By John Day & Matthew Englert, CleanArc Data Centers
This chapter is an excerpt from Greener Data: Volume Three, launched on Earth Day 2026. Featuring perspectives from 75+ sustainability leaders across the digital infrastructure ecosystem, the full book is available now on Amazon.
The Future Demands Community-First Data Centers
Ready or not, AI has ushered in a new era for our industry. No longer operating behind the scenes, data centers have been thrust into the spotlight. This isn’t a fleeting cameo. This is “prime-time, headlining, never-leaving-the-stage” spotlight. And with each new data center construction project, communities are growing more aware of the tech infrastructure driving AI and other digital innovations.
From quiet rural towns to major metros, data centers are popping up left and right, with over 11,000 operational facilities worldwide and counting.1 The United States clearly dominates the digital landscape, with 4,165 data centers as of November 2025 — roughly 40% of the global total. Given the sheer number of data centers today, it’s no wonder they’re turning heads and raising questions like never before.
While greater awareness has sparked valuable conversations, it has also invited more scrutiny around sustainability, safety, and community impact. According to a recent HostingAdvice survey, 93% of Americans recognize the importance of AI data centers, yet only 35% say they’d support one in their own neighborhood, often citing questions and concerns around energy, water, and land use.2 As dialogue around data centers continues to unfold, misinformation, skepticism, and fear of the unknown are driving local opposition.
Between May 2024 and March 2025, more than $64 billion in U.S. data center projects were delayed or blocked, driven by a wave of local opposition.3 These pauses were fueled by concerns related to strains on the power grid, increasing energy consumption, excessive water usage, rising utility costs for residents, changing aesthetics, and intrusive noise impacts. While some project delays involved large tech companies reassessing their plans, most have occurred at the local or state level, with many jurisdictions in several states, including Illinois, Georgia, Maryland, and Colorado, imposing temporary moratoriums to study the environmental effects of rapid data center expansion.
This scrutiny underscores the growing need for transparency and continuous improvement. As an industry, delivering performance is not enough. We need to lead responsibly, with sustainability at the core of how digital infrastructure is built and operated.
Busting the Big Myths About Data Centers
Despite significant economic gains, like adding new jobs and millions of dollars in local tax revenue, communities are pushing back, raising concerns in growing numbers at public meetings, often turning out by the hundreds. While communities are right to ask questions, some of the concerns surrounding data centers are rooted in misconceptions, making it all the more important for operators to proactively set the record straight through transparency and education. From misguided notions about noise to mistaken beliefs about environmental impact, we’ve heard it all. That is why we must remain committed to listening and providing clarity. Here’s a breakdown of widespread myths and the realities behind them.
Common Data Center Concerns and the Truth Behind Them
Generator Fuel and Air Emissions: Generators are backup systems and almost never run. When they do run, it’s briefly and under controlled conditions with emissions-compliant engines — often using cleaner fuels like natural gas or biodiesel.
Excessive Water Usage: Many newer data centers use closed-loop or air-cooled systems, drastically reducing water needs. Some facilities are even waterless, prioritizing sustainable cooling technologies over traditional evaporative methods.
Noise Pollution: Modern data centers are designed with sound attenuation systems. Generators are rarely used — typically only during short, scheduled tests or emergencies — making noise impact negligible in daily operations. Additionally, many new data center campuses utilize setbacks and leave trees in place at the perimeter to reduce or eliminate any noise that can be heard off the premises.
Light Pollution: Typically, exterior lighting is minimal, directional, and shielded to comply with dark-sky regulations. Data centers don’t operate like stadiums or warehouses. Lighting is controlled and designed to be neighborhood-friendly.
Negative Health Effects: There is no conclusive scientific evidence linking modern transmission infrastructure to adverse health outcomes. Data centers follow strict utility and safety guidelines for all power systems, including setbacks and shielding where applicable.
Lack of Local Jobs: Data center projects require a significant workforce during construction, with newer data center campuses creating hundreds of temporary jobs that can last a year or longer. While the operational phase requires a smaller team, the growing scale and complexity of modern facilities means we’re still hiring for a range of roles, from technicians to facility managers to security. Data centers also drive indirect employment through local vendors, utilities, and services.
Skyrocketing Energy Consumption: It’s true that data centers consume significant energy, which can be seen as a negative. However, the substantial payments made by data centers to utilities help fund new renewable energy developments and research, and transmission grid improvements can also relieve stress on existing infrastructure.
Rising Utility Rates from Power Upgrades: While higher rates can be passed on to individual customers (and that’s worth acknowledging), it is really a result of how utilities are required to recover the cost of infrastructure upgrades in general, not something unique to data centers. It can create the perception that we aren’t paying our fair share, but in most cases, the utility’s rate structure doesn’t allow a developer to directly cover those costs for their own facility. Changing that would require adjustments at the utility or regulatory level.
Being a Good Neighbor in the Data Center Industry
As data center developers, we recognize that our presence brings change, sometimes altering the physical landscape and the rhythm of a community. We need to acknowledge that the communities where we develop are also our stakeholders, like our customers, investors, and employees. That’s why it’s not enough for us to simply break ground, build, and operate. We have a responsibility to engage, listen, adapt, and contribute beyond the tax revenue our projects generate. Being a good neighbor means becoming a true part of the community, investing in relationships, understanding local priorities, implementing green practices across operations, and being present in meaningful ways.
It’s also just smart business. Early, authentic engagement helps reduce the risk of opposition and above all, it’s the right thing to do. We know that data centers have emerged as a utility that the world will forever rely on. At CleanArc, we believe it is our social obligation to build data centers in a way that avoids or minimizes impacts to communities and our natural resources.
