SALT LAKE CITY— It’s no secret that the implementation of renewable energy in more homes, storefronts, manufacturing plants and office buildings is a critical component in building a brighter future for younger generations. Although the work we do in our own homes to conserve energy and reuse and recycle resources is important, larger corporations absolutely must get on board the sustainability train in order for our efforts to be effective.

We’ve certainly seen this happening among retailers who create eco-friendly packaging or find innovative ways to store products, but what about tech companies that offer products that are mostly intangible? The ways these companies choose to reduce their carbon footprints aren’t quite as obvious to consumers as the efforts of retail companies, but they are every bit as impactful.

One of the biggest ways tech companies can reduce their carbon footprints is to move operations over to renewable energy sources. That’s why many are taking the pledge to become 100 percent reliant upon renewable energy in their efforts to power their global operations.

Here are five tech companies that are making the move to renewable energy and how they're doing it.

1. Google

Google’s goal is to power 100 percent of its operations using renewable energy sources. According to reports, the company has committed to purchase nearly 2.5 gigawatts of renewable energy so far. This is the equivalent of taking more than 1 million cars off the road.

Apart from its operational applications of renewable energy, Google has also committed to investing nearly $2.5 billion in renewable energy projects that seek to help power U.S. homes with renewable energy.

2. Microsoft

Microsoft is currently 100 percent powered by renewable energy. The company has purchased renewable energy credits and carbon offsets and invested in renewable energy projects to power nearby data centers with locally-sourced, renewable energy. The Microsoft campus in Silicon Valley also covers its rooftops with solar panels.

3. Hewlett Packard

HP has taken the Renewable Energy Pledge to achieve 100 percent renewable energy usage in its global operations. The company has set a pace for hitting the 40 percent mark by 2020. HP has already purchased a 12-year power agreement for 112 million watts of wind power with Sun Edison. This contract could generate enough electricity to power 100 percent of the company’s Texas-based data center.

Representatives say HP is “aggressively working to reduce energy consumption by optimizing current efficiencies in facilities and implementing energy-efficiency projects at sites, including retrofitting facilities with new LET technologies.”

4. Adobe

Representatives at Adobe say the company has set the goal of becoming 100 percent powered by renewable energy by 2035.

The company is currently 30 percent powered by renewable energy, and 70 percent of its global workplaces are already LEED certified. Reps also say that 97 percent of Adobe’s software is electronically delivered and the company continues to work with its data center suppliers to increase the proportion that is powered with renewable energy.

5. Salesforce

Salesforce is joining the ranks of companies pledging to become 100 percent reliant on renewable energy resources. Although the company has yet to announce a goal for when it will achieve this feat, it’s already made some serious strides in terms of sustainability.

Salesforce recently signed two virtual power agreements for wind power in the U.S. These are expected to come online by the end of the year to generate more electricity than all of the company’s global electricity use in 2015.

Although we’re hardly out of the woods when it comes to making a fully effective move to sustainable living, it’s encouraging to know that many major corporations have been working to create more sustainable systems. If you have another example of how tech companies are implementing renewable technologies, please share with other readers in the comments.