Google to go carbon neutral by 2008
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Google unveils its plans to become the first carbon neutral search company....
Search giant Google has announced plans to become carbon neutral by the end of 2007.
Its approach is three pronged: it will reduce overall energy consumption, invest in and use renewable energy sources and it will buy carbon offsets for remaining emissions.
In its first step to becoming carbon neutral, Google sought the advice of the Environmental Resources Trust to undergo a carbon emission audit, which it will update on a yearly basis. Its initial efforts to become carbon neutral have involved buying carbon offsets. However, writing in his blog, Urs Hoelzle, senior vice president, operations, said that this is merely “a temporary tool which allows us to take full responsibility for our impact right away.”
This is the latest in a string of announcements proclaiming Google’s green credentials; last week the search company announced its involvement in the Climate Savers Computing initiative- a scheme which aims to cut the carbon emissions of the IT industry by 54 million tonnes a year. Other supporters of the scheme include Dell, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, and Microsoft.
Further reading
Intel and Google back green scheme
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