Google’s Green Initiative: New Eco-Friendly Search Filters Promote Sustainability

Google CEO Sundar Pichai recently announced a number of green initiatives the company is working on. Google stated that their new features, which include enhancements to Search and Maps among other projects, will help people who use their platforms make more sustainable choices. Google’s new search filters are designed to help users find the most eco-friendly options on their platform when planning travel and buying appliances.

Google’s Green Initiatives

As climate change is no longer a distant threat but a pressing challenge, we need urgent and meaningful solutions to address it. That’s the reason why Google committed to bold action to run their data centers and campuses on 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030. Not just companies, people are also asking themselves what more they can do to help the planet. Google’s new eco-friendly search filters aim to help people get the answers those questions. All these new services focus on reducing planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions and are primarily found on Search, Maps, Travel, and Nest.

The new search filters will help people make more environmentally conscious decisions:

• Book flights or purchase appliances that have a lower carbon footprint
• Support clean energy from home through a Nest program
• Find eco-friendly routes on Google Maps

As a part of the company’s goal to help one billion people make more sustainable choices by 2022, Google will now show authoritative information from sources like the United Nations when people use Google to search about climate change, in addition to the existing news sources that they currently raise up in the carousel.

Let’s look into the new filters in detail:

Filter to Book Flights or buy Appliances that have Lower Carbon Footprints

Available worldwide, Google Flights will now display information about carbon emissions directly in search results along with the price and duration of the flight. By viewing associated carbon emissions per seat for every flight, travelers can quickly find lower-carbon options.

Google Search also displays information on a hotel’s sustainability efforts, from waste reduction and water conservation measures is now displayed in search results. This will enable users to identify whether their searched hotel is Green Key or Earth Check certified.

An update to Google Shopping will also allow searchers to find the most environmentally friendly options when shopping for energy-intensive appliances such as furnaces, dishwashers or water heaters. When you search for these appliances on Google, the shopping tab will help narrow your search and return suggestions in the tab on cost-effective, sustainable options.

Support Clean Energy from Home through a Nest Program

Google is rolling out Nest Renew, a new service for Nest thermostat owners in the US. This update makes it easy to support a clean energy future, right from home by allowing users to automatically shift their heating and cooling to times when there’s more renewable energy available on the grid.

Eco-Friendly Routing On Google Maps

While continuing searching for the fastest route in Maps, Google will also now highlight the most fuel-efficient route. Starting in the U.S. and in Europe in 2022, this new filter could save over one million tons of carbon emissions per year – which is equal to removing over 200,000 cars from the road – and save you money by reducing fuel consumption.

Google is also working to make it easier for users to buy eco-friendly cars. On Search, you can see hybrid and electric vehicle options and compare them against gas-powered models, and find rebates so you know the true cost before you buy. These features will start to roll out in the U.S. this year, with more slated for 2022.

Google is putting in all these efforts to make sustainable choices easier. These choices may seem insignificant at the individual level, but they can equal big improvements when people have the tools to make them at scale.

Companies that rely on organic Google Search traffic to generate leads and sales are impacted by the company’s updates. Our digital marketing services company keeps track of Google’s new features and updates, and help them develop strategies to drive online sales and boost brand awareness.