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Center Toxins Infographic (8-page brief)
An eight-page briefing highlights the environmental impacts of one-gigawatt data centers, which can consume up to 5 million gallons of water daily, emit significant pollution, and create few permanent jobs. Key concerns include the use of toxic chemicals in cooling processes, heavy metals in wastewater, and the strain on municipal water systems, contributing to environmental…
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HOPE for Heat Resilience Project
A collaboration in Roanoke, Virginia, involving community groups, city government, and academic researchers aims to address rising temperature risks due to climate change. The project focuses on grassroots, youth-centered community planning and defines trauma-informed, healing-centered urban planning in the context of climate challenges. It is part of a national initiative funded by the National Science…
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The People Say No. Resisting Data Center Toolkit
A toolkit aimed at empowering communities against the expansion of data centers, highlighting the environmental and social harms caused by Big Tech's projects. It provides resources to combat misinformation and supports local resistance efforts, emphasizing the importance of fighting for community rights over corporate interests.
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Mountain Watershed Association – Direct Support Fund – Funds to Support On Ground Organizing.
The Direct Support Fund offers small grants to grassroots groups addressing environmental justice issues related to shale gas, coal, and petrochemical development in the Appalachian region. Proposals under $5,000 are prioritized, with a focus on community-led initiatives, education, and organizing efforts. Applications are reviewed monthly, and funding is contingent upon submission of a W-9 form,…
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Ohio River Valley Participatory Fund
The Ohio River Valley Participatory Fund supports nonprofit groups in northern Appalachian communities affected by the fossil fuel industry, providing grants for environmental, health, and economic development initiatives. The Spring 2026 grant round is open for applications, with an information session scheduled for January 22. Governance is guided by regional leaders, and the fund acknowledges…
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Reining in Big Tech: Policy Solutions to Address the Data Center Buildout – Public Citizen
Big Tech's rapid expansion of data centers for AI is causing significant increases in electricity costs, environmental harm, and community disruption, with over 250% price surges in some regions. Companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft are securing tax breaks while avoiding accountability through non-disclosure agreements. Policymakers are urged to implement regulations to ensure transparency, protect…
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Organizer Guide: The Cost of Data Centers to Our Communities- And How to Fight Back
Kairos Fellowship and MediaJustice lay out the community costs of data centers — grid instability, tax giveaways, water depletion, air pollution and few permanent jobs — across dozens of states. Covers seven intervention points for organizers, from zoning reform and utility rate class changes to moratoriums on hyperscale facilities.
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Big Tech Unchecked: A Toolkit for Community Action — Hyperscale Data Centers in Wisconsin
This comprehensive toolkit from Midwest Environmental Advocates, Sierra Club, Wisconsin's Green Fire, and Healthy Climate Wisconsin helps Wisconsin communities understand and respond to hyperscale data center proposals. It covers the full range of data center impacts — electricity demand, energy bills, public health risks from diesel generators, water consumption, farmland loss, noise, and light pollution…
Exposing AI Data Center Threats and Harms
Impact Type: Public Health Impacts
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Organizer Guide: The Cost of Data Centers to Our Communities- And How to Fight Back
Kairos Fellowship and MediaJustice lay out the community costs of data centers — grid instability, tax giveaways, water depletion, air pollution and few permanent jobs — across dozens of states. Covers seven intervention points for organizers, from zoning reform and utility rate class changes to moratoriums on hyperscale facilities.