Data Center Resources
The rapid buildout of AI data centers has become a major political flashpoint. Community concerns regarding water usage, rising utility bills, noise, air pollution and local planning control are often dismissed, while project siting attracts political corruption. Data centers drive climate change by consuming massive amounts of electricity, often generated from fossil fuels.
We have put together a webpage of resources for local activists who want to learn about or respond to data center proposals or related legislation in their community. See also the Sierra Club Report: 2027 Data Center Guardrails State Legislative Menu.
Local Actions Toolbox — The Problem of Plastic
Plastic production and waste have severe global and local impacts, accounting for roughly 5.3% of global climate emissions and causing widespread environmental damage through macroplastic litter and microplastics pollution. 99% of plastic is derived from fossil fuels and most of it ends up incinerated, in landfills or in the environment.
These three new Toolbox articles discuss state and local actions that can be taken.
1. Overview: Reducing Climate Impact from Plastics Lifestyle
To cut plastic-related climate emissions it’s necessary to evaluate the entire life cycle — plastic production, supply chains and final disposal. The International Zero Waste Alliance has created a complex hierarchy of needed steps; a greatly simplified version ranks priority actions in this order:
1st: Reduce the quantity of plastic produced
2nd: Reuse products or components
3rd: Recycle plastics (only 9% is recycled globally now)
2. To tackle all of these priorities at once, governments are adopting Extended Producer Responsibility Laws (EPR). These laws shift the responsibility of dealing with waste, pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from public institutions to producers of plastics and businesses that generate waste.
3. Small Toiletry Bottle Bans: This action to reduce plastic production was taken first by Santa Cruz County in California and singles out small hotel toiletry bottles made of plastic. These bottles are non-reusable and are rejected as too small by automated waste-sorting facilities so they always end up in landfills. Hotels are replacing them with large refillable dispensers.