Reviewing Google's New Sustainability Features
There is a huge push across the business world for companies to go green. Consumers are constantly becoming more aware of their impact on the world, wanting to live as sustainably as possible so it is only natural for businesses to follow suit. One of the companies leading this drive for environmentally friendly business is none other than Google with a pledge to “help one billion people make more sustainable choices by 2022.” The company wants to help its users lead sustainable lives while making it very easy. To accomplish this, Google has just released lots of new and innovative updates to its services to create a more sustainable platform. These new tools include updates in Google Maps, Google Search, Google Nest, and in travel!
Travel
One of the updates we’re most excited for is the updates for travel. These updates focus on bringing users more sustainable options for flights and hotels. Now, when users search for a flight, they will be met with carbon calculations for each flight. They will be able to see the amount of CO2 each flight emits and if they opt for business or first class, the emissions will go up. This is a great feature for finding the “cleanest” flight. It also lets you sort your flights based on the amount of CO2 emitted!
The second travel update allows you to find the most sustainable hotel. When users search for hotels, they will be able to find a list of the hotel’s sustainable practices under the about section. This section will include any sustainable recognition the hotel has received as well as information about their waste methods, energy efficiency, and water conservation. Planning an eco-friendly trip has never been more simple!
Shopping
Wish it was easier to find sustainable products when online shopping? Google’s got your back with their new online shopping tools! This new feature will highlight the most sustainable choices for the product you’re looking for when browsing online. For example, need a new car? Google will advertise the more eco-friendly electric and hybrid cars first to make them easier to find. They’ll also show you charging stations near you as well as other useful information about electric cars, such as charging times.
Navigation
We love Google’s new navigation features, especially their eco-friendly routing. This nifty tool will show you the “Green Routes” on Google Maps. Green Routes being the quickest, greenest, and most efficient for fuel routes when trying to get somewhere. Right now, this technology is only available in the United States, but we can’t wait to get our hands on this awesome tool over here in Europe soon! They are also making it so much easier to get around by bike with a tool called Lite Navigation. This tool gives bikers the most relevant information on Maps to make biking more efficient.
Google is also testing a new product that would tackle traffic light efficiency by using AI to make wait times less! In their pilot run, they’ve already seen a 10-20% reduction of emissions!
Home
Google has also focused on updating their services for your home. You can now heat or cool your house in the most sustainable way using sustainable energy to do so. All of the home energy management is automatically sustainable but if users would like to change that, they can manually run their system. They also have a subscription service called Nest Renew Premium for 10 US dollars a month that will offset any fossil fuel energy used with “renewable energy credits”. This way you can always be in support of clean energy use!
Have any questions on the Climate Crisis? Google is now using official UN data to answer any queries. This way they can battle fake news about climate change effectively! Check out Google’s video on their cool new features here.
Photo by Mitchell Luo | Written by Quinn Donovan.