“I am happy because I’m grateful. I choose to be grateful. That gratitude allows me to be happy.”
Will Arnett
Three years ago, I wrote about some of the climate innovators I’m grateful for. With Thanksgiving around the corner, it felt like the perfect time to revisit that theme and spotlight a few more people coming up with hopeful, clever solutions to climate change.
Creatively offsetting data center energy demand
Every day there is another headline about the data center boom, and the enormous amount of electricity these facilities pull from the grid. At a moment when we’re racing to cut emissions, this skyrocketing demand creates a serious challenge. But what if there was a way for data centers to generate some of their own energy? Laura Schaefer and her team of mechanical engineers at Rice University have been exploring exactly that.
Picture a warehouse packed with computers churning nonstop, including all our ChatGPT requests. These servers give off a ton of heat, and data centers expend huge amounts of energy trying to cool things down.
So why not convert that heat into energy instead of wasting it? The problem is the heat isn’t quite hot enough to be useful. But the Rice team discovered that if they add a “solar bump” using a compact rooftop system, they can raise the temperature enough to turn waste heat into usable power. It’s a smart, elegant way to offset data center energy demand. Talk about a creative solution!
Capitalizing on the superpowers of mangrove trees
Mangrove trees are basically climate superheroes. They capture astonishing amounts of CO2 (3-5 times more per acre than tropical rainforests!). They also protect our coastlines from rising sea levels and stronger storms. Sadly, we’ve lost 35% of them since 1970 due to coastal development and climate change. Because of their crucial role, countries around the world are hustling to restore them, but doing so manually is tedious work.
Enter technology. Pique Action recently highlighted a clever strategy from the United Arab Emirates’ Environmental Agency. They’ve planted over one million mangrove seeds using AI-powered drones. Other countries are starting to follow suit. A perfect example of using tech for good.
Meanwhile, a Florida clothing company called MANG is taking a different approach. They plant one mangrove tree for every item they sell. Next year, twin brothers and founders Keith and Kyle Rossin expect to plant their one-millionth mangrove. Keep up the good work, guys!
Gratitude for the creative climate problem-solvers
So this Thanksgiving season, I’m especially grateful for everyone working boldly and creatively to tackle climate change. As Robert Frost wrote, “the only way out is through,” and these are just a few examples of innovators leading the way.
Let’s do something about climate change. Learn about it. Talk about it. Help solve it.