Friday, February 27, 2026

Nutrition Labels Transformed Food. It’s Time for Environmental Labels to Transform AI.

Alt text: Illustration showing a large “AI Environmental Impact Label” styled like a nutrition label in the center of the image. The label lists carbon footprint, water usage, energy source, last updated date, and third-party verification. On the left side are rows of data center servers and industrial cooling towers emitting steam. On the right side are wind turbines and solar panels in a green landscape under a bright sky. The headline reads, “Nutrition Labels Transformed Food. It’s Time for Environmental Labels to Transform AI,” and the tagline at the bottom says, “Demand Transparency. Drive Accountability.”
I’m hearing more educators and students cite the environment as a reason not to use AI. 

Energy use. Water consumption. Emissions.

Those concerns are real.

But giving up AI isn’t the answer. Accountability is.

Check out my recent piece in Tech & Learning Magazine, where I argue that just as nutrition labels changed food, environmental labels can change AI. 

The article includes classroom-ready lessons and a practical student activity: designing an AI Environmental Label that schools can use to push vendors toward transparency and cleaner infrastructure.


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