Microsoft vs. Google: Who's greener?
Published: 06 Jun 2006 15:40 BST
... reduce waste from the packaging of its software products and has eliminated from its packaging PVC (polyvinyl chloride), which releases dioxins that can cause cancer and harm the immune and reproductive systems.
The company also offers refurbishment programs and is working with manufacturing partners on ways to use materials that aren't as damaging to the environment as plastic and metals.
"We're doing tests on potato skins. Think of all those french fries out there," Krajewski said. "We're also looking at different biodegradable materials, such as corn starch and sugar."
Google in the running
Google's efforts are more low-key and esoteric. For instance, Google serves hormone-free chicken, beef from free-range cows and eggs from cage-free hens in its five cafeterias. Also, its first official mashup unveiled late last month is titled Summer of Green and has information about earth-friendly tourist destinations in the US.
Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page also have invested in solar power but company representatives declined to reveal more details on the executives' personal activities. Top executives were not available for comment, a representative said.
Google provides free shuttle rides for its employees in the San Francisco Bay Area to and from its offices in Mountain View, which is not far from Microsoft's Silicon Valley campus. The company also donates money to worker-chosen charities in exchange for employees getting to work by any means besides riding in cars. For instance, employees get points for walking, biking and taking public transportation.
All around the Google campus, which at times resembles a university mall more than an office complex, are bikes and electric scooters that workers use to get around the lush lawns and public rights-of-way. A "bike doctor" offers free bike maintenance one day each quarter. Google also pays workers $5,000 toward the cost of new Prius or Honda Civic hybrid cars.
Google does not take its air and water quality lightly, either. For example, George Salah, director of facilities, goes by the "sniff test".
"It really is about people's health," Salah said during a tour last week of Google's "Green" Building 43. "Smell this," he instructed, snatching a magazine off a lobby table and brandishing it in front of this reporter's face. "If you can smell chemicals in something you buy it's probably not good for you," he said.
Green faux-leather couches are made from recycled material, the carpet is recycled and recyclable, and the staircases are made of sustainably forested wood. The walls were painted with low levels of volatile organic compounds, some of which are sound proofed with recycled blue jeans and most of which are accessorised with plants. Even some of the ergonomic Steelcase chairs are made from 92 percent recycled content and can eventually be used somewhere other than landfills.
The air-conditioning system uses 90 percent outside air that flushes fresh air from the nearby bay through the building and filters out particulates, as well as chemicals, Google said.
"We're trying to create the highest-quality space possible for people," Salah said. "We are all subjected to low levels of toxins every day in our lives... If we accumulate it over the span of a lifetime, sooner or later it's going to get you."
Whatever diseases the filter system can't prevent, perhaps the on-site doctor, massage therapists, nutritionist, yoga classes and volleyball courts can. The water systems use a reverse osmosis filter that provides better tasting and healthier water than can be found in plastic-leeching sports bottles.
Although a few toilets have heated seats and bidet-like functions, most of the toilets and urinals are energy efficient and use minimal water. Much of the lighting is also energy efficient and the ubiquitous floor-to-ceiling glass means many rooms don't need any electric light until it gets dark.
"They're making the indoor environment more human friendly. There are toxins in materials that can cause indoor air pollution," said Sierra Club's Van Velsor. "That's an important thing for corporations to recognise, as well."
Google, whose free cafeteria food is infamously tasty, takes its earth-friendly practices into the kitchen.
"We cook with a minimum of oil, no (cancer causing agents) nitrate and nitrite, and (use) organic where it makes sense," said John Dickman, global food services manager.
Like Microsoft, Google recycles and composts. The city of Mountain View is using Google as a test site for a compost project that is expected to be citywide, Dickman said.
Among the campus's five cafeterias is one opened in March called Cafe 150, which serves only ingredients from farms within 150 miles of the kitchen. The trash volume in the dining room is zero and all the to-go silverware, cups and containers are compostable, said Nate Keller, Cafe 150 executive chef. The ovens are economical, using computers to set temperatures and cooking times. One local supplier delivers goods in a biodiesel-based truck and fills it up with fat from the kitchen's fryer, Keller said.
"If you transport food from Chile, or even Florida, that's a significant distance and greenhouse gases are emitted in the transportation of that food," Van Velsor said.
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