Category Archives: Eat

Last week on the official Google blog, Executive Chef Scott Giambastiani posted about Google’s sustainable food initiatives. It’s a really interesting and inspiring read, and they’ve come up with some really great ideas and practices:

• Google sources 30% of the produce used in its cafes directly from small farms, and another 60% from distributors who support small farms.
• 45% of produce purchased by Google is organic
• Many campuses have on-location vegetable gardens where employees can plant and harvest whatever they like.
• Google adheres to a set of sustainability policies when purchasing seafood.
• Many Google offices provide CSA programs for their employees, which is a great way of extending food sustainability outside the office and into peoples’ homes.

That last idea is the one I really like, because the cost to the employer needn’t be high, since employees pay for the produce they’re purchasing themselves—but being able to pick up a CSA box at work makes it that much more convenient and accessible. This can also introduce the concept to people who might otherwise never have thought twice about the origins of their produce.

Google’s Mountain View campus also provides employees with access to a CSF, or community-supported fishery. This allows staff to have access to fresh, local, and sustainable seafood every week.

These are great initiatives, and hopefully they inspire other companies to follow suit. I’ve embedded the video from the post below, and be sure to check out Google’s dedicated page about its sustainable food practices.