Google details I/O 2020 sustainability goals, like buying carbon offsets for attendee air travel

In addition to opening ticket applications, Google today provided more details about its annual developer conference. This year, Google is going into depth about sustainability efforts at I/O 2020. Covering transport, construction, and food, the goal is to move to a “zero-waste, net-zero emissions model.”

This year, the company is “buying carbon offsets for every mile of air travel for all of our attendees” as air travel is “typically the largest contributor to the emissions footprint of any international gathering.”

While it’s not a perfect process, carbon offsetting helps. For every mile flown, we help fund high-quality offset projects that reduce emissions – like methane reclamation at landfills.

Like last year, I/O is a “No Parking” event that means attendees have to arrive via the provided shuttles or public transit. This is to reduce emissions, as well as traffic congestion — though rideshare pickups last year were hectic.

The venue at the Shoreline Amphitheatre is comprised of tents for sessions and other booths. For 2020, Google is “reusing many of the elements” from I/O 2018 and 2019. New structures that need to be constructed will use “local materials with low invested energy and fewer virgin materials.”

On the energy front, Google is using more clean grid power, namely to “significantly reduce [its] dependence on diesel generators.”

With over 7,000 attendees — including employees, feeding and keeping them hydrated is a big task. Google wants to reduce single-use disposables with food this year featuring less disposable packaging. Meanwhile, there will be Hydration Stations to refill I/O 2020 reusable water bottles. There will also be local, plant-forward meal options that “require less land, water, and fuel to produce.”