. Environmental Insights Explorer
Nearly 42 cities worldwide are using this free tool meant to help city governments measure their carbon emissions and get data insights about their environmental impact. The Explorer (EIE) uses exclusive data sources and modeling capabilities to run analyses and identify strategies to reduce emissions, creating a foundation for effective action.
2. Eco-friendly Routes on Google Maps
Another well-received tool is eco-friendly routes on Google Maps. Rather than resorting to routes available by car, the app provides routes to travel by public transportation, bike, or foot, depending on the availability of options and user preferences. Essentially, it functions by taking a very large dataset from local authorities and using artificial intelligence to actually show people the relative fuel and energy savings along with the estimated arrival time so that people can use that information to choose the route that works best for them. The one with the most efficient fuel and energy savings and the best estimated time of arrival appears as the top choice for the user, with a little green list that makes it very easy to navigate while driving. This tool has done wonders in reducing mobility emissions and is a great example of how individual actions may seem minor, but in aggregate, they have a significant impact on our environment!
3. Google Earth Web
This absolutely gorgeous tool lets you search for high-resolution images/clips by searching the location and time (click on the clock and select the year). If you’re on the site, head to Voyager on the left-hand menu, which will take you to the time lapse! Search the planet and country, and then hit play and scroll to see how it changes over time. The alternative to this is Google Earth Pro, another tool that is available offline as well. If you need high-resolution videos, you can head over to Earth Timelapse Video Downloads.
4. Global Forest Watch and Fishing Watch
Global Forest Watch is a forest monitoring space designed for action, featuring the latest data, technology, and tools to empower people to protect forests. The user interface lets you narrow down by country stats and even sends new alerts on deforestation and fire alrts. Interestingly, governments have been using this to protect diversity in the Amazon, where they’re able to detect illegal gold mining and logging in protected areas within days.
Global Fishing Watch is revolutionising ocean monitoring and analysis. With it, you can now track fishing vehicles through the open-access picture of global fishing activity that would have been out of reach just a few decades ago. Using satellite technology and machine learning, Google is advancing ocean governance through increased transparency about what human activity at sea is like. By 2030, Google aims to monitor and visualize the impact of ocean-going vessels, which we think is really critical for holding industries accountable.
5. Timelapse
You’ve probably seen people use Google Earth to explore Earth or other planets. Now, get this: 24 million satellite photos from the past 37 years were compiled by Google so that people could watch how climate change unfolded across nearly four decades. That’s Timelapse for you. Furthermore, Google has created a truly inspiring 4D experience that makes visualization both enjoyable and educational!
6. Culture Meets Climate Hub
Culture Meets Climate Hub was developed by Google’s Arts and Culture team in partnership with museums and universities from all around the world. It is an online site where you can find interactive projects and watch artists interpret climate data in a digestible manner. If you are someone who is very curious about learning more about the environment or climate change effects, this is a great resource to virtually transport yourself to different parts of the world.
7. TensorFlow
This is a free and open-source software library for machine learning that nongovernmental organizations such as the Gringo Indonesia Foundation (GIF), a group that Google has been working very closely with, can use to build responsible artificial intelligence tools. For example, in GIF’s case, they’re working in the waste management space and used the machine learning platform to build an image recognition app that has helped waste workers in Indonesia better analyze and classify their items.
8. Global Surface Water Explorer
This virtual time machine maps the location and temporal distribution of water surfaces at the global scale over the past 3.8 decades, and provides statistics on their change to support better-informed water-management decision-making. Best of all, their data is free and easily accessible!
9. Google News Initiative
Google News Initiative is dedicated to working with the news industry so that global newsrooms and local papers alike can flourish. They upload simple and accessible videos on YouTube, where you can watch training videos to learn how to be a better journalist for free. Their self-proclaimed goal is to evolve new business models to support quality journalism and empower news organizations to leverage technology for innovation in newsrooms. Free and fair journalism, here we come!
IMAGE: via Pexels | IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Photo of a person wearing full-length black top tossing a toy globe in the air