When it comes to planning travel and purchasing appliances, new Google Search filters can help users find the most eco-friendly options.
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, announced a number of green initiatives that his company is working on, including improvements to Search and Maps, among other projects.
Here’s more information on the updates announced this week.
Find Low-Carbon-Emissions Flights
A Google Flights update will include information about carbon emissions directly in search results.
Google will now display a carbon emissions estimate for nearly every flight starting today.
This information will appear in the SERPs alongside the flight price and duration.
In addition to cost and time, travelers can now consider carbon emissions when making a decision.
Google will display the associated carbon emissions per seat for each flight, allowing users to find lower-carbon alternatives if they so desire.
Users searching for hotels will now see information about their sustainability efforts, such as waste reduction and water conservation measures, as well as whether they are Green Key or EarthCheck certified.
Search for Eco-Friendly Appliances
When shopping for appliances, searchers will be able to find the most environmentally friendly options thanks to an update to Google Shopping.
Searches for energy-intensive products such as furnaces, dishwashers, and water heaters will yield suggestions in the Shopping tab for the most environmentally friendly options.
Read How to Run an Outreach Link Building Campaign?
Google Maps’ Eco-Friendly Routing
Google Maps will highlight the most fuel-efficient route when searching for a location in the United States, and in Europe in 2022.
“Thanks to AI and insights from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), eco-friendly routing is rolling out now in the U.S. on Android and iOS, with plans to expand to Europe and beyond in 2022.
We estimate that eco-friendly routing has the potential to prevent over one million tons of carbon emissions per year — that’s the equivalent of removing over 200,000 cars from the road.”
Google Maps will continue to look for the shortest route. If it deviates from the most fuel-efficient route, Maps will present two alternatives. Users can then choose which path they want to take.
Cyclists will soon have access to lightweight navigation
According to Google, the use of biking directions on Maps has increased by up to 98 percent in cities worldwide.
Google is introducing “lite” navigation as an alternative to standard turn-by-turn navigation to make it easier to get around by bike.
Lite navigation mode allows cyclists to see important details about their route without having to constantly look at their screen.
Cyclists can see their trip progress, real-time ETA, and route elevation at a glance. Lite navigation will be available wherever cycling navigation is available on Android and iOS in the coming months.
Updates to EV Search are on the way
Google is making it easier to find hybrid and electric vehicle options, as well as compare them to gas-powered models, directly in search results.
These features will be available in the United States beginning this year, with more to follow in 2022.
Learn more from SEO and read How Can I Increase Traffic to Specific Landing Pages?
