Artificial intelligence is becoming a larger part of everyday life with each passing year. Behind that technology are data centers, and the physical footprint of those facilities continues to expand. According to the International Energy Agency, electricity consumption from data centers is expected to nearly double from 485 terawatt-hours in 2025 to 950 terawatt-hours by 2030, representing around 3% of global electricity demand. Loudoun County, Virginia, reports 233 existing data center buildings, making it the largest concentration of data centers anywhere in the world. Yet their impact extends far beyond electricity consumption.
Much of the public discussion around data centers focuses on the energy they consume, the water they require, and the amount of land they occupy. Less attention is given to what could happen with that land once the facilities are built. Many companies have made commitments to reduce emissions, but the rapid growth of AI has changed the calculations. The environmental impact is significant, but it is only one part of the broader conversation. Another question is what happens to the surrounding land and who decides how it can be used.
At the same time, many companies continue to rely on carbon credits to help offset their environmental footprint. Those efforts can come at a considerable cost. In January 2026, Microsoft agreed to purchase a record 2.85 million soil carbon credits in a transaction valued between $171 million and $228 million, according to MarketScreener, citing Reuters. While substantial sums are being invested in land elsewhere, the areas immediately surrounding data centers can remain largely bare. The potential solution, however, may already exist on the property itself.
Around many data centers, the landscape can include dry grass, exposed soil, and heavily maintained turf. The Environmental Protection Agency notes that restoring vegetation in communities can help reduce the heat island effect while providing cooling benefits. A study published in Nature Cities found that at least 20% of the urban area across all 28 of the most populous U.S. cities is sinking, largely because of groundwater extraction, affecting approximately 34 million people.
Noreen Wise, founder and chair of the board of the grassroots nonprofit Climate Action NOW (CAN), is working to address this overlooked opportunity. Based in Loudoun County, Wise has built her mission around restoring biodiverse native habitats on suburban land that data centers and other industries often leave unused or bare.
CAN organizes free monthly film festivals featuring documentaries focused on solutions to three major environmental challenges: climate change, biodiversity loss, and plastic pollution. The events bring together grassroots community members, filmmakers, business leaders, academics, and elected representatives to explore practical solutions.
For the past three years, Wise has personally funded these events. This fall, however, the organization will hold its first fundraiser, helping ensure the film festivals and broader mission can continue.
“You buy a bag of seeds, throw it on the ground, and a meadow grows,” Wise says. For her, the first step is demonstrating what land can already provide and what it could become. Her own meadow became an example of what is possible. If an individual can restore a piece of land for the cost of a few dinners, she argues, large campuses with acres of turf and extensive mowed areas have an opportunity to do the same.
Vegetation can also help manage runoff and improve the soil’s ability to retain water. Yet land is often one of the least-discussed aspects of the data center conversation and, potentially, one of the easiest areas to improve.
“Nature absorbs sound, absorbs toxins, and beautifies,” she says.
Wise’s philosophy extends beyond physical restoration. She draws inspiration from ecology, where keystone species help support the health and development of the wider ecosystem.
“It is like a true landscape. It has keystone species that help others grow and blossom,” she says.
She applies a similar concept to the organization’s events. One influential participant can create connections and opportunities that a grassroots organization might otherwise struggle to access.
“Every panelist, every county leader, and every voice that stands up and adds to the conversation changes the narrative for the better. This inspiration is what drives action. And without action? Well, that’s not a world I want to think about,” Wise states.
The issue also connects to broader global conservation goals. According to the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, more than 190 countries and 10 U.S. states and territories have established 30×30 targets aimed at protecting 30% of lands and waters by 2030.
Wise began testing her own approach on her property. She spent a summer removing invasive plants and establishing a meadow.
“It cost me a couple hundred dollars. I did it with my own hands,” she says.
She also points to other industries that have adopted similar approaches. In paper and tissue production, for example, some companies plant two trees for every tree they harvest, creating a cycle designed to replenish what is removed.
Wise believes the AI and data center industry can adopt a comparable mindset. She is not calling for data centers to close or stop expanding. Instead, she argues that companies can make greater use of the land already surrounding their facilities. Buffer zones could become meadows, blank walls could support living walls, and rooftops could offer additional opportunities for vegetation.
Individually, these changes may appear small. Across hundreds of data center sites, however, Wise believes they could collectively create a much larger environmental impact.
For Wise, the definition of a company’s environmental footprint is gradually expanding. Energy and water consumption will remain central to the conversation, but biodiversity, soil health, and local climate impacts are becoming increasingly relevant. These are the less visible consequences of where data centers are built and how the surrounding land is managed.
She expects communities to increasingly ask what the industry gives back to the places where it operates. For her, the answer should be measured not only in megawatts, but also in acres.
For Wise, CAN, and the wider grassroots community, the path forward begins with moving beyond an isolated view of individual industries and considering the larger environmental picture. Their work raises fundamental questions: What is the impact? How can industries acknowledge it? And how can they improve the circumstances around them?
Data centers may be powering the future. The question now is whether the land surrounding them can become part of that future as well — and who will take the first step toward planting the seed.
