In July, @ajc.com spoke with E2I2 about the problems behind building data centers too quickly, with incomplete data on impacts to public health, local economies, and the environment. These data gaps create uncertainty for thousands of people across Georgia.
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ajc.com
OpenAI’s $20B data center dominated Georgia headlines. But it wasn’t alone.
OpenAI's plans for a $20 billion data center near Savannah made national headlines. But two other sprawling data center projects in Georgia were also made public the same day.
![[ Graphic shows Vision 2030 goals for building community-based data infrastructure in the Southeast.
Included in the graphic is a cutout of a green deciduous tree, a water testing kit, a solar-powered air monitor, soil in a petri dish with a small sapling, and a woman in outdoor gear looking at a digital device to demonstrate ease of access to data.]
Top to bottom:
Building a Southeastern network of community air monitors
Creating accessible environmental data portals supported by citizen science data from local residents
Delivering customized, capacity-strengthening resources and data literacy training](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:a4gwhfivsoeuafqdczan6esu/bafkreibukwqv4kkpnud3mwnqjsipylcq7wt5fbbqnjrktp7n7odgkjlqde)
![Organizational Partner Testimonial:
"E2I2’s work reflects our community's voice while providing data in an easy to understand way.
They are helping us bridge the gap between science and lived experience, with the ultimate goal of helping our community residents see how environmental data connects to daily life and overall community health."
Quote: Tycoma Miller, MPH, CHES
Role: Director of Outreach at the West Anniston Foundation
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Full Post:
In Anniston, Alabama, where decades of industrial pollution have left lasting impacts, access to environmental information is key to long-term community resilience.
This year, we partnered with the West Anniston Foundation, whose mission is to provide health, educational, and developmental resources that will create a sustainable community. Together, we’re building a community reference library that brings together scientific data, archival records, and local knowledge to strengthen environmental awareness and action.
E2I2 is deeply grateful for the West Anniston Foundation’s partnership. To learn more about their programs and how you can amplify their important mission, please visit their page: www.westannistonfdn.org
We're committed to organizational partnerships rooted in community wellbeing as part of Our Vision 2030: Our Data, Our Power, Our Future campaign for a more equitable, resilient Southeast.
Support our mission by sharing our work and staying connected with E2I2! Sign up for updates at www.e2i2.org/contact/
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Attached graphic contents:
ADVANCING ENVIRONMENTAL EQUITY with the West Anniston Foundation
Location: Anniston, Alabama.
[ Environmental Equity Information Institute ]
[ West Anniston Foundation logo. ]
@e2i2org on Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:a4gwhfivsoeuafqdczan6esu/bafkreigvwe6pu4pzgwhtooahjhmw3hv3m2ca2lw2dqla5fblsj6yg7nrfu)
![Community air monitoring closes a critical environmental data gap while empowering communities impacted by hazardous pollution. See how we're putting more air pollution data into community hands and build data democracy with us. [www.e2i2.org]
Image: E2I2 Solar-Powered Prototype Air Monitor](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:a4gwhfivsoeuafqdczan6esu/bafkreib2v4jl4e65hqbllsyuq7h5oj2qpjbeimgbkqrglpu2jfu6y7bpve)
![Studies indicate that regulatory air monitoring networks are not evenly distributed, especially in communities overburdened by hazardous air pollution.
[Image: Illustration of two people, a white person and a brown person, standing in front of two groups of apples. One group of apples is evenly distributed, and the other group is sparse, with only four.]
[Study Link: QuoKelly BC, Cova TJ, Debbink MP, Onega T, Brewer SC. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Regulatory Air Quality Monitor Locations in the US. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(12):e2449005. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.49005te]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:a4gwhfivsoeuafqdczan6esu/bafkreifchjctjtq37avop5bzljou2sumzbi4atfu6e73efxfqms5xnrcxu)
![Communities of color experience disproportionate exposure to air pollutants. Despite progress in reducing average air pollution levels, communities of color are seeing increased disparities in health impacts from pollutants like PM2.5
[Source: Kerr, G. H., Van Donkelaar, A., Martin, R. V., Brauer, M., Bukart, K., Wozniak, S., Goldberg, D. L., & Anenberg, S. C. (2024). Increasing racial and ethnic disparities in Ambient Air Pollution-Attributable morbidity and mortality in the United States. Environmental Health Perspectives, 132(3). https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp11900]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:a4gwhfivsoeuafqdczan6esu/bafkreic3cujo4ti4biszlgxs5uh6yv2ogdb4pqkwaicrtznfvqk5e6h2jy)
