From Guest Blogger Ronald McCarthy: Tech Companies Amongst the First on the Green Energy Path

The green movement is not new; it started in the 19^th century right after the industrial revolution and its related environmental degradation. It was a time when growth and innovation went hand in hand with chemical waste and pollution.

The movement was spearheaded by private charities and non-governmental organizations who were concerned about the issues.  However today, the dynamics have changed. It is not just these agencies who care about our industries being green but in fact, it’s the businesses themselves.

Much of the technology created today directs us, as a society, towards a more sustainable and greener future because it’s not only good for the environment but also for the business. We see now that except the government, whose key work in the arena has been policy making and law implementation, private businesses are taking an active part in caring for the environment. Going sustainable in business could mean many things, it can range from using recycled materials for production to using clean renewable energy sources for the infrastructure. Whatever it may be, for them it has a definitive economic motive; the costs of limited nonrenewable resources that the world currently uses is bound to rise. Investing in green technologies is now being understood by many businesses to soon be profitable and remain so in the long run.

When it comes to such businesses, IT companies are paving the path for other industries by using more environmental friendly methods that are often driven by the nature of their work in the advancement of technology and the thirst for innovation. Many companies in the Silicon Valley obtain their power from solar panels now as they do not require and wish to rely on the government provided electricity for their running. Many startups all over the world work entirely on creating solutions for the current hindrances that companies face in being green. There are firms that specialize in green packaging which a company can hire as a part of their going green initiative and then there are organizations which help optimize a company’s operational procedures in the greenest way possible like battery storage for renewable energy, big data analytics and energy transmissions.

IT companies including Apple, Google, and Facebook had vowed to go green in the past and today 100% of Apple and Facebook clouds are run on renewable energy while Google aims to reach there this year. Regardless, all three companies top the Greenpeace’s green energy report.

The Amazon Web Service that hosts Amazon.com, Pinterest, Netflix, Spotify and countless other major websites have also stated that they will employ 100% clean energy for the global network.

IT companies are sometimes also run in efficient remote settings where employees work from home and there aren’t energy eating offices and no energy is spent on long needless commutes. This new business model is a big shift in the structure of tech companies and has helped enhance sustainability where applicable. Many other tech organizations offer the work from home option to their employees as they use the saved revenue to fund other new green projects. Companies like Salesforce that run cloud computing have pledged to become carbon neutral by 2050.

In terms of production, Apple’s new dissembling robot Liam is the company’s latest green project in an effort to become further sustainable. This new machine which can disassemble the old iPhone for parts can now enhance the competence of their recycling process due to its ability to separate and sort different materials and parts that the earlier process could not. Similarly though, on a much bigger level, Amazon plans to add another two wind farms to their existing one, which can plump up their energy production enough that it can power a whole city like Cleveland.

International tech firms like these focus not on reducing unsustainable energy consumption through abstinence but through solutions and alternatives. These solutions and more are innovated by researchers, scientists, and startups that come up with unique but promising solutions like futuristic biofuel paved roads which are cheaper and greener than petroleum or the Hyper Loop high-speed train concept that can run on water and electricity.

Today more than ever, many efforts are being made and yet more are needed to help us have a positive relationship with our environment. As making and implementing policies is not always easy for the governmental agencies, private organizations like tech firms are standing on strong grounds to create some solid change. Tech companies can be seen taking up the challenge to lead our world towards a greener future. It may not always be for the environment but it’s benefitting it nonetheless.