Going Green Podcast, Video blog and Daily News

  Is AI Really Using All Our Water? A Student’s Question Worth Taking Seriously A student recently told me that she did not want to use AI because of the amount of water it uses. That stopped me in my tracks. Not because she was wrong to worry. In fact, I was quite impressed. Most students worry about whether AI will write their homework, destroy revision skills or produce a suspiciously polished essay about Macbeth. This student was thinking about the hidden environmental cost of the technology. And she has a point. AI does use water. Data centres use electricity, electricity generation can involve water, computer chips have a water footprint, and some data centres use water for cooling. The “cloud” is not really a cloud. It is a building full of hot machines, pipes, cooling systems, cables, backup power and planning applications. But as with many green issues, the truth is not as simple as: “AI uses water, therefore AI is bad.” The better question is: How much water does AI use c...

The Hidden Footprint of Summer Events Can Fetes, Regattas and Festivals Be Greener Without Losing the Fun? “A summer event should not need three skips, two generators and a small mountain of plastic cups to be considered successful.” There is something wonderfully British about a summer event. A school fair with bunting flapping in a slightly uncertain breeze. A village fete where someone has bravely agreed to run the tombola. A regatta with boats, flags, tea, cake, damp grass and at least one person carrying a clipboard with the seriousness of an air traffic controller. A sports day, an open day, a festival, a church event, a community barbecue, a charity fundraiser or a sailing club weekend. These events matter. They bring people together. They raise money. They create memories. They give children something to look forward to and adults a chance to stand around saying, “Well, at least the rain held off,” even when it clearly did not. But they also have a hidden environmental footprin...

  Summer Water: Are We Treating Rain Like Rubbish? “We spend half the year trying to get rid of rainwater, then buy hoses to replace it in July.” There is something very British about complaining about the rain from October to May, then standing in the garden in July looking mournfully at a crispy lawn and wondering why the water butt is empty. We are a nation that has perfected the art of grumbling at drizzle. Rain spoils barbecues, school sports days, sailing plans, photography sessions and, if you are unlucky, the one afternoon you chose to varnish something outside. Yet when summer arrives, we suddenly behave as if water is a scarce and mysterious substance that has to be dragged reluctantly through a hosepipe. The odd thing is that a great deal of the water we need in summer falls on our roofs, patios, driveways and school buildings during the wetter parts of the year. We simply rush it away as quickly as possible. Down the gutter. Into the drain. Out of sight. Then, a few mon...