According to Facebook, as of the end of 2016, nearly one billion people used this social media platform and other apps that come under its umbrella.
Despite this enormous user-base, Facebook's carbon impact per person has remained almost the same as it was in 2004 when this friendship platform used to have just one million users. With their worldwide initiatives to add more renewable energy sources to the grid, this Mark Zuckerberg-founded organization has inspired the entire nation, kampus terbaik di lampung especially sun-kissed cities like Tampa, in creating sustainable environments.
Facebook claims that the environmental impact of using Facebook per person, per year is less than that of making a medium-sized latte. How did the social media giant make this possible? It uses hyper-efficient data centers and insists on powering them with clean and renewable energy.
One of its goals is to have “100 percent clean and renewable energy in our mix for our entire operation.” Once Facebook accomplishes this mission, it will enter the elite club of Netflix, Kohls, and REI – the three companies that currently meet 100 percent of their electricity needs from renewable sources.
Here are a few data center facts that Facebook shares publicly to inspire other corporate entities to follow in their footsteps:
- Facebook powers its three giant data centers in Lulea (Sweden), Altoona (Iowa), and Fort Worth (Texas) with 100 percent renewable energy.
Each of the facilities is tracked by renewable energy certificates. Not in the US alone, Facebook maintains the same stringent green standards for all other data centers it operates in the other parts of the world. The company's recently announced data centers in Ireland, New Mexico, Denmark will also run on 100 percent clean and renewable energy.
- As far as its Altoona facility is concerned, Facebook tied up with the local utility and a local developer to contribute 140 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy to the grid.
The same amount of electricity is sufficient to power more than 40,000 households in Iowa.
- Sprawled across a 345-acre campus, the Facebook data center in Ohio has cost the city of New Albany $25 million in infrastructure improvements. In return, the tech-giant has created at least 100 full-time jobs and thousands of construction jobs.
It will be worthwhile to mention here that besides Facebook, Google is also on its way to meet its 100 percent sustainability goals.
The search giant has recently announced that it will be able to achieve 100% sustainable status by the end of 2017. Apple is not far behind too; it is also nearing its 100 percent sustainability goal as well. Beyond Silicon Valley, Facebook's passionate involvement is inspiring more and more emerging business hubs in places like Tampa to embrace renewable energy for running their operations.
Facebook is also encouraging companies to embrace the Corporate Renewable Energy Buyers' Principles. More than 50 companies have already participated in the program.