As previously reported, when it comes to going green, search engine provider and global megacorp Google is deeply committed.

With bio-diesel fuelled shuttle busses, “bike-to-work” programs and one of North America’s largest corporate electric vehicle (EV) fleets, Google takes environmental sustainability more seriously than most world governments.

Here are some statistics to mull over while drinking your free-trade coffee and eating your dolphin-safe tuna:

  • · As many as one-third of Google’s Bay Area employees ride corporate shuttles – called GBuses – to work five days a week. That’s 3,500 return car trips. The buses also use up to 5% bio-diesel; Google being the first and largest company to meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) 2010 emission standards.
  • · Google employees earn points every time they commute to work via alternative modes of transportation – whether it is by foot, by bike, skateboard or even kayak. For every twenty days they do this, those employees get US$100 donated to a charity of their choice.
  • · An annual “Bike to Work” day sees Google employees worldwide commuting to work by pedal power alone. Last year, 56 offices and as many as many as 2,500 individuals participated in the program.
  • · GBike sees 1,000 bikes distributed across Google’s Mountain View offices, allowing employees to easily travel from one side of the campus to the other. GRide – a free taxi service – does much the same thing albeit over slightly longer distances.
  • · For trips away from the office, GFleet offers shared electric vehicles for getting from A to B. There’s also a built-in recharging structure to make electric vehicles all the more tantalising for employees.
  • · Video conferencing replaces international trips, saving the company financially and the planet environmentally on expensive, carbon-intensive overseas trips.

All told, Google’s wide-ranging initiatives are slashing CO2 emissions by 5,400 metric tons a year. That’s the equivalent of taking 2,000 cars off the road every day and cutting down on 14 million vehicle miles every year. Now isn’t that something to smile about?

By Tristan Hankins

Story sources: Google VIDEO