The US-based technology giant Google targets to replenish 20 percent more water than it consumes at its data centers and offices by 2030, the company said addressing concerns about water-guzzling tech facilities amid record droughts.
The search giant says it will use freshwater alternatives to cool its server farms. In several places, the company already uses reclaimed wastewater to keep its servers running.
“We are pledging to a water stewardship target to replenish more water than we consume by 2030 and support water security in communities where we operate. This means Google will replenish 120 percent of the water we consume, on average, across our offices and data centers,” Google Chief Sustainability Officer Ms. Kate Brandt revealed in a blog post.
Ms. Brandt said that the technology giant is focusing on three areas to replenish water, namely, enhancing Google’s stewardship of water resources across its office campuses and data centers, replenishing water use and improving watershed health and ecosystems in water-stressed communities, sharing technology and tools that help everyone predict, prevent and recover from water stress.
According to Google’s most recent disclosure, in 2019, it consumed 3.4 billion gallons of water. The company said that the 20 percent goal reflects what is needed to return regions with high or extremely high water scarcity to a normal level. The tech giant said that it uses water to cool its data centers that make products like Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps and Search possible.
Google plans to reach its new target by using less water at its buildings and then helping with conservation in surrounding communities, starting with those where water is especially scarce. The company’s new measures include collecting stormwater for flushing toilets and funding the removal of water-hungry invasive plants. In Southern California, Google is even helping to install toilet leak detection technology in low-income housing, to cut waste and keep the water cycling through plumbing systems.
“In partnership with others, we’ll invest in community projects that replenish 120 percent of the water we consume, on average, across all Google offices and data centers, and that improve the health of the local watersheds where our office campuses and data centers are located,” Google said in a statement.
Recently, the tech giant partnered with the United Nations Environment Program and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) to create the Freshwater Ecosystems Explorer. This tool tracks surface water changes over time on a national and local scale. The company also provided funding for Global Water Watch that offers real-time indicators for current and future water management needs.
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