Google announced earlier this week that it would mount 9,212 solar panels on the roofs of the buildings at it’s Mountain View, California 1 million-square-foot headquarters. It’s goal is to produce 1.6 megawatts of electricity, which would account for approximately 30% of their office worker needs at that location (doesn’t include the power hungry data centers). Google sees the project, which could pay itself off in as little as 5 years, as a way to lessen the company’s impact on the environment. “This is the largest customer-owned solar electric system at a corporate site,” said Noah Kaye, director of public affairs at the Solar Energy Industries Association, an industry group based in Washington, D.C.
Yesterday, Home Depot announced a similar project, it will offset all carbon emissions created this year by the company’s Atlanta headquarters by planting thousands of trees on nearly 130 acres of land across the city. This will help neutralize the 36,500 tons of carbon dioxide it creates at its 35-acre headquarters each year, as well as some of the pollution its employees create while commuting to work and traveling for business. “By offsetting our carbon emissions through reforestation, we are doing more than sequestering carbon, we are planting trees that will help reduce the heat island effect in urban areas, reduce erosion and storm water runoff, and help clean the air.” said Ron Jarvis, the company’s vice president of environmental innovation.
Obviously with companies this big, these projects account for just a tiny percentage of the impact they have on our environment, but it is encouraging to see them step up and commit to doing something to begin heading in the right direction. With these first steps taken, let’s hope that their efforts don’t stop there. Perhaps they can be models for other corporations on how to be green and still make a profit. I’ve always appreciated Googles ‘Do No Evil’ motto, and I will be more inclined to shop at Home Depot now as well.
