This Earth Day, we have more tools than ever to measure, assess, and take action to confront our planetary climate emergency. Google Cloud Platform, regarded as one of the world’s greenest cloud platforms, offers a variety of tools and practices that can help your organization operate more sustainably. Here are five essential practices for getting the most from the world’s greenest cloud:
1. Use GCP’s low-emissions regions
One of the most profound ways that GCP reduces environmental impact is by using renewable energy to power its data centers. Google has been carbon-neutral since 2007 and plans to be entirely carbon-free by 2030. But not all regions are created equal when it comes to carbon emissions. GCP offers several low-emissions regions, which are powered by renewable energy. By choosing to host your applications and data in one of these regions, you can greatly reduce your carbon footprint and contribute to a more sustainable future.
2. Optimize Your Resource Usage
Another way to reduce your environmental impact is to optimize your resource usage on GCP. This means using tools like Google Cloud Monitoring and Cloud Logging to track your resource consumption and identify areas where you can optimize. For example, you might discover that you’re using more compute resources than you need, or that you’re keeping idle instances running for too long. By identifying and fixing these inefficiencies, you can reduce your energy consumption.
3. Use Sustainable Data Storage
Data storage can be a significant source of carbon emissions, especially if you’re using traditional spinning hard drives that require a lot of energy to operate. GCP offers several sustainable data storage options that can help reduce your environmental impact, including Nearline storage (for data accessed once a month or less) and Coldline storage (for data accessed once a year or less). These options use “object storage,” which is more energy-efficient than traditional storage methods. Additionally, they offer lower costs than traditional storage solutions, making them a win-win for both the environment and your bottom line.
4. Use GCP’s AI and Machine Learning Tools
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can be powerful tools for reducing waste and improving sustainability. GCP offers several AI and ML tools that can help you identify areas where your business can reduce your environmental impact. For example, you might use machine learning to optimize your supply chain and reduce the amount of packaging waste you generate. Or, you might use AI to monitor your energy consumption and identify areas where you can reduce your usage. By leveraging these tools, you can make data-driven decisions that improve your sustainability practices.
5. Measure and Report on Your Environmental Impact
Measuring and reporting on your environmental impact can help you identify areas where you can improve and demonstrate your commitment to sustainability. GCP offers several tools that can help you track and report on your environmental impact, including the Google Cloud Carbon Footprint tool. By regularly measuring and reporting on your environmental impact, you can hold yourself accountable and make continuous improvements to your sustainability practices.
Taking the next step for a cleaner world
SADA is proud to support businesses that wish to drive aggressive sustainability initiatives with these and other cloud tools and programs. To get started on a path to greater sustainability that makes sense for your organization, take a look at our Green Cloud Solutions and get in touch today.
