Addressing worldwide waste, with Gerry McGovern

Hardly a day goes by now without a news article circulating telling us of the boundless benefits of the next phase of AI and how we must all hurry to adapt. There’s little time to think about the pros and cons – the mainstream narrative is get on board or get left behind.

But what’s at stake? What are the downsides? Activist Gerry McGovern is hugely concerned. And rightly so. The environmental footprint of next generation technology is barely mentioned. Author of World Wide Waste, Gerry has committed to sharing the true cost of AI as far and wide as he can.

In this episode, Cat, Jen and Dom chat with Gerry to learn about the carbon impact of all-digital and uncover what internal communicators can do to educate, inform and help their organisations reduce their carbon emissions.

Takeaways

• Recognize the absence of bicycles in advertising and the prevalence of artificial bicycles for indoor use.
• Shift from propaganda to realism in order to make meaningful changes. Ask harder questions and work towards changing behaviors and mindsets.
• Slow down and recognize that humans were not designed for the fast-paced lifestyle we currently lead.

About Gerry McGovern

Gerry has published eight books on digital content and data. In 1996, the Irish government published his report, ‘Ireland, The Digital Age, The Internet.’ That same year, The European Union awarded Nua, a company he co-founded, its Best Overall WWW Business Achievement Award.

Gerry’s latest book, World Wide Waste, examines the impact data waste and e-waste are having on the environment and what to do about it. Gerry also developed Top Tasks, a research method used by hundreds of organizations to help identify what truly matters. The Irish Times has described Gerry as one of five visionaries who have had a major impact on the development of the Web.

www.gerrymcgovern.com

gerry@gerrymcgovern.com

@gerrymcgovern@mastodon.green