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198 Comments
- Groovemaster, on 02/09/2008, -5/+201In other, related news: US government to outspend everyone, ever, on war.
- SVOboy, on 02/09/2008, -15/+102Well, I guess we're at a point where we're leaving our future in the hands of private industry. *sigh* Good for google though, :p
- davidryal, on 02/09/2008, -3/+74I'd rather have google running things than other ginormous corporations that average people know nothing about, like ADM and AEP.
- schneid4323, on 02/09/2008, -2/+61"How Google took control of earth"
1. Internet
2. Maps
3. Environment
4. World Hunger? - julianwan, on 02/09/2008, -4/+56I wish they would fund Los Angeles' subway construction. You want to help the environment? Finish the damn LA subway system for WestLA then you'll take (theoretically) a million cars off the streets. Lower traffic and commute times which would help economic growth. Clean the smog, and lower CO2.
It's ONLY 6Billion dollars. - redrock34, on 02/09/2008, -11/+50This may be a surprise to some but there was a day when the people weren't so dependent on government. Once upon a time there was this thing called free market.
- l00s3r, on 02/09/2008, -2/+32The government hasn't done *****. The Enviromental Protection Agency doesn't protect the enviroment, they tell corporations how much they can destroy it without getting sued.
And you think we need more money for the government to spend on what exactly? - Richandler, on 02/09/2008, -2/+28You do realize that government budget is $3 Trillion right? $3 Trillion an nothing noticeable for the environment. Why on earth would you think the government would be better at something when private industry wipes the floor with it on a daily basis?
- medalian1, on 02/09/2008, -17/+40We should embrace oil! It's good for Amerika! Here, we will send you $600 USD in a few months. Use it toward the purchase of a new GM or FORD super gas guzzler. It'll help the economy. lol
- Sarevok9, on 02/09/2008, -1/+24Amazingly enough I'm not surprised. Google (although giant), seems to be a 'friendly' giant. I've never had to pay for anything from google, I've used most of their apps, and as far as email goes, their second to none...Now their pumping money where the U.S. Govt is failing, overall, it seems more than just a little. noble.
- bphicke, on 02/09/2008, -1/+24I am going to spend my $600 on booze and hookers.
- Ajajadude, on 02/09/2008, -1/+18$600 won't get you very far in the purchase of a new car.
- Grohl, on 02/09/2008, -4/+21why does this not surprise me?!?
- nick111, on 02/09/2008, -6/+23***** - the environment is a shared resource that we all have a stake in - our pooled money should go to protecting it.
You people have lost your social vision - your entire morality is predicated on simplistic formulas that belong in the same dustbin as eugenics. - Gndoab, on 02/09/2008, -2/+18Why would the federal government spend money on alternative-energy? that is the sort of thing private individuals do, looking to have a chance to exploit a soon to be lucrative industry.
- theysayjump, on 02/09/2008, -2/+18Who? ;)
- rikwakefield, on 02/09/2008, -1/+16Funny because it's true
- mateo60, on 02/09/2008, -0/+14Google Hunger
(beta) - YoctoYotta, on 02/09/2008, -0/+13***** booze, that's taxed. Buy illegal drugs.
- mbradbury, on 02/09/2008, -3/+16It seems to be a problem with the US government. Other countries seem to be able to do this stuff. Because the government works for the people and is the people.
Seems to me, as a foreigner, that all this discontent towards the government is because you can't seem to elect one that actually works for the people.
- fkr3, on 02/09/2008, -0/+13They're going to make the inside one big giant jumping-castle so if there is an earthquake it'll be fun.
/sarcasm
Factoring in natural disasters is part of what they spend 4+ years at university studying. - inactive, on 02/09/2008, -2/+15This is a good thing. The bureaucracy has gotten so complex and so political that very little government money is spent on anything effective. . The Denver Airport and the Big Digg (joke) came in WAY over budget. http://www.scragged.com/articles/government-dont-k ... wonders if we will ever be able to build anything of significance in America, ever again.
- inactive, on 02/09/2008, -2/+14Good. This is how the free market should work
- kenplaysviola, on 02/09/2008, -4/+16I remember watching a Ron Paul video recently where he was doing debates on CNN. He emphasized the whole idea of free market and how people need to take control and responsibility for themselves and not rely so much on the government. All the audience members cringed and looked disgusted that Ron Paul could suggest something like that. I'm not saying Ron Paul is right or wrong, but ultimately it comes down to the individual to really take care of themselves. The government isn't going to really help as we have seen with hurricane Katrina and Louisiana.
- julianwan, on 02/09/2008, -0/+11it's a big set back, but a lot of technologies (which i cannot name but know exist) are used right now.
there already IS a subway in LA, it's just completely unfinished, for example, look at this pathetic map (which looks small, but covers a large large area)
http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/maps/rail_map.pd ... - canyoodiggit, on 02/09/2008, -0/+10 50% of your statement is fine.
- julianwan, on 02/09/2008, -3/+1395% of the country doesn't care about a lot of important things.
- theysayjump, on 02/09/2008, -7/+16I'm not seeing anything showing that Google are out-spending the Government, other than the title.
Is there a source for this? - omnibahumut, on 02/09/2008, -0/+9I don't think thats correct. The United States Government has no legal /obligation/ to the environment. That doesn't mean they can't help it at all. The constitution would have to specifically outlaw spending money on the environment for it to be unconstitutional, and that'll never happen.
- julianwan, on 02/09/2008, -1/+10it's actually not even state, only los angeles county, and mayor villaraigosa (never knew how to spell his name) has been hoping for a private company to do it. unfortunately, a private company would charge a lot, and funding is the only problem right now.
- superfirex80, on 02/09/2008, -0/+8Google for president!
- canyoodiggit, on 02/09/2008, -0/+8I read this article and the first thing that came to mind was google will eventually control the earth. And I thought about it and started to wonder would it be that bad? I'm no expert on googs but if they don't have a hidden agenda wouldn't the world be lovely. Gourmet cooking for everyone, work when you want as long as you get your work done, the environment will be better and cleaner. Things would always be improving. Just a thought but it'd be nice. No more of the nonsensical ***** that's going on today. I for one am tired of all the stupid ***** people do to the environment, themselves and ***** that affects others so negatively. Vague, but take a second to think how unknowingly destructive people are in a general sense.
- arjung, on 02/09/2008, -1/+9comment abuse... site is getting slow
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It is always a good day for me when I get to write about Google. But the day gets even better when I get to combine Google with the environment; something that happens more often than you would imagine. With my ongoing report on the US 09 Budget, I’m well aware of just how little the US Government is going to be putting in to the environment.
Let’s just make a note here – Green Options could invest more in the environment than the US Federal Government is planning.
A report is circulating regarding my favorite tech company, that they are pledging themselves to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in to big alternative-energy projects started by commercial businesses. They plan to focus on projects that have traditionally had a hard time getting financing. Thus, I would imagine the majority of such projects will get financing, considering Bush’s position on such things.
The executive in charge of their environmental push, Dan Reicher, said Wednesday that “There are a lot of technologies that get to the pilot scale and look promising, but the first few large commercial projects deploying those technologies, financing those can be extremely difficult.”
“Often the usual equity and debt players will say come back to us when you’ve demonstrated this at scale,” said Reicher, director of climate and energy initiatives for Google’s philanthropic arm, Google.org.
Reicher referred to the “Valley of Death,” a term used in the technology industry to describe the difference between successfully developing a new technology and amassing scale. This is something that Google is aware of, and their pledge to invest such moneys as they can in to projects is hoped to alleviate this problem.
“When you get to building a commercial-scale project in the energy world, you can be looking easily at hundreds of millions or even across the billion dollar threshold,” Reicher said. “Over years we’ll be looking at hundreds of millions of dollars. So we’re very mindful of the Valley of Death.”
Google has already committed large amounts of finances to various green projects, both within their own company and without. They’ve committed $20 million to funding start-up firms researching solar-thermal and high-altitude wind power, and another $10 million to Pasadena, California-based eSolar Inc to support research and development on solar thermal power. - wolferz, on 02/09/2008, -5/+13Sometimes it seems like people think government money appears out of thin air... it doesnt.
How much money have YOU spent on the environment? If you are like most people who go on and on and on about the environment it accounts for 0% of your budget. How about this. How many of you would hand over extra money to uncle sam when filing your taxes this year? What's the problem? Suddenly you want to give the government less money but you want them to spend more? - Dalrek, on 02/09/2008, -0/+6The two things that were mentioned that they're currently investing in are just other forms of clean energy, which would be an amazing resource for Google considering how much power its data centers have to draw on even an hourly basis.
