(Photo Source: Google Images)
Companies joining the Clean and Green Movement
Excitement poured in as I was about to read my regular news dosage of the so-called "Clean and Green Revolution". The excitement gradually turned to amazement as I read numerous companies, of different sizes, joining in the movement. Many of the firms are, in fact, a combination of both internet and tech giants such as Microsoft, Google, Apple, Tesla, and Amazon.
If one is to think about it, tech companies investing in clean energy makes a lot of sense. Renewables (especially solar) are catching up with traditional energy sources in multiple aspects such as pricing, availability, application, scalability, and capability. However, renewable has the added advantages of being cleaner, future-proof, safer, and of course – virtually limitless. So basically, it's just a good business move to invest in renewable as early as possible.
As mentioned, giant tech companies investing in clean energy is not that surprising given their huge data and various operation centers. Maintaining such facilities would surely take lots of electricity and financial resources.
But what did surprise me is seeing the internet buy-and-sell site Amazon on the list
How I heard about Amazon
(Photo Source: Google Images)
In all my years of using the internet, I always have this notion that Amazon is just another online website store similar to eBay.
Many of my loyal followers know that I am a toy collector. My hobby forced me to purchase collectibles not available locally – therefore my obvious resort would have to be online options. Because of this, my usual go to place to acquire stuffs online is eBay. I stumbled to or came across Amazon when the toys I'm looking for is not available at eBay.
Initially, I knew of Amazon.com as a famous online retailer of books. Back in the day (late 90s and early 2000) eBooks was the crazed and the Amazon Kindle tablet is always attached or goes together when eBooks are concerned.
My personal history of Amazon
Anyway, my history with Amazon.com started when a fellow collector told me to try out and look for the item at Amazon. I told him that it is unlikely for an online bookstore to list the toy that I have been looking for. That's when he informed me that Amazon.com is no longer limited to just eBooks and has already expanded to so much more.
Although I know a thing or two about Amazon, I am not that familiar with all its aspects. What I do know about the company are the following:
• It is an online book retailer
• It was the brand behind the popular Kindle tablet
• It was founded last 1994 by Jeff Bezos (the photo below is Jeff Bezos and available at Google Images)
Anyway, it is only natural to assume that to see is to believe, so I went to check out the Amazon site myself – oh my gosh, he was right! It turns out that Amazon.com has transitioned from a simple online bookstore to a massive e-commerce retailer.
As per site visit, Amazon now offers:
• Download and streaming of videos
• Mp3s, and audio books
• Online selling of software, video games, CDs and DVDs
• Electronics
• Even products one would not expect such as apparels, furnitures, and of course, my beloved toys.
Amazon's Achievements
Additionally, while composing this blog, curiosity piqued in that I just have to see where does the e-commerce site now stands.
It turns out that the site has already accomplished different milestones. For instance, when it comes to company value in the stock market, Amazon is apparently the most valuable retailer firm in the US. Anyone doubting that should note that the company is now also part of the Fortune 500 list and holds the distinction of fourth most valuable public company by the Financial Times Global 500 rankings.
Besides the multiple titles and recognition, the Amazon site has also extended its sales / reach on different parts of the globe. Research shows that the company has individual retail websites per country ( and take note, exclusive for that country). On top of this, it seems that Amazon has formed various subsidiaries and launched different services apart from content distribution and selling items.
Fyi please for those who are not aware, a subsidiary is like a child company. Basically, it is a company whose majority of the stocks are owned by another (the parent firm). The parent company has more of the controlling interest of the subsidiary which gives them more ownership of the subsidiary. As of this posting time, Amazon already has more than ten subsidiaries.
Apart from exponentially expanding its range of products, Amazon's offered services has evolved to so much more than just being an online store. It turns out that the company now offers a wide array of cloud-based services such as management tools, database and storage, computing and analytics, developer tools, mobile and networking, etc...
(Photo Source: Google Images)
Amazon's comprehensive list of products and services can be read at Wikipedia
Why Companies Goes Renewables
With the above provided information regarding the company's offered services and available products, it is now quite easy to understand why Amazon is delving deeply into renewables.
In a nutshell, since a major portion of amazon's products and services involves numerous data centers, this only follows that such facilities will require tremendous amount of electricity for operational purposes. Unfortunately, the usual and conventional sources of electricity are the so-called dirty energy such as fossil fuels and oil.
Luckily, some of these companies have wisen-up and opted to go for renewable. Renewable energy sources offer numerous advantages and benefits for tech and internet related firms - some of the common ones are provided below:
• The energy sources are virtually limitless
• It is cleaner and safer not only for the environment but also preserves the for the coming generations
• The technology is relatively new and can be molded, moved, or designed according to the company's needs
Amazon Clean Energy Investments
I would discuss the last bullet (advantage) separately as it deserves the final portion of this blog. Opting for renewable is great for Amazon (and to any company for that matter) because it will cheapen the firm's electricity bills in the long run, they can continue with their operations without fear of harming the environment, and it projects a positive image for the company.
Needless to say, a company that invests or is associated with something that is promoting the preservation of the planet is a good way to show that it cares. And since Amazon is a customer-centric company, opting for renewable goes a long way on so many levels.
Research shows that Amazon's web services has this bold ambition of sourcing half of its power needs from renewables by year-end. And if this is not impressive enough, it seems that the company is on track on reaching its goal.
Naturally, one may wonder how does Amazon hope to accomplish its renewable objectives. This blog is proud to state that the company has three large-scale wind farms and one giant solar plant in the US alone. These massive green and clean facilities are providing the company with huge amounts of renewable energy.
(Photo Source: Personal - cropped screenshot of Amazon's Renewable Facilities from their website)
That's just about it. Next time you visit Amazon, you may want to give a nod of approval to the site.
Remember not everyone is aware of the clean and green movement. Man made climate change is very real – spread the awareness and lets help each other preserve the planet.
I'll end this blog with an interview video of Jeff Bezos (founder and CEO of Amazon) just a few months ago and is available at YouTube.com
