Option Green Presentation to Explore Environmental Impacts of Artificial Intelligence and Data Centers

As tech companies invest hundreds of billions of dollars into data centers to power artificial intelligence, communities across the United States are facing the environmental realities of this massive infrastructure expansion—from rising electricity bills and strained water supplies to the potential resurgence of fossil fuel power plants. Townships throughout the state, including East Brunswick, are banning building.

To help residents understand how these projects impact the community, the East Brunswick Public Library, the Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission, and the East Brunswick Sustainability Task Force co-sponsor the presentation titled "Option Green: Environmental Impacts of Technology: Power, Water, and the Cloud: The Environmental Costs of Building AI" on Wednesday, October 28 at 7:00 pm.

The event features guest speaker Abhilash Mishra, Director of the Kevin Xu Initiative on Science, Technology and Global Development at the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy.

Mishra will present evidence on AI's energy and water consumption, separating fact from hype. He will discuss policies and community strategies aimed at making AI's growth more sustainable, as well as concrete steps residents can take to shape technological development in their own communities.

Abhilash Mishra is a scientist, entrepreneur, and educator focused on the intersection of emerging technologies and global challenges. He is the Founder and Chief Science Officer of Equitech Futures, a talent network and applied research lab dedicated to technology for social impact, and founding director of the Kevin Xu Initiative at the University of Chicago Harris School.

Mishra holds a Ph.D. from Caltech and an MPhys from the University of Oxford. His accolades include a 2008 Rhodes Scholarship and the Clinton Global Initiative University Distinguished Alumni Award.

How to Attend

This program can be viewed online or in the library's Meeting Room 3. Additional information and registration can be found at https://tinyurl.com/opg102826. This program will be recorded.

The presentation is presented as part of the award-winning Option Green series, co-sponsored by the East Brunswick Friends of the Library and the Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission, dedicated to educating the community on pressing environmental topics.