Strategies for Transparency and Fostering Community
When we set out to begin construction on our new data center campus, VA1, we wanted to do things differently and responsibly, in a way that deeply considers and respects local communities and the environment. We are proud to share some of the best practices we’ve established, lessons learned, and the authentic steps our company is taking to be a good neighbor, build trust, and clear up common myths through every step of the development and construction process.
Prioritize Community from the Start
First and foremost, choosing the right site for a data center is critical. It affects long-term performance, scalability, and community integration. When selecting a site for our flagship data center, we worked with the local government to identify sites they felt would be appropriate and least disruptive to the community. We carefully evaluated the surrounding area to ensure minimal impact and positive integration with the community and environment. The plot of land we selected is ideal for data center development because it’s low-density, meaning there are few residences nearby, and it’s already zoned for data center use.
Strategic Land Conservation and Biodiversity
As a deliberate act of environmental stewardship, we chose to purchase a larger parcel of land with more acreage than we plan to develop, with plans to leave a significant portion of the land undeveloped. This approach preserves a large amount of the land as green space, actively supporting local biodiversity and creating natural buffers between the facility and surrounding communities. It’s a proactive way to balance growth with long-term ecological health and community care. What’s more, the county benefits from the entire land purchase economically.
Transparency in Design and Operations
Transparency throughout the data center development process is essential for building trust with local communities. When stakeholders understand the project’s scope, timeline, and benefits from the start, it creates a foundation for collaboration, not conflict. When developers fail to engage or make vague public statements, they risk creating mistrust and fears of the unknown.
Prior to breaking ground, CleanArc invited all members of the community to an open meeting to answer questions, build relationships, and address concerns from local residents in a casual setting. This proactive step was crucial to prevent opposition. Our team of experts was available to answer questions at dedicated stations on a variety of topics. This early engagement, combined with clear and detailed explanations of our designs and operations, facilitated open and honest dialogue with community members and local officials.
We addressed specific concerns around water usage, educating attendees on our highly efficient cooling systems. Meeting attendees were pleased to learn that our facility will consume only a modest amount of water, comparable to that of a small office building.
We also addressed noise and light pollution concerns, easing fears and assuring residents that we are dedicated to minimizing our environmental impact. We shared that given our data center’s proximity to a major interstate, we anticipate that any operational noise will not be audible above the sound of the highway, minimizing any disruption to the surrounding area. We also comply with local noise ordinances.
Additionally, the CleanArc facility will not produce excessive lighting impacts. The site will use low-emission, directional lighting specifically designed to minimize glare and prevent light spillover. Fixtures will be equipped with reflectors and shielding to ensure light is focused downward, meeting local dark-sky guidelines where applicable.
Community Engagement
Early and ongoing community involvement shows that we are not just moving in, but becoming a trusted tech partner within the community — contributing to economic development, supporting local initiatives, and listening to residents. This connection can ease development processes, reduce opposition, and create long-term goodwill. Involvement can take many forms, from partnering with schools to sponsoring local events to supporting local charities.
At CleanArc, we launched a “Good Neighbor Campaign” to demonstrate our commitment to the community. For example, we are working with local schools to help inspire the next generation of tech leaders. Also, we are a proud sponsor of the local YMCA’s Bright Beginnings program, which provides backpacks and school supplies to children needing a little extra help, in addition to events throughout the year benefiting local families.
Industry Collaboration and Leadership
We are proud of what we are doing, but we can’t do it alone. Transparency and community engagement are shared responsibilities. By working together as an industry, we can move faster, with greater impact and the ability to build trust at scale.
There are standout data center developers already putting thoughtful community practices into action. We’ve seen great ideas from others that we’ve adopted, and we’ve created some of our own. But the biggest gains come when we share openly and borrow freely. If we want to improve how data centers are perceived and welcomed, we need a united approach, sharing what works, what doesn’t, and how we can do better. The more we normalize open dialogue with communities and other industry players, the more effective and trusted we become — not just as developers, but as long-term neighbors.
Neighbors First, Always
Bottom line: Being a good neighbor is imperative. That means caring about our environment, listening to each other, and communicating clearly and openly. The more open, responsive, and engaged we are, the more trust we build, and trust is the foundation for long-term success.
As the AI era unfolds and the spotlight shines brighter on our industry, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to innovate and create a brighter, more sustainable future for all. And if our pursuit to be a good neighbor has shown us anything, it’s that leadership isn’t measured by technical expertise alone. It’s defined by empathy, transparency, and a genuine commitment to our planet and our communities beyond the fence line.
RESOURCES
1. “Data Centers Worldwide by Country,” Statista, November 2025, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1228433/data-centers-worldwide-by-country/
2. “Public Concerns Over AI Data Centers Grow as Demand Surges – Report,” AIDC, March 4, 2025 https://aidc-expo.com/news/insights-updates/public-concerns-over-ai-data-centers-grow-as-demand-surges-report3. “Data Center Watch Report,” Data Center Watch, March 2025, https://www.datacenterwatch.org/report
Author: Courtney Burrows
Courtney Burrows is the Executive Editor of Greener Data and Executive Vice President of Marketing and Sustainability at JSA, where she leads content strategy across PR, marketing, and media initiatives for the global digital infrastructure industry. With more than 20 years of experience — and over a decade dedicated to data centers — she curates expert insights focused on data center sustainability, innovation, and the evolving demands of an AI-driven world.
