W6 Discussion: Case Study on Google: The Drive to Balance Privacy with Profit

Chapter 10: Google: The Drive to Balance Privacy with Profit: 10-4b Google Green Book Title: Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases Printed By: Kennisha Holloman ([email protected]) © 2019 Cengage Learning, Cengage Learning

10-4b Google Green

Google has recognized the business opportunities that come from adopting greener

operations and technologies. Greener technology not only saves Google money in the long

run with decreased energy costs, it also enables the company to create greener products

for consumers. According to Google, running its servers for one month uses less energy

than leaving a light on for three hours, and providing a user with one month of all of

Google’s online services uses less energy than driving a car 1 mile. Google also claims its

data centers are 50 percent more energy efficient than the industry average and that 35

percent of its power comes from renewable energy sources. Google has purchased carbon

offsets to reduce its effective emissions to zero since 2007. For employees, Google offers a

shuttle system run on biodiesel, an on-campus car sharing program, company bicycles to

commute between buildings and departments, and the largest electric vehicle charging

station in the country. Other green successes for Google include a large solar installation on

its campus and LEED-certified buildings.

Chapter 10: Google: The Drive to Balance Privacy with Profit: 10-4b Google Green Book Title: Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases Printed By: Kennisha Holloman ([email protected]) © 2019 Cengage Learning, Cengage Learning

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