It’s a big day in the book of the Earth! Facebook has officially reached the goal of one-hundred-percent renewable energy for its global operations. The social media giant might have come under fire for security issues and political scandals, but we’ll give it to them on this one.
According to the company’s own news channel, the journey was gradual. It started back in 2011 with a ‘wind project’ in Iowa, and about ten years later, it has come full circle. At least as far as Facebook’s own operations are concerned, they are now operating with net-zero emissions!
We recognize the urgency of climate change. We know the next ten years will be the defining time for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and that we have a role to play in this effort—both as a platform that connects people to information and as a global company that supports climate action.
Mark Zuckerberg and the company have already set another goal for a more sustainable future. The social media platform aims to bring emissions down to zero, but this time across its entire value chain, including suppliers, business travel, and employee commuting. This goal has been given a due date of 2030. The part about zero-emission employee commuting, for one, sounds particularly interesting. We’re wondering how exactly they plan to do that; are they going to give away Teslas? Bicycles? Or maybe accommodate employees so they never have to leave the office? Theirs is indeed a very ambitious goal, but also very ambiguous—we call it “ambiguities.” Try saying it out loud!
The transition will be handled by their Responsible Supply Chain Program, which works to discover innovative ways for making operations greener. Whatever they have in mind, we are curious to see how it turns out. If you are too, Facebook’s team has released a video dedicated to the long journey from 2011 to today. Take a look for yourself:
As reported by Facebook’s Director of Renewable Energy, Urvi Parekh, the company’s goal for 100% renewable energy was set back in 2018.
We couldn’t help but notice that this timeframe coincides with Apple’s move towards greener operation. Back in April 2018, the company from Cupertino announced that their global facilities were finally powered with one-hundred-percent clean energy.
Whether Facebook took inspiration from Apple or not, we applaud their commitment. Google and Amazon have also taken steps in that direction, and we’d be happy to see more tech corporations follow suit.