Environment Variables The Week in Green Software: Who Pays for AI’s Energy Footprint?
Mar 5, 2026
50:04
Host Kate Goldenring is joined by Chris Adams and Tzviya Siegman for a news round-up on sustainable software. They dig into EnergyNet and the idea of routing electricity more like the internet, unpack the latest AI energy and greenwashing debates, and look at policy and research angles — from proactive water planning for data centers to a cap-and-trade style proposal for AI efficiency.
Learn more about our people:
- Chris Adams: LinkedIn | GitHub | Website
- Kate Goldenring: LinkedIn | Website
- Tzviya Siegman: LinkedIn | Website
Find out more about the GSF:
News:
- EnergyNet Task Force [03:50]
- EnergyNet on GitHub [03:50]
- EnergyNet expands to 280 apartments in Lund (Warp News) [03:50]
- Is this EnergyNet thing legit? (Chris Adams) [03:50]
- Sam Altman / OpenAI energy use and data centers (The Guardian) [12:20]
- Big Tech says generative AI will save the planet - proof is thin (WIRED) [01:10]
- Big tech greenwashing report (Ketan Joshi) [13:20]
- Different kinds of AI in the climate context (Chris Adams) [15:00]
- AI's Never Just One Thing: Different FLOPS for Different Folks (Hugging Face) [18:20]
- Great Lakes region unprepared for increasing water use demands(Alliance for the Great Lakes) [30:10]
- AI Cap-and-Trade: Efficiency Incentives for Accessibility and Sustainability [36:20]
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