Google has a long-standing and very real commitment to sustainability.
Your editorial "Google Kills Birds" (Sept. 26) uses comments I made during a National Public Radio interview to accuse Google of hypocrisy on climate change. My words could have been more artful, as Google recently had a thoughtful and constructive meeting about renewable energy and climate change with the American Legislative Exchange Council. However, the Journal wrongly questions Google's long-standing and very real commitment to sustainability.
Our data centers, which enable products and services for billions of users around the world, use renewable energy whenever possible. And, since 2007 (like the company that owns this newspaper) we have been carbon neutral. We invest in renewable energy projects and purchase wind power for our operations, across states like Oklahoma and North Dakota, neither of which have renewable mandates. We have committed $1.5 billion around the world to help bring more renewable energy sources onto the grid, investments that have the capacity to generate 2.5 GW—far more energy than we consume as a company.
Much of corporate America is buying renewable energy in some form or another, not just to be sustainable, but because it makes business sense, helping companies diversify their power supply, hedge against fuel risks, and support innovation in an increasingly cost-competitive way.
The Wall Street Journal refers to our "trendy appeals to green virtue." Environmental consciousness is not trendy. It's an absolute imperative. And we're committed to doing our part to build the better world that this moment demands—and that future generations deserve.
Eric Schmidt
Executive Chairman
Google Inc.
Mountain View, Calif.
We'll continue our efforts to drive ourselves and our industry to be more sustainable and you can continue to follow our progress on this blog and at our Google green site.
Posted by Michael Terrell, Energy & Sustainability team member