- SQLserver, on 02/09/2008, -0/+6I love you google. :)
It's annoying how everyone thinks Democrats are big spenders. Well, when we do spend money, at least it goes somewhere besides War. - inactive, on 02/09/2008, -3/+9Damn straight... to think that the government is not responsible for the environment is childish, naive and irresponsible.
- fluffythekitten, on 02/09/2008, -0/+6hmmm...google feeds already.
- TheTaoOfBill, on 02/09/2008, -0/+5Who cares why they are doing it? The point is they are doing it.
- Majhem, on 02/09/2008, -2/+7Yah, but some seem to be doing a better job than those who 'represent' the people... =/
- inactive, on 02/09/2008, -0/+5That overlords thing has gotten so old....or is it just me that's sick of seeing it?
- redneo, on 02/09/2008, -0/+5Google bank account- billions and billions and billions of dollars
U.S. Government bank account- billions and billions and billions and billions and billions and billions and billions and billions and billions and billions of IOU's - jdepp, on 02/09/2008, -0/+5Bill Gates trust spends more researching AIDS than Canada...!
- mateo60, on 02/09/2008, -1/+6I'd rather them spend the money that I give them on the environment than a "bridge to nowhere" or a "national doll museum". Spend less on pork and more on the environment.
I know, that's a pipe dream and a bit of an oversimplification, but there's truth to it. - ICSU, on 02/09/2008, -0/+5USMarinesTanker's,
I hope you have the same opinion about the 500,000,000,000 the gvt. spends on the army... - inactive, on 02/09/2008, -1/+6Actually, this site is not "some guys blog" so you know, do your research. And secondly, stop making me do all the work for you, but, since you are lazy, go check out the authors note at the bottom referring to the budget articles from the SAME SITE! Ack!
- smackhero, on 02/09/2008, -3/+7and that's going to stop multi-million-dollar corporations from exploiting the environment how?
thinking the "invisible hand" will make everything alright is as delusional as thinking that everything will be fine in the end because god has a plan for us all.
environmental activism, and participating in the democratic process to pass environmental legislation is more pro-active than sitting back and hoping that the market will sort everything out. - smackhero, on 02/09/2008, -2/+6we live in a democracy. the government is there to carry out the will of the people. as an individual, i can't make powerful corporations be environmentally responsible or protect the environment from corporation exploitation. but as a member of a democratic society, i can organize with others and effect positive changes in public policy/legislation to protect the environment. that is the whole purpose of a democratic government.
and the problems of bureaucracy are irrelevant, and a completely separate matter. a bureaucracy in a large private enterprise will experience the same problems as a similar sized bureaucracy in government. and any large organization is a bureaucracy, whether it's a public organization or private. the difference is, the public has control over government, whereas we cannot control corporate america, and we certainly can't rely on them to protect the environment. if we could, then we wouldn't be facing the environmental issues we're facing today. - njcarlos, on 02/09/2008, -0/+4Nick, I'd be interested to know your environmentally friendly habits. I'm certain you can explain to us how you recycle all your paper and plastics. I'm also certain when in public you hold on to those until you can find the proper receptacles. You also utilize walking, bikes, or public transportation whenever possible. See...now that I type it out, I'm not so certain you can claim all that. For those reasons, *you* have lost *your* social vision and you can not expect the government to instill that in you, for if they do, it's through force and unconstitutional legislation. Fascism will not solve the human race's woes, it will only exacerbate them. The government should be responsible for it's own actions, not ours, and they can't force me to do anything I don't want to do.
Side note: I'm environmentally friendly, so I'm not speaking on the side of hypocrisy. My solution is simple: I mind my own actions and make a difference. Everyone will eventually see it my way and the government won't need to be a monolithic iron fist dictating how we should live our lives. - jamesmudgett, on 02/09/2008, -0/+4It's a shame that the lot of us expect the government to come up with a magic solution for the environment crisis. We expect it so much that we are happy when hear this news. A damn shame. If you drive a car you should understand that the bigger part of all of this problem is you. Reading this title made me think about the shameless farts who expect others to clean up after themselves.
But thanks Google -
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