An article in the English Sunday Times suggests that “performing two Google searches uses up as much energy as boiling the kettle for a cup of tea”. Will cutting back on using Google for searches help us stop global warming? Today Google posted a response to the Times article on their blog: Powering a Google search
Google carbon footprint
The article argues that search engine searches are particularly intensive because the query is sent to multiple data centers and such data centers consume large amounts of energy. Google on the other hand, announced that they would be carbon neutral by the end of 2007 and each year going forward. Google’s exact plan is not public and in 2007 seems to have involved carbon offsets.
Carbon Offsets
A carbon offset is a financial instrument representing a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. It does not reflect any change in environmental impact by the company itself. At best, you could say that they help fund environmental friendly projects such as wind farms. The problem is that it doesn’t change the environmental impact a company is having on the immediate environment and can help hide the true impact from investors looking for green companies to invest in.
Carbon offsets now involves big money. “Corporations and shoppers in the United States spent more than $54 million last year [2007] on carbon offset credits toward tree planting, wind farms, solar plants and other projects to balance the emissions created by, say, using a laptop computer or flying on a jet.” according to a New York Times article.
However the Federal and Trade Commission in the U.S. have raised questions about where the money is going and how companies are using this to have the appearance of being green. Environmentalists have a word for such misleading advertising: “greenwashing.”
Environmental domaining
As I have said before, green marketing remains very visible and there are still good domains available in this niche. As new products and laws come out, new niches are formed and so keeping current with this area can provide some domaining opportunities. Potential end users of such domains tend to be younger and motivated to express themselves online and so selling domains in this niche tends to be easier than in some others.
Environmentally safe products are highly desirable and so generic domain names that describe such products are worthwhile. They also can be developed as e-commerce websites if you can source a drop shipper or have room for inventory.
The bottom line
Supporting Google’s efforts to go green without using carbon offsets is far more productive than worrying about how many searches are carried out per day and their environmental impact. Simple behavioral changes such as turning out lights in rooms you are not using or shutting down computers when you are not using them can also have a beneficial impact on energy consumption and the environment.
Also remember that carbon dioxide is not the only greenhouse gas and technology that addresses those other greenhouse gases may also provide opportunities for domainers.
You can read the Sunday Times article: Revealed: the environmental impact of Google searches
You can see more about what Google is doing to be a greener company
