Water Commitments
Working to reduce, replenish and restore water across our offices and data centers.
Fresh, clean water is one of the most precious resources on Earth — but today, it’s being consumed faster than it can be replenished.
At Google, we’ve been taking steps to address and improve our operational water sustainability. Now we’re taking urgent action to support water security and healthy ecosystems.
Water at Google
Google is committed to replenishing more water than we consume by 2030. We’re also dedicated to raising our standard of water stewardship, improving water quality and security, and restoring the health of ecosystems in the communities in which we operate.
Replenishing more water than we use
Google will be water positive by 2030. This means we will replenish 120% of the water we consume, on average, across our offices and data centers and help restore and improve the quality of water and health of ecosystems in the communities where we operate. We’ll focus our efforts in water scarce regions to support those who need it most. But we won’t stop there.
(Photo by C. McAnneny / Heatherwick Studio)
Living labs for water stewardship
Our offices and data centers are the perfect environment to test and refine new and innovative approaches to responsible water management. We’re deploying innovative, custom solutions to responsibly source and manage water across our existing campuses — and going forward, water responsibility will be a driving factor in where and how we build.
Circular water use
We’re working to tailor our approaches to water stewardship based on facility type, location, and local water context and risk. We’re also accelerating circular and water recycling practices across our offices and data centers.
Accelerating efficiency and localized approaches
Water is a critical resource for cooling Google data centers around the world, so we work to understand local needs, reduce our freshwater consumption, and identify locally relevant sources, where possible.
Communities & ecosystems
We’re invested in meaningful water solutions, local job growth, and community involvement in communities where we operate.
Addressing shared water challenges
We all rely on the watersheds that we live and work in. That’s why we’re constantly collaborating with local stakeholders and developing initiatives meant to address shared water challenges, track improvements in the replenishment of watersheds, and build ecologically resilient landscapes.
Improving watershed health
Access to clean water is an issue that goes beyond our operations — communities everywhere depend on it. Through our replenishment and watershed health projects, we’re improving community water security and healthy ecosystems where we operate.
Technology & tools
Technology can be useful in bringing visibility to pressing water challenges and can enable smarter, more informed decision-making.
(Image provided by CNES / Airbus, Maxar Technologies)
Water as data
We’re building tools to make water data and technology universally and publically accessible, both at a local and global level. BlueConduit is an open-source tool that taps machine learning to help non-technical users identify water service lines and estimate replacement costs, which in turn enables effective water stewardship and improves the resilience of watershed ecosystems. This project will engage national environmental groups and local communities to address water quality issues and integrate environmental justice principles.
Predicting and preventing water stress
Through our work with local governments and organizations, we’re helping communities measure and predict water needs and availability — like our Freshwater Ecosystems Explorer, developed in partnership with UNEP and the European Commission's Joint Research Center (JRC) that quantifies and visualizes surface water changes over the past decades and provides an easy-to-use geospatial platform to help decision-makers access data on freshwater systems.
In partnership with Stichting Deltares Institute, WRI, and WWF, Google.org is funding the development of a platform called Global Water Watch which aims to democratize information on water resources and empower policymakers, conservation organizations, and communities to better manage water resources collectively.
One Earth approach
Led by our Google Earth Outreach team, we’re supporting efforts to scale models and solutions that make water resource information visible and actionable. At the individual level, Google is working to provide people around the world with information and tools to manage water resources effectively and enhance water-related disaster preparedness.
Take a deeper look: Google Water Stewardship
View white paper (opens in a new window)Our third decade of climate action is our most ambitious yet.
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