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10 Ways Google Empowers Sustainable Choices in 2024

10 Ways Google Empowers Sustainable Choices in 2024

1. Get more sustainable choices when you travel

You can now find relevant train routes when you search for flights in Google Search making it easier to consider options like high-speed rail when you travel. When you choose to fly, you can also find a carbon emissions estimate for nearly every flight in Google Flights results — right next to the price and duration of the trip. This means that when you’re choosing among flights of similar cost or timing, you can also factor carbon emissions into your decision.

2. Take a more fuel-efficient route

People are looking for information about how to reduce their environmental footprint when in transit. That’s why we continue expanding fuel-efficient routes to new countries, like India and Indonesia. You can find these routes by looking for the little green leaf in Google Maps – it indicates the most fuel efficient route if it isn’t already the fastest.

3. Understand your car-buying choices

For people shopping for an electric vehicle, it’s now even easier to understand the costs associated with buying a new vehicle. In the U.S., when people search for terms like “best electric cars,” they can quickly compare prices, battery range, charging times, and power output of individual models. They can also find federal government incentives for qualifying vehicles in the U.S and parts of Europe.

4. Use our Fuel Cost Calculator to find the most affordable options

If you’re considering buying an EV or if you’ve had an EV for a while, it’s helpful to understand the cost of charging. That’s why we’re adding an updated Fuel Cost Calculator to electric and fuel-based car results to help drivers see the cost of charging compared with filling up at the pump. This is available now in 21 countries around the world.

5. Mitigate EV range anxiety with Battery Range Explorer

When you search for an EV, you’ll get a visualization of how far you can go on a single charge—specific to that model. You can enter your own destination and we’ll show how much battery you’d have upon arrival. And, for really long trips, we’ll show you how many charges are needed along the way. This prediction takes into account factors like elevation change and speed limits.

6. Find more detailed charging information

Finding EV charging stations has never been easier. If you search ‘EV charging’ in Google Maps, you’ll see nearby stations and information about when a charger was last used so you can get a sense of how reliable it is.

7. Locate speedy charging options

EV drivers on Android and iOS can also see even more helpful charging station information. Update your plug types in your electric vehicle settings in Maps to see whether a charger is compatible with your vehicle, real-time charging availability, and if the available chargers are fast, medium or slow.

8. Compare home heating and cooling systems

We’re making it easier for people looking to replace their home heating or cooling system. When you search for queries like “boilers” or “air conditioning” in Google Search, you’ll see information about potential options, including their capabilities, energy efficiency, and financial incentives, all in one place.

9. Find nearby recycling points

We provide a group of recycling attributes for Google Business Profiles on Search and Maps, allowing local storefronts and shops to show the recycling services they offer and helping people share this information with others in their community. Now you can search for nearby recycling drop-off locations — through searches like “plastic bottle recycling near me” — all over the world.

10. Buy used clothes and products

When you search for products on Google, like a winter coat, you’ll see a grid in the organic results with photos and listings from retailers across the web. If any of those products are pre-owned, you’ll see a “Pre-owned” label under that listing. There’s also a similar label for “Refurbished” electronics.

 


Source  Google Blog

UAE to Ban Single-Use Plastic January 1, 2024

UAE to Ban Single-Use Plastic January 1, 2024

In one of the world’s most crucial oil pricing regions, single-use plastic will be all but eliminated on January 1, 2024.

In 2017, we came to the island of Bali approximately halfway through a 10-month trip around the world with my family. We had been looking forward to the beaches and surfing for months, but when we arrived, we found them polluted with single-use plastic of all types. Due to a proliferation of corporate peddling of plastic convenience items but no meaningful way to manage trash or recycling in the communities, the local population discarded their waste in local ravines. The waste, flushed out to sea by winter monsoons, was deposited upon the (formerly) pristine beaches.

It is wonderful, therefore, to read that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) recently announced a ban on single-use plastic items, from cutlery to cigarette butts. The ban is part of an effort to reduce the plastic waste in the world’s oceans, a number generally estimated at around 8 million new tons each year. The announcement brings hope to environmentalists worldwide, showing us that even countries with an economic interest in oil-based plastic production are stepping up to make positive changes.

By banning single-use plastic products, the UAE is taking a big step forward regarding sustainability. Not only will this help reduce the amount of plastic waste in the ocean, but it will also encourage people to make more sustainable choices when they shop or eat out.

According to a 2019 report from the World Bank, the UAE ranked 11th in per capita consumption of single-use plastic. The report states that 11 billion single-use plastic items in the UAE are consumed annually, an average of 4.8kg per person or about 4 million tonnes per year for the entire country. This number contrasts with the global average of 3.25 kilograms per person. For reference, the highest-ranking countries for plastic waste are Japan, with 8 million tonnes and the USA, with 7.2 million tonnes, but a much higher population, resulting in lower per capita rates.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will ban most single-use plastics starting January 1, 2024. The ban includes everything from food packaging to plastic bottles, cotton sticks, crackers and chip bags, wet wipes, balloons and even balloon sticks that contain plastic. They also include cigarette butts and compostable plastic shopping bags, which while a good idea when used properly, often end up in the environment and can take decades to biodegrade outside a civic composting facility.

The UAE has introduced incentives for businesses to switch to reusable packing. They include subsidies for investments in reusable packaging, tax incentives for companies that reduce their plastic consumption, and grants for research projects on reducing plastic waste. The government has also introduced a new “Plastic Smart” program encouraging citizens to reduce their use of single-use plastics. It also enables businesses to reward customers who bring reusable items.

With these incentives in place, many businesses in the UAE have already begun to take steps to reduce their plastic consumption. For example, many hotels and resorts have started replacing plastic straws with paper or metal alternatives, while others are providing refillable bottles to customers instead of single-use plastic ones.

The immediate environmental benefits of the UAE’s ban on single-use plastics are apparent. By eliminating single-use plastics, the UAE will significantly reduce the amount of plastic waste in the ocean every year. This plastic ban, in turn, will prevent the destruction of marine life and reduce the risk of pollution from microplastics in the food chain and the greenhouse gasses emitted as plastic degrades over time.

The UAE is one of many countries to reduce plastic pollution in recent years. Countries like Canada, China, France, and the UK have also implemented similar bans. With continued effort, single-use plastics can be reduced or eliminated in the coming years.

 

 


 

 

Source Happy Eco